Inner Circle’s “Bad Boys” — the unmistakable theme to the TV show “Cops,” which was pulled off the Paramount Network this week after more than 30 years on the air — amounts to a major novelty hit, but one with a long and interesting history behind it (as is so often the case with novelty hits). Its prominence and popularity are the result of an unusual series of events and circumstances which led to it becoming one of the reggae songs most beloved by non-Jamaicans.
Although based in Miami since the 1980s, Inner Circle started off in Jamaica in the late ‘60s as a group of young, middle-class musicians who would soon split off into two different entities, the other being the successful reggae group Third World. Self-contained bands like Inner Circle and Third World as recording artists have always been a relative rarity in Jamaica, where the norm is vocal groups...
Although based in Miami since the 1980s, Inner Circle started off in Jamaica in the late ‘60s as a group of young, middle-class musicians who would soon split off into two different entities, the other being the successful reggae group Third World. Self-contained bands like Inner Circle and Third World as recording artists have always been a relative rarity in Jamaica, where the norm is vocal groups...
- 6/11/2020
- by Greg Casseus
- Variety Film + TV
In 1988, reality-tv producer John Langley was plotting out his next show. A few years earlier, his first foray into the then-nascent genre, American Vice: The Doping of a Nation, had brought live drug arrests to prime time. He had the basic premise for a follow-up — follow police officers on the job with no narrator or re-enactments — but there were still crucial stylistic details to sort out.
“I was a Bob Marley fan — still am — and I thought it would be very interesting to counterpoint law enforcement with reggae,” Langley told...
“I was a Bob Marley fan — still am — and I thought it would be very interesting to counterpoint law enforcement with reggae,” Langley told...
- 6/11/2020
- by Jason Newman
- Rollingstone.com
For an aspiring singer, the chance to appear on a show like The Voice is a dream come true – and it’s a dream that Jacob Miller took full advantage of. When Jacob first opened his mouth to sing on The Voice, judges and fans knew he had a special talent. The young singer effortlessly displayed his vocal abilities and many fans predicted he would win the season. Although Jacob didn’t take home the prize, he definitely left a lasting impression on everyone who saw him perform. There’s no doubt that he will go on to have a successful career
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Jacob Miller...
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Jacob Miller...
- 5/6/2020
- by Camille Moore
- TVovermind.com
There can’t be many pairs of hands as safe as Don Letts’s when it comes to music knowledge. A cultural polymath who has been front-and-centre of the music scene for over 40 years – as a musician, DJ, radio presenter, Grammy Award-winning music video and film director. Letts was one of the key figures in the introduction of reggae to the punk movement, working particularly closely with The Clash.
He’s returned to reggae, celebrating his first love with a series of podcasts for Turtle Bay, and in his latest Reggae45 podcast, he has zeroed in on reggae’s place in Jamaican cinema. “With this episode Don takes the term soundtrack from a literal point of view, delving deep into the world of film and how the sound has a parallel connection with the story on the screen.”
The Citizen Kane of Jamaican cinema is Perry Henzell’s 1972 crime thriller...
He’s returned to reggae, celebrating his first love with a series of podcasts for Turtle Bay, and in his latest Reggae45 podcast, he has zeroed in on reggae’s place in Jamaican cinema. “With this episode Don takes the term soundtrack from a literal point of view, delving deep into the world of film and how the sound has a parallel connection with the story on the screen.”
The Citizen Kane of Jamaican cinema is Perry Henzell’s 1972 crime thriller...
- 11/26/2018
- by Cai Ross
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
From Kingston to Lewisham, here are five other must-see reggae movies
The Harder They Come (Dir. Perry Henzell, Jamaica, 1972)
Jamaica's first feature, and the one against which others are measured. The plot – poor country boy seeks fortune in city – is archetypal, but Henzell cleverly turns our admiration for hero Ivan (Jimmy Cliff in incendiary form) into revulsion, as the film shifts through melodrama, comedy and musical into tragedy. Immortal movie moments – "You think the hero can be dead before the last reel?" scoffs Ivan at one point – and a stunning soundtrack led by Cliff's title song make this a five-star classic.
Rockers (Dir. Ted Bafaloukos, Jamaica, 1979)
A "Dreadsploitation" flick that's now a vibrant time capsule of reggae's halcyon days. Drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace plays a hapless muso caught up in Kingston's music wars. The plot's paper thin, but there's a gallery of great cameo appearances – Jacob Miller and Gregory Isaacs...
The Harder They Come (Dir. Perry Henzell, Jamaica, 1972)
Jamaica's first feature, and the one against which others are measured. The plot – poor country boy seeks fortune in city – is archetypal, but Henzell cleverly turns our admiration for hero Ivan (Jimmy Cliff in incendiary form) into revulsion, as the film shifts through melodrama, comedy and musical into tragedy. Immortal movie moments – "You think the hero can be dead before the last reel?" scoffs Ivan at one point – and a stunning soundtrack led by Cliff's title song make this a five-star classic.
Rockers (Dir. Ted Bafaloukos, Jamaica, 1979)
A "Dreadsploitation" flick that's now a vibrant time capsule of reggae's halcyon days. Drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace plays a hapless muso caught up in Kingston's music wars. The plot's paper thin, but there's a gallery of great cameo appearances – Jacob Miller and Gregory Isaacs...
- 4/23/2012
- by Neil Spencer
- The Guardian - Film News
From Mvd Visual, the classic 1978 reggae feature Rockers has been transferred to HD from the original 35mm negative, starring Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace and Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall in a Blu-ray DVD edition following "...a Robin Hood style story of oppressed Jamaican musicians getting even with the criminal types in the music business..." Directed by Ted Bafaloukas, produced by Patrick Hulsey, the restored Blue Sun release showcases Jamaican musicians in 5.1 surround sound, including Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Third World, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Gregory Isaacs, Kiddus I, Junior Murvin, Inner Circle, the Heptones and acting roles/appearances by Jacob Miller, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Kiddus I and Leroy Smart. Bonus Materials include subtitles in French, Spanish, Japanese and Jamaican Patois. Sneak Peek the trailer from Rockers and a 5-minute clip from the film...
- 7/12/2009
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
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