Jesse Serwer, Author at LargeUp

Erupisode: Rolling with Mr. ‘Click Mi Finger’

A LargeUp Exclusive Webisode - Words by Jesse Serwer, Photos and Video by Martei Korley, Edited by Perry Levy Erup emerged seemingly out of nowhere (actually he had the backing of some key players in Tru... Read More...

Cool Ruler: Remembering Gregory Isaacs, 1951-2010

Words by Jesse Serwer Gregory Isaacs had the best nickname: The Cool Ruler. The title of his classic first album for Virgin Records in 1978, the moniker perfectly captured the singer's musical vibes—noncha... Read More...

Ari Up, 1962-2010

Words by Jesse Serwer Punk-reggae fusionist Arianna Forster, AKA Ari Up of the Slits, has died at age 48 of an unspecified "serious" illness, according to her stepfather John Lydon (yes, Johnny Rotten was ... Read More...

Adios, Antilles: St. Maarten and Curacao Gain Independence

Words by Jesse Serwer, via Associated Press St. Maarten and Curacao are, as of this weekend, the world's newest countries. The two islands (Well, in the case of St. Maarten, it's actually one-third of an... Read More...

Mixtape Mondays: Forever Summer + Weekend Mixtape Roundup

Words by Jesse Serwer Fall has officially set in here in NYC. Trees are going brown, snorkels are being worn and summer is sinking deeper into the rearview mirror of a vehicle headed for an inevitable co... Read More...

Media Watch: Musical Youth on TV One’s ‘Unsung’

Words by Jesse Serwer Most everyone knows Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie" (even Homer Simpson's referenced it) but few have any idea what happened to the British-Jamaican kid group after their 1982 sm... Read More...

He Knows Snowcone…The Real Snowcone

Words By Jesse Serwer Fans of Rick Ross's Deeper Than Rap may recall Magazeen, the deejay who plays Officer Ricky's foil on "Yacht Club," one of that album's standout tracks. The Bawse signed the Miami-b... Read More...

Visual Culture: Wax Poetics Reggae Issue

Words by Jesse Serwer Our friends at Wax Poetics have focused their attention on reggae before but for the first time they've devoted an entire issue to Jamaican music from the front page to the back. I... Read More...

Mighty Arrow, 1949-2010

Words by Jesse Serwer As the Jamaica Observer and other outlets have reported, the great Montserrat calypsonian Alphonsus "Arrow" Cassell, a/k/a Mighty Arrow, passed away Wednesday following a battle wit... Read More...

MJB meets Gyptian inna Jerry Wonda style

Words by Jesse Serwer Considering the grip that "Hold Yuh" has had on urban radio the last few months, it was only a matter of time before R&B artists and rappers began tapping Gyptian for cameos. Ac... Read More...

If Wyclef Was President…

Words By Jesse Serwer, via The New York Times As long as Prazwell isn't V.P. Yesterday's Times took stock of Wyclef's recent media tour (Larry King, Time) in which the former Fugees leader, Yele founder ... Read More...

Selector Just-Ice (and Pete Rock)

Words by Jesse Serwer Manhattan soundsystem/record shop Deadly Dragon Sound routinely bring names like Johnny Osbourne, Downbeat the Ruler, Wayne Smith and Ranking Joe out of the woodwork for their dance... Read More...

Author Jesse Serwer