Entertainment

Rebel Salute’s debut show in the United States, scheduled for September 28 at Miramar Regional Park in South Florida, has been postponed until April 26, 2026.

Organisers of the event cited the threat of severe weather as their reason for the postponement.

Tony Rebel, the show’s founder; Maxi Priest; Mykal Rose; Mikey Spice; Louie Culture; LUST; and Chalice were expected to perform.

Queen Ifrica, who was billed as one of the headliners, withdrew from the show three days earlier. The roots artiste said in a statement that this was “due to terms of her agreement not being met”.

In a statement released on September 27, Tony Rebel stated that the safety of patrons was taken into consideration, hence the postponement.

“This is not a cancellation, it’s a commitment to our fans, our artistes, and our legacy. Rebel Salute has never compromised on quality or care, and this decision reflects the same spirit that has guided us over three decades,” he said.

Miramar Regional Park is the traditional home for the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival, which takes place on November 9. That event, a showcase of Jamaican cuisine and music, consistently attracts a large crowd.

The inaugural Rebel Salute was held on January 15 1994, Tony Rebel’s birthday. It took place at Fayors Entertainment Complex in his home parish of Manchester.

That show was headlined by his close friend, singer Garnet Silk, who was also from Manchester.

Rebel Salute, now held in St Ann, is one of the leading roots-reggae festivals in the world.

— Howard Campbell

Actor Johnoy “TV Boss” Williams is relishing in his star role in the official music video for Valiant and Shaneil Muir’s Paradox Pt. 2.

The visuals were released on September 12 and have already gained over 1.2 million streams on popular streaming platform YouTube.

In the video, TV Boss plays the role of Muir’s brother, who encourages her to leave her partner (Valiant) after continuous disappointments.

“My performance was 10 out of 10. I always put my best foot forward in whatever I do, and that’s the reason why I keep getting called for work,” TV Boss told the Jamaica Observer.

The Portland-born actor, who is now based in the United States, got into acting while a student at Buff Bay High School in Portland. Once he decided to make it a career as TV Boss, he enrolled in the School of Drama at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

He has appeared in other projects such as Sting and Shaggy’s Til A Mawnin directed by Jay Will.

Other big projects have included Rock Stone by Stephen Marley, Stay Suh by Busy Signal, and Alkaline’s Juggernaught.

TV Boss also became a regular on The Ity and Fancy Cat Show, which aired on Television Jamaica, as well as Nick Cannon’s King of Dancehall.

He explained that acting is second nature for him.

“It is a natural thing for me to get into character because it sells me. I always include humour and wit to connect with my audience,” the actor said.

He added: “I’ve grown a lot. I’ve transitioned from Jamaica to the US, but the work speaks for itself. America is big, but the work that I have put in Jamaica has helped to shape my career,” he said. “Being in America is a big ball field that affords many opportunities, bigger reception.”

TV Boss told the Observer he is eyeing the business and production side of the film industry for expansion.

— Kediesha Perry

It’s official: Alkaline is booked for Dream Weekend 2026.

The announcement comes as Dream Entertainment moves the iconic summer festival from its Negril home, after 16 years, to Jamaica’s north coast, Montego Bay, next year.

Organisers say they are turning up the heat for 2026 with a bold new chapter and an even bolder artiste line-up.

The “Vendetta Boss” himself is set to deliver a one-of-a-kind performance for the new edition. Known for delivering hit after hit and commanding massive crowds locally and overseas, Alkaline’s presence signals a bold, new era for the Dream brand.

“Alkaline represents the voice of a generation and the pinnacle of modern dancehall,” said Scott Dunn, group managing director, Dream Entertainment Limited. “Bringing him on exclusively for Dream Weekend 2026 is more than about a performance, but more so a cultural moment. It symbolises our... commitment to pushing boundaries.”

Dream Weekend 2026 is scheduled for July 30 - August 3, 2026, its usual Emancipendence week, with signature themed parties, premium entertainment, and an immersive cultural experience set against the stunning backdrop of Montego Bay’s picturesque waterfront venues, providing a new party experience for the event’s loyal patrons.

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Paul Thomas Anderson's action thriller "One Battle After Another" stormed to the top of the North American box office on its debut weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a retired radical fighter who is dragged back in to action to help his daughter, the film's veering from the ridiculous to the deadly serious had audiences riveted.

The New York Times described the film as "a carnivalesque epic about good and evil, violence and power, inalienable rights and the fight against injustice."

"One Battle After Another" took an estimated $22.4 million this weekend, according to industry group Exhibitor Relations, and has been generating early Oscar buzz for both director Anderson and lead DiCaprio.

"This is an excellent opening for an action thriller," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

"The film is performing on the level of an action series launch, and that's impressive. Critics' reviews are fantastic and the audience score is outstanding."

Coming in second was "Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie," a live-action/animation hybrid aimed at family audiences that put in a strong showing with an estimated $13.7 million in sales.

The film is based on a popular children's animated series airing on streaming platform Netflix, and features the titular Gabby going on adventures with her feline friends in the animated world of her dollhouse.

Continuing its strong showing at the box office was anime feature "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle," which logged a further $7.1 million to take its estimated North American take to $118.2 million.

Behind it, the juggernaut of horror franchise film "The Conjuring: Last Rites" rolled on, taking in a further $6.9 million to push its overall pot to $161.5 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"The Strangers: Chapter 2" ($5.9 million)

"Him" ($3.7 million)

"The Long Walk" ($3.4 million)

"Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" ($3.3 million)

"Spider-man Trilogy" ($2.3 million)

"They call him OG" ($1.5 million)

Big Beat, a United States electronic and dance music record label which was founded in 1986 by Craig Kallman (former president of Atlantic Records), has had a long-standing relationship with reggae music through the years.

The label, which was distributed by Atlantic Records (it was absorbed into the label in 1992 and relaunched separately in 2010), has released songs and albums by Garnet Silk, Dawn Penn and Inner Circle.

Make it Bun Dem, a dubstep reggae song by American DJ/producer Skrillex, featuring Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, which was released in May 2012, has been certified gold in the United Kingdom.

Released via Big Beat/Atlantic Records, Make It Bun Dem topped the now defunct Billboard Reggae Digital Song Sales chart, and went to #15 in Belgium, #24 in Austria, #22 in Australia, #34 in Canada, #87 in France, #16 in New Zealand, #61 in Slovakia, #48 in Sweden, and #58 in the United Kingdom.

The gold certification issued on September 26 by the British Phonographic Industry, commemorated sales and streaming equivalent of 400,000 units.

This is the third gold certification in the United Kingdom for Jr Gong. His Grammy-winning album and song of the same name, Welcome to Jamrock, were both certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry.

Make it Bun Dem appeared on an episode of the American fantasy series The Magicians (aired on Syfy), and it was also used in the video game Far Cry 3.

Make it Bun Dem was previously certified 2x platinum in Australia, gold in Canada, Denmark and Italy, 2x platinum in New Zealand and platinum in the United States.

Four years into her solo journey as a gospel recording artiste, Treze-Gaye Smith believes that the work that she set out to do is truly getting recognition.

A few weeks ago, when she learnt about her nomination in the Breakout Sensation of the Year category, Smith said the accolade is a major milestone for her career-wise.

“One of the highest points of my career has been releasing my music and seeing it minister to people far beyond my immediate circle. Being recognised with a Sterling Gospel Award nomination is also a major milestone. It’s a humbling reminder that the work is making an impact. It also signifies that the message that God has placed in me is being heard. This is also encouragement to keep pressing forward, and it affirms that obedience to God’s call will always bear fruit in His time,” Smith told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

Smith will compete with Gilead Collective, Minister D Brown, and Genesis Praise Squad for the Breakout Sensation of the Year award.

“Honestly, I was overwhelmed with gratitude when I heard that I had been nominated. I paused and just thanked God, because it reminded me that none of this is about me. It’s about Him using me as a vessel. I was genuinely in awe,” said Smith.

Prior to embarking on a solo career Smith was a part of multiple groups.

“Yes, I’ve been a part of groups since I was in high school, and I was always singing in church choirs and different ministry settings, but stepping out in 2021 marked the beginning of my official solo journey as a recording artiste. The journey has been both rewarding and challenging. There have been moments of stretching, growth, and learning, but also moments of deep fulfillment. Seeing how the music touches lives and draws people closer to God keeps me going,” Smith disclosed.

The daughter of a pastor, Smith gave her life to the Lord during her teenage years.

“My life has been for God for as long as I can remember, because my father is a pastor. However, I was 14 years old when I made it official. From then, my faith has been the foundation of everything I do, including my music,” said Smith.

Originally from Christiana, Manchester, she attended Knox College, then pursued her bachelor’s degree at The University of the West Indies. She is currently a final year master’s student.

Although she hasn’t released a full body of work yet, Smith says each song that she has put out represents a piece of her journey.

Last year, she released Tek it Fada, a gospel-soca fusion which impacted the gospel music space. However, there’s new music on the way.

“Yes, I’m currently working on new music that I’m really excited about. My aim is to release more songs and eventually a full body of work that tells a complete story of faith, hope, and worship,” Smith shared.

She worships at the Devon Restored Church of God in Manchester, where she also serves in ministry.

“My church has been a strong foundation for my growth both spiritually and musically,” she shared.

The 9th annual Sterling Gospel Music Awards will take place on Saturday, October 4, at Emmanuel Apostolic Church on Braeton Parkway, Portmore, St Catherine.

In a space commonly associated with negativity, at least two talented content creators have managed to separate themselves from the vulgarity that often inundates TikTok.

With a shared passion for the performing arts, the hilarious duo of Adonique “Mr Nose” Cole and Melanie “Ms Petal” Welsh have taken the popular platform by storm with their spontaneous ‘nosey landlord versus problematic tenant’ skits. With a growing audience on social media, the duo says they are looking to maximise every opportunity as they hope to establish long-term on-screen careers.

“I have a passion for acting. Ever since I was a child, this is what I wanted to do. My mom named me after her favourite actress, Melanie Griffiths, so I was destined to do this,” said Welsh as she chronicled her acting journey.

“I started acting in primary school in different plays. I think my début was Back Den Back Ben by Joan McKenzie. I also came in Bartenders, and so I think it was a little after COVID that I went into my craft and started taking it seriously,” she said.

Describing herself as a hard-working individual who prioritises developing her talent, Welsh told the
Jamaica Observer that she knew her talent would one day open doors, but admits she never saw the partnership with Cole coming. She revealed that though she had met her acting partner on the set of her debut production, she had no idea their relationship would blossom into a budding partnership.

“We weren’t friends; not saying we didn’t communicate, but we just had a work relationship... and leave... [W]e respected each other, and we worked and cut,” she recalled, a point Cole nodded to in agreement.

“Back Den Back Ben was my first big play out of school, written by Joan McKenzie and directed by Everaldo Creary, and like Mel said, that’s how we met... That was about 2021,” he shared.

As fate would have it, the two would later reunite on another project, this time one they would both collaborate on. As it turned out, that encounter was the beginning of a long-standing creative partnership.

“Ado entered a competition on TikTok, and he reached out and asked if I could be a character, and I said, ‘Sure.’ We went and did well and made it through in the competition, but something happened, and it ended. But then someone encouraged me to bring the character to life, and I reached out to Ado again, and we started Mr and Mrs Wukit. It was a good run, but we wanted to do more and take TikTok by storm. We started doing skits, and we started doing the constructions, until Ado came up with another skit with Mr Nose, and it just took off from there,” she revealed.

While the Mr Nose/Ms Petal timeline has taken on a life of its own, Cole’s journey did not always have the meteoric rise he’s now experiencing. In fact, as the budding actor tells it, life threw him a curve ball when he was rejected by Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts because there were questions regarding his ability to finance his tertiary education.

“I was turned down by Edna Manley. I did the auditions, did the examinations, passed everything, and got the interview. I remember there was this beautiful question, ‘How will you be able to finance yourself if you are accepted?’ And being my true self, I told them I was on the PATH programme [Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education] and they would take up a percentage, and my mother would find the rest,” he shared. “My mother was a street vendor at the time, but mi know she did ago find it, because she always found it for us to go to school. When I told them that, everyone’s face dropped in the interview. Maybe if I had lied I would have been accepted, but I spoke my truth, and I don’t think I regretted it.”

Cole said that after he received the rejection letter he kept it as he figured out his next move.

In a powerful testimony, Cole shared that the moment became a defining one as he decided then that this was just beginning.

“At the time, mi feel like everything did crash fi me, because this was my dream school. It was my passion and I wanted to explore the field of arts, and I felt like this was the school that would have given me the platform and leverage. But having been rejected, I told myself that this was not the end and mi nah stop,” he said. “Today people ask me a when me graduate from Edna because the talent is so loud, and I am not bashing Edna, but I am telling the story so others in a similar position can know that rejection can mean redirection. I am doing today what Edna would have allowed me to do. I took myself and my platform and put my videos out there, and God said ‘Now this is the time.’ ”

The duo told the Observer that the love they have been receiving on social media has fuelled their passion even more. Optimistic about the future, the pair have big dreams which include the possibility of Oscar and Emmy awards as well as contracts with American writer/actor extraordinaire Tyler Perry.

“Straight a Hollywood we a go. I aspire for Tyler Perry to e-mail me. Netflix…the sky is not the limit,” said Cole.

“I want to collect Emmys and Oscars. I literally envision myself collecting the award and crying and everything and ‘bigging’ up Jamaica. We’re going there,” Welsh added.

As they weigh the endless possibilities that lie ahead, the duo said their hearts are filled with nothing but gratitude for the Jamaican people, especially the fan base on TikTok. They expressed that while the platform has earned a reputation for ‘mix-up’, they know the platform can also be a window of opportunity for talent like themselves.

“I want to say big up Jamaica and every Jamaican, whether yard or abroad, I appreciate the love. I must say I feel extremely good, like I’m doing something and doing good is all I wanted to do. People message me and they’re like Mel, you guys don’t understand what you do for me, and that makes me feel so much gratitude,” Welsh said.

“TikTok is my happy place, my home away from home, my haven. At first I was against TikTok and deleted it until COVID, when a lot of people took it for the space of entertainment, and now I appreciate it a lot,” she added.

“I tell people all the time that TikTok has a lot of different avenues and you haffi choose which side you’re on,” Cole chimed in. “There’s the ‘mix-up’, the dancing, acting, and all. I know the path I am on and mi lock into that section. When people ask why I do this, the reason is that I want to see people smile... I enjoy doing it. One of the biggest comments I saw recently was someone saying if we continue like this, we’ll be getting the Prime Minister’s Youth Award, and is not that me nuh believe inna mi self, but that would be huge for us.”

Recording artiste Melodii is making rounds in the musical arena because of his soulful voice and relatable lyrics.

The latest attention-grabber has been the track Stages which was released on August 31, with production credits to Stocks An Bondz Recordz.

“The song was based on everything that I was actually going through with every step that I was taking with music. From different events, and from there, some other things started happening such as day to day life experiences,” the entertainer whose real name is Roderick Baker said.

Born and raised in Clarendon, the Foga Road High School past student discovered his affinity with music from as early as 10 years old. His growing popularity is thanks to other releases such as Legends, Darkness and Learn.

Melodii prides himself on releasing music without expletives, unlike most dancehall artistes. Listeners have responded positively to this approach.

“Not everybody from my era or my age group is doing the type of music that I am. To see somebody like me who’s around a lot of different artistes and still choose to keep a firm meditation, the people love that,” he added.

His musical inspirations include Bob Marley, Beres Hammond, Christopher Martin, and Romain Virgo because of the mutual conscious and clean music that they promote.

At the same time, he looks forward to future collabs with Hammond, Masicka, or Nhance.

“Every time I listen to their music, it’s motivational. It pushes me to pursue my goals,” he explained.

The artiste will be doing music long-term for all age groups, globally. He anticipates being featured on stages such as Reggae Sumfest, Rebel Salute, as well as other popular music festivals.

“I just want everybody to know that no matter what happens, this is me and this is always going to be me and I’m not going to change. I’m always going to do music and spread something positive. I’m always going to try to elevate myself and I want them to do the same,” Melodii said.

Teenage Engineering, the Swedish design and technology collective renowned for redefining the boundaries of music gear, is set to launch its newest instrument, the EP-40 drum machine and sequencer, with a week-long celebration in Jamaica from October 10 - 17.

The team behind this bold move is looking to resonate with music lovers and creatives in the birthplace of the reggae genre.

“At Teenage Engineering, our passion is building instruments that spark creativity and make music fun to create, no matter the genre. This time, the RIDDIM EP-40 was born from a deep inspiration in reggae, dancehall, and sound system culture. From the very beginning, Jamaica has been at the heart of this vision, because it is the birthplace of these sounds and the community that has carried them forward. We wanted to design a machine that captures that energy while staying true to its roots. By bringing it here, we connect directly with the people and culture that shaped the sound. We provide the technology, but the soul of the music will always belong to those who live it, the team said.

The EP-40 is the latest addition to Teenage Engineering’s innovative family of instruments, following the widely acclaimed EP-133 K.O. II and other genre-defining models.

Adding that the RIDDIM EP-40 offers other features besides being a drum machine or sequencer, the team explained that it is an instrument built for spontaneous creativity.

“It combines intuitive grid-loops with powerful effects directly inspired by reggae and dub. At its core is a sound bank created especially for this project, featuring over 400 brand new recordings of instruments, sounds, and loops contributed by legendary artists such as King Jammy, Mafia & Fluxy, Mighty Crown, Mad Professor, and more. On top of that, the EP-40 also includes a built-in synthesizer (supertone) with classic digital-era sounds and authentic dub sirens, giving producers the full spectrum of reggae’s sonic DNA,” the group explained.

“The RIDDIM EP-40 is professional and versatile, yet still easy to use and affordable. Producers can sync it with other gear, layer rhythms, and build full tracks, opening up new creative possibilities, a tool for producers to push reggae forward,” they said.

Come October, there are high hopes that the drum machine and sequencer will be received well.

“We hope that both the artists and producers we worked with during the development, and many new ones, will use and love the machine. If it inspires and helps reggae reach new people, then we’ve succeeded,” Teenage Engineering said.

Ribbiz Ultra Lounge will this Sunday host Big People Sundays Groovy Edition: 70s & 80s.

Mounted in association with J Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum and Kool 97FM the weekly Big People Sundays series promises a unique blend of nostalgia, 70s and 80s style, and high-energy fun.

DJ Smurf is booked to spin timeless jams and retro hits all night long, with patrons expected to arrive in vibrant colours, bold prints, and head-turning fashion. Patrons are encouraged to embrace the bold and eclectic fashion trends of the era with shoulder pads and oversized blazers, tracksuits and preppy looks, maxi dresses and bell-bottom jeans, and tie-dye.

Brian Chung, co-owner of Ribbiz Ultra Lounge, expressed that: “We are always trying to do something different here at Ribbiz. It’s more than just a throwback, it’s a celebration of timeless music, style, and energy.”

Prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed guests.

“Whether you’re channelling your inner disco diva or rocking those bold 80s vibes, this is your chance to shine and claim the title of best dressed for the night,” commented Chung.