On Friday, November 26th, Reggae sound systems from around the world will gather in New York’s Caribbean center – Brooklyn – for a historic Thanksgiving celebration. London’s legendary David Rodigan, Japanese sound masters Mighty Crown, Jamaican soundsystem idol Tony Matterhorn, and Trinidadian-American heartthrob Young Chow will converge in Nazareth Hall with New York’s “Big Clock” Steelie Bashment for Thanksgiving History 2K10. Celebrating Reggae’s diversity and global impact, Thanksgiving History 2K10 is set to be one of the City’s major holiday events.
“Anywhere you go in the world, whether it be Europe, Asia, Africa, there is always a connection to Reggae or a Reggae cultural influence in one form or another. You can go to Japan and see Japanese kids with dreadlocks wearing red, green, and gold, and singing Bob Marley lyrics,” states Steelie Bashment, New York’s signature Reggae/Dancehall soundman (dj). “Thanksgiving History 2K10 is about celebrating Reggae’s global impact. We have sound systems from three different continents and soundmen of various races and ethnicities coming together in ‘the melting pot’ of New York City to represent for Reggae.”
Thanksgiving History 2K10 features German-born, British raised sound icon David Rodigan, who was first introduced to Jamaican music in the mid-1960’s, when Jamaican singer Millie Small performed her Ska hit, “My Boy Lollipop” on British television. Since the 1970’s Rodigan has been a staple on radio, bringing Jamaica’s thumping drum and bass sound to thousands of British households through Radio London, Capital Radio, and England’s Kiss FM. Rodigan has served as a tour dj for international Reggae acts, and has ‘clashed’ or competed against Jamaican sound system giants such as Stone Love, Bass Odyssey, Killamanjaro, and Jamaican radio/sound legend Barry G. In 2008, Rodigan’s sound was featured in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty, a compilation of downloadable content from the Grand Theft Auto IV video game.
Known as the “Far East Rulers,” Mighty Crown is Japan’s groundbreaking sound system, upholding the country’s Reggae/Dancehall scene for almost 20 years. Not only does Mighty Crown thrive as one of the industry’s most renowned and explosive sounds, they also produce Japan’s largest Reggae festival — Yokohama Reggae SAI — which attracts more than 40,000 people annually. And to top this feat off, The Far East Rulaz also have a clothing line, clothing store, record label and magazine. In 2009, the outfit landed their second sneaker deal with Nike — resulting in the hip and limited edition Mighty Crown Dynasty High sneaker. These kicks were a monstrous hit and sold out soon after their highly anticipated release.
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