Toppa Top 10: LargeUp Holiday Gift Guide 2014

Words by LargeUp Crew

There’s just over three weeks until Christmas so, if you haven’t already started crossing out items on your holiday shopping list, it’s time to get going. If you’re on island time, you’re probably just starting to think about these things, so we’ve put together a rundown of last-minute, LargeUp-recommended gift ideas featuring some of our favorite recent finds, from budget stocking-stuffers to big-ticket items, speakers to rum. Just about everything here is available for online orders (in the States, at least) so put on some irie Christmas tunes, pour yourself a glass of rum cream, and start filling your carts.

10. Cafe Selecto Coffee From Haiti ($7.99-8.99)

Haiti, once the world’s largest coffee producer, has produced coffee almost entirely for domestic consumption for the last 200 years—the ugly legacy of centuries of trade discrimination against the oldest Black republic. A silver lining to all that is its growers never modernized their plantations to accommodate mass production, leaving them today with, arguably, the purest beans in the world. All of Haiti’s coffee is Arabica, meaning even the cheap stuff is as good as what’s marketed as gourmet overseas. Thanks to the emergence of e-commerce sites and direct trade collectives, the secret is finally getting out. Miami-based KafePaNou.com imports several varieties of beans from popular Haitian brand Cafe Selecto, and you won’t find a better bag of coffee anywhere for under $10. Read more about Cafe Selecto, KafePaNou.com and Haiti’s coffee revival here.

9. Pepper Sauce from Queen Majesty + Bacchanal Sauce ($4.95-10.95)

Everyone’s got someone in their lives whose bland food you just dread having to eat. And holiday season’s probably when you have to eat it. What better way to subtly encourage them to step their game up than with a bottle of hot sauce? This year we thought we’d recommend two upstart sauces, made by ladies from Brooklyn. Sonya Samuel’s Bacchanal Sauce—which blends scotch bonnet peppers and habanero chilies with tropical fruits including tamarind and papaya—and runs $10.95 for 5-oz bottle; a 2oz. bottle is $4.95. Fans of vintage reggae might know Erica Diehl as selectress Queen Majesty of New York’s Deadly Dragon Sound. She’s also the proprietor of Queen Majesty sauce, a two-year old brand currently available in two varieties: An orange-hued scotch bonnet and ginger; and a green sauce with jalapeno, tequila and lime. 5 oz. bottles retail for $10, and $16 for the pair; there’s also 2 oz. sizes, available together in a gift box for $10.

8. Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings (hardcover, $19.15)

Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings is the Caribbean novel of the year, and maybe of the decade. Perhaps a bit weighty for most people on your list, but anyone with an interest in Jamaican culture, reggae, and post-colonial society in general will find much to think about in James’ third book. Set against the 1976 assassination attempt on Bob Marley (known in the book only as “The Singer”), it has been compared to a Tarantino movie and The Wire for its wide-ranging, so-real-its-basically-real look at Jamaica’s societal ills. As James told our Sherman Escoffery: “A novel is like the lie that tells the truth. By taking away any obligation to real people, I can really go into what’s going on.” Cop the e-book on Kindle ($11.99) and the hardcover ($19.24) via Amazon here, read our interview with James here.

7. Tropical Disco Hustle 2xLP ($22)

Reggae, calypso and junkanoo weren’t the only sounds going down in Jamaica, Trinidad and the Bahamas back in the ’70s. Just as in the rest of the world, disco spread like wildfire through the Caribbean in those days, too. Boston label Culture of Soul‘s Tropical Disco Hustle compilation, released this past summer as a gatefold-sleeve, double LP, gathers rare disco-funk sides from Jamaican, Trini and Bahamian bands, all officially licensed and reissued for the first time. Perfect vibes for the groove connoisseur in your circle.

6. Lee “Scratch” Perry Tee (£20/$31)

Lee “Scratch” Perry is, undoubtedly, one of reggae music’s most recognizable, and important, figures. He practically invented the genre. But you’re not going to find clothing with his likeness at the local culture shop. (You might see this figurine in a toy store, though). Designed by the UK’s New Analog and hand printed by One69A, these tees from Perry’s new UK-based e-commerce site are part of the first series of official merchandise (also including pins and posters) ever commissioned for Scratch. When we featured these on the site on Halloween, the response was overwhelming, so you might want to hurry if you’re hoping to satisfy the Upsetter in your life.

5. Tiburon Rum from Belize ($35)

Geographically Central American and culturally Caribbean, Belize is most definitely rum country. But, until recently, there were no Belizean rums widely available outside of its borders. Enter Tiburon Rum, a newly launched upstart using a blend of rums from Travellers Liquor, the makers of One Barrel, a Belizean staple that’s occasionally, if inconsistently, shown up on U.S. shores (And also Rompope, a bottled version of Belize’s favorite Christmas drink, rum popo). A smooth, molasses-based sipping rum, Tiburon sells in a 750-mL bottle for a suggested retail price of $35 in the US. It’s been racking up honors from run connoisseurs, including the gold medal at this year’s Craft Spirit Awards (Can’t say we’ve heard of that one—but sounds official!) since launching last year. Get it here.

4. Pum Pum Socks ($39)

Pum Pum Socks? Yes, Pum Pum Socks. Just launched last month, Jamaican-British stylist Susannah Baker and Gemma Shane’s accessories line blends Japanese Harajuku style and dancehall vibes together in the form of frilly socks with names like Candy Ragga, Vybez, Miss Ting and Lioness. Pairs of each are available online for £25, and at a handful of stockists including VFiles in NYC, and London’s Browns. Look out for more from the Pum Pum Socks crew on LargeUp shortly.

3. Lord Blakely’s Ninjaman prints ($50)

Portland, Oregon-based visual artist Lord Blakely creates realistic, often fantastical, scenes that incorporate his love of dancehall, early animation, European history, Saturday morning cartoons and the general clashing of cultures. He’s also got a bit of an obsession (and rightfully so) with dancehall icon Ninjaman. The Don Gorgon is the subject of his recent Portraits of a Ninja show (displayed at the Public Trust gallery in Dallas, Texas)., Blakely’s three-part “Phenomenon” series, available now in our online store, is a set of limited-editon 12″ by 12″ inch Chromira prints from that show, numbered and signed by the artist. The prints are available individually for $50, or all three for $125. Buy here.

2. House of Marley Get Together Speaker ($199)

Headphones brand The House of Marley really stepped up its game this year, introducing a new line of appealing home and portable Bluetooth audio systems. Our favorite is the portable Get Together, which comes with room-filling 3.5″ high-output woofers. The Bamboo wood finish seals the deal.

1. Tickets to the 2015 Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise (Price TBA)

Future generations will look at this past October’s inaugural Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise the same way today’s reggae fanatics pree the first Reggae Sunsplash. The five-day floating festival between Miami and Jamaica was all that it was billed as and more, as performances from a who’s who of reggae and dancehall superstars (just look at the pic above) were followed each evening by late-night sessions with the genres’ top DJs and deejays. Given how well things went this year, it’s not surprising that next year’s edition has been expanded to two trips, depating Nov. 30 and Dec. 5, 2015. Cabins go on sale Dec. 16th here, though if you attended this year’s edition or got waitlisted trying to, you’re eligible to skip the line and get yours now. Get a taste of what’s in store here: