Shontelle Layne –
Multi-talented Bajan Sensation

She’s got the best of several worlds, and by all indications, the entertainment galaxy is hers for the taking. The beauty, intelligence and musical talent of 24-year-old, Shontelle Layne, make her much more than your usual “triple threat”, as she prepares to take her position as “the next big thing” out of Barbados.

With a semester’s worth of credits still outstanding before she completes her law degree at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Shontelle has seized the opportunity to go where her Grammy-award winning compatriot Rihanna has gone. Previously celebrated in the Caribbean and beyond as the songwriter behind the Alison Hinds smash hit “Roll” and the Party/Road Monarch-winning “Colours” for Natalie Burke, Shontelle is now ready to stake her claim as a complete artiste.

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River Bottom - a lot more than laughs

The term ‘river bottom’ usually conjures images of free-flowing, tranquil, cool, clear water. But when playwright, Patrick Brown, penned his own version, it conjured up: chaos, greed, lust, trickery and love. The play, aptly titled, ‘River Bottom’ opened at Centre Stage, New Kingston, on Boxing Day and has been sold out at every showing because of its masterfully crafted set-up.

‘River Bottom’ is a bellyful of laughs, but upon closer inspection, it offers much more. It offers a peek into the ultra-rural Jamaican lifestyle: a place where clothes are washed in the river, hamper-baskets are just as ‘normal’ as their urban counterpart’s Louis Vinton handbags, donkeys are the everyday means of transportation and cell phones are practically nonexistent!

Beyond that, the myriad of secrets and twists within the main plot gives theatre-goers the two-and-a-half-hour pleasure of trying to untangle the web of lies and deceit woven for them.

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Nesbeth

“Mi board house bun down inna gang war wha day/ Now mi naw’ave nuh whey fi sleep.’

The reality of Jamaica’s inner-city can be harsh, grim and unforgiving, especially for gifted young adults living that reality; they are constantly bombarded with daily challenges and merciless stereotypes, and more often than not, very few escape.
            Nesbeth, who is one of Jamaica’s newest and fastest emerging stars, is a prime example of what it means to turn life’s pitfalls into a mountain of success. As a conscious reggae artiste, Nesbeth has learnt to sing about life from a garrison standpoint: whether about love or a victim of gang war, Nesbeth says his voice highlights the struggles of Jamaica’s voiceless.
            Growing up in Arnett Gardens, (Jungle), Nesbeth was susceptible to many things including being victimized by gang violence, which at one point, left his house burnt to the ground. That incident however, proved to be one of the best things to happen to Nesbeth: it became the primary inspiration behind his first industry accredited hit ‘Board House.

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Omari Rises with Help

In a time when our young men are being murdered, marginalized and misled by material trappings, one male has decided to chart his own course and swim against the tide of mediocrity to preach the gospel.
Omari is a cut above the rest because he stands by his ideals and convictions even when they may not be popular or ‘hip’. A gospel artiste on the rise, his stock has soared and his work is fast gaining the recognition it deserves as being conscious, poignant and real.
Born Andrew Edwards, the 28-year-old began entertaining while in high school, starring in all the school concerts, and says entertainment always magnetized him. “Even if I wasn’t an artiste, I would still be in the entertainment industry. I used to plan gospel events like ‘Re-Charge’ and was the road manager for other gospel artistes so I know that this is in my blood.”

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