Monday, September 9, 2024

12 THE STAR ENTERTAINMENT • Monday, September 9, 2024 @JamaicaStar www.facebook.com/JamaicaStar • www.jamaica-star.com U S-based dancehall ar tiste MoneyMarkHot believes that the ’90s dancehall era had the most defining hits that endeared the art form to millions. “Nothing no bad like ’90s dancehall. Artistes like Lady Saw, Buju Banton, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer became household names as dancehall peaked in popularity alongside rap and R&B in mainstream black music,” he said. The combination of the ’90s and the guitarist Carlos Santana inspired his new single, Get In The Groove , that infuses a smooth, liquid Latin groove with dancehall. “This song reflects my lifestyle…wild and crazy, but sometimes relaxing,” said the artiste, whose given name is Troy Allen, said. He is riding high these days, generating a major buzz with Get In the Groove , which has racked up close to two million views since its release four months ago. It has also been added to the rotation of several ethnic radio stations in the New York Tri-state area. The resulting buzz has landed him gigs at local clubs and events. Born in Kingston, he migrated during his teens and grew up in New York City and Los Angeles. Always jovial and fun- loving, he showed an interest in the arts, especially music. He describes his music as borderless and versatile because of his eclectic tastes. However, his biggest role models in music, Bounty Killer, Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks, hail from the land of his birth. After leaving high school, he continued to hone his craft while setting up various entrepreneurial ventures. Five years ago, he decided to pursue music further. Since that time, MoneyMarkHot has earned a reputation for his special brand of inspirational music with songs like Live Life Music, which racked up more than one million views. He said his biggest dream is to own his own music company so as to establish young, independent artistes like himself. “My art is a reflection of everything I experience. Production-wise, I use elements of 1990s dancehall, which was a golden era for the genre, and mix that with my international influences, because I grew up between LA and New York. But I really want to unearth and break new talent, and help preserve the culture for future generations to discover,” he said. MoneyMarkHot pays homage to ’90s dancehall MoneyMarkHot C ontributed Tasha T C ontributed R ecording artiste Tasha T enjoyed a busy summer, with a slew of new releases and performances. Her most recent single, Put It On , was released on August 23. The track was produced by Silver Diamond Productions, as well as her very own label, RasVibe Records Inc. This single follows the release of Give I Strength on August 9, which was produced by Heart A Love Records. On the performance side, Tasha T has been extremely busy in Toronto, Canada, where she has been gracing several stages with her T-Sion Drummers. The singer performed at her own Red, Gold & Green birthday celebration on July 27, which was a success. “The atmosphere was electrifying and full of positive energy from the audience, who sang my songs from my Juno [Award]-nominated Real Talk album word for word, along with my singles, which left me feeling grateful,” the singer said. Tasha T performed on August 3 with the all-female Rayzalution band at the Island Soul-Empress Mash Up Roots Edition. She was also invited to perform her own set by Toronto’s own legend and icon Jay Douglas at the Harbourfront Centre the following day. Then, on August 11, she touched the Jerk Fest stage alongside ‘Queen of Reggae’ Marcia Griffiths, who invited her on stage to perform one of her hit singles, Land of Love , together. “All venues were filled with a variety of people who were very receptive to my performance,” said Tasha T. “Although the ‘queen’ and I have shared multiple musical stages in other parts of the world before now, it was wonderful in my own home town here in Toronto.” She wrapped up the summer season at the Afro Caribbean Waterford event on August 31. Tasha T enjoyed busy summer