G MaG

G MaG

Black History Month has always puzzled me especially as it occurs in different months in other countries and I could never quite figure out why Black people need to have a designated month in which to celebrate their heritage when their lives along with their culture continue for the other eleven months of the year?! Well, you guys dun know that G MaG celebrates BHM every month of the year - it is part of who we are as a people and we cannot change that! So, in order to re-in stil our African Heritage, we’ve dedicated this particular edition to the Continent of Africa - the place where all Black people and their music originated.

And, talking of Music Of Black Origin, MOBO's Kanya King came under a lot of scrutiny after the recent Awards show where people complained about one thing or another but, what I have to say to that is this: when are people gonna start supporting the MOBOs like they should instead of sitting back and criticising?? Yes, I've been one of the culprits in the past but, I'm pleased to say that the MOBOs have taken note and have acted swiftly to remedy the situation. So, nuff respect to Kanya for her strong tenacity coming from a fellow colleague who understands the complexity of working within a fickle music industry. That said, my only complaint about this year's ceremony was that Sean Paul who, won the 'Best Reggae Act', could not attend and what really incensed me was the fact that the gong was collected by a Hip-hop deejay! What?? Weren't there any Reggae deejays or anyone from the Reggae fraternity on hand to do the honour?? And, this Hip-hop deejay didn't actually win an award so, why was he interviewed so many times backstage when other winners weren't?? Well, without trying to sound cynic, what I'm basically saying is that the profile of Reggae needs to be raised to a level where it's on par with other genres and therefore, won’t need validation from other genres in the future! And yes, I'm proposing to change that – next chapter…!!

So, like I said, the fourth corridor of the G MaG brings it home to Afrique in celebration of the rich, overflowing musical culture that was the backbone of all other musical forms that were to follow. And, if you're not too familiar with some of the names and faces then here’s your chance to do some catching up and delve into what's happening outside of our confined spaces! Tiken Jah Fakoly graces the cover in a setting that simply tempts us to take a vacation and explore that exotic part of the globe that for too long has been portrayed in a negative light. Contrary to the norm, instead of listing all the scrumptious tales that we have on offer, I'm gonna let you guys wait until you actually get your hands on a copy of the mag to check things out for yourselves!

Suffice to say, you'd better catch G MaG's BHM party on Sunday, 29 October 2006 at the very pleasant Illusions Nightclub in South London where we're gonna lay down some fine Reggae just like how they used to drop it back in the day! Yes, you definitely gots to get you some of da big, bad G MaG ... yuh dun know!

One lOve,

Melissa C Sinclair (DJ Cameo)
Editor, Publisher