Seani B

ACE & SEANI B HOST “THE MOST MEMORABLE HOUR ON RADIO THIS YEAR”

Acclaimed English journalist and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer picked her Top 10 radio and podcasts from 2020 for the Guardian. At No.3, was the 1Xtra Talks special, hosted by the PMG’s Ace and Seani B.

Miranda said, “Ace and Seani B host the single most memorable hour of radio this year. After George Floyd’s death, several black DJs spoke out about how they were affected, notably Clara Amfo on Radio 1. Ace and Seani took the discussion to a deeper level, explaining how they altered their behaviour (or not) according to how they are perceived within white society, and letting listeners call in to contribute”.

Even though we agree with Miranda it is still excellent to see such worth recognition on such a platform. Big up Ace and Seani for their continued commitment to honest and real journalism!

BRUKOUT GOES STATESIDE WITH DYNAMIC NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH PANDORA

The PMG’s sister company, BrukOut, one of the world’s leading Caribbean music curators have confirmed a new partnership with Pandora, the American music streaming and recommendation service.

The team up will see international DJ & broadcaster Seani B curating a special playlist for Pandora, which will reflect the exciting and creative world of Dancehall and Reggae to an ever expanding audience base in America.

“I admire the work and respect that Pandora have for the music and the culture that I love and represent”, said Seani, “their drive and determination to ensure that Dancehall & Reggae is showcased in the correct manner matches my own professional goals, so when the opportunity came to work together it was a no brainer for me. I’m happy to be a part of the Pandora family.”

With over 63 million monthly active users, package paid subscription Satellite Radio. Although the basic service is free, the platform also offers a Pandora Radio without doubt one of the widest reaching music services available. The company was recently purchased by Sirius XM which provides a range of benefits over the free service and has a subscriber base of over 6.5 million users.

Diego Herrera, Head of Reggae & Caribbean programming at Pandora commented, “Seani B is not only one of the most respected figures in the world of reggae, but he’s also a true tastemaker who doesn’t simply have his finger on the pulse of the music – he is the pulse! I’m thrilled to have him bring his insight and musical prowess to Pandora, and I think listeners will really enjoy hearing directly from one of the definitive voices in reggae and dancehall music.”

Check it out for yourself – https://pandora.app.link/7IA4vuZZi6

THIRD WORLD * NEW VIDEO *

Check out the official music video for “You’re Not the Only One” by Third World ft. Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley.

‘You’re Not The Only One’ is taken off the band’s Grammy nominated album More Work To Be Done album, released by Ghetto Youths International. We are proud to be working on this campaign Via our Creative Consultancy department.

Buju Banton: A Moment In Jamaican Musical History

Last Saturday, Mark Myrie aka Buju Banton performed at his first show since coming out of prison, the first time he had graced the stage in Jamaica in over a decade. Billed as Long Walk To Freedom, it was held at the National Stadium in Kingston, the same location that played host to the previous biggest show the island had seen – Bob Marley’s iconic Smile Jamaica show in the seventies.

The Playmaker Group and Brukout were in Jamaica giving us an insight on what went down on that historical night which included interviews and a show on BBC 1Xtra. As part of Brukout’s weekly article for The Voice newspaper, Ray Paul and Seani B give an exclusive overview of the huge return for Buju Banton.

“In over 20 years of documenting reggae professionally as a broadcaster and journalist, I have never witnessed anything like this. The mood was one of anticipation and promise mixed with a slice of celebration and joy.

All week I witnessed stars from the Jamaican music scene and the man and woman on the street sharing a feeling that seemed to have never been generated in other shows in living memory. This was coupled with an excellent management and carefully selected pre-promotions campaign which saw Buju say very little in the run up – all which built the anticipation even further. It truly was about to be a history moment.”

Listen to Seani B’s BBC 1Xtra show on the Buju return below or you can read the whole article from The Voice Newspaper here

TRACK OF THE WEEK: KOFFEE – RAPTURE

Rebecca – After taking the Reggae and Dancehall world by storm with ‘Raggamuffin’ and finding her way smoothly into the mainstream with ‘Toast’ while maintaining her unique tone and style, the 19-year-old Koffee from Spanish Town just dropped her 5 track debut EP ‘Rapture’. The title track is coming on just as strong with A COLORS SHOW performance.

As if that wasn’t enough already she enchanted 10 thousands at Buju Blanton’s epic ‘The Long Walk To Freedom’ concert that took place last Saturday at the National Stadium in Jamaica.

In case you missed any of that, go check exclusive content and a special interview with Koffee our sister company ‘This is brukout’ captured with Seani B. It’s a good look to see Reggae and especially young, female talent be embraced like that. Can’t wait for more of that.

Don’t forget to follow our Spotify playlist to keep updated with all our track of the weeks

BUJU BANTON RETURNS – BRUKOUT EXCLUSIVE

Reggae/dancehall star Buju Banton will perform his first concert for nearly 8 years at the National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica on March 16, 2019. Banton and his 10-piece Shiloh Band will perform a much anticipated 90-minute set at the Long Walk to Freedom concert.

So for this historical homecoming, you know THE PLAYMAKER GROUP & BrukOut had to be involved. For exclusive interviews and insight leading up to the big night from Seani B, follow all the BrukOut socials so you don’t miss a thing. You can follow BrukOut on Instagram here.

As a little taster, here’s Seani B getting an exclusive look into the building where it all takes place in Jamaica, click the link in the video.

The full video can be watched on the BrukOut Instagram.

‘BLACK IS A DIRTY WORD’ REVISITED

THE PLAYMAKER GROUP produced BLACK IS A DIRTY WORD which aired on BBC Radio 1 on 1/11/16 and BBC Radio 1Xtra on 6/11/16. It was the most listened to documentary during BBC’s “Black and British Season” and is hosted by BBC 1Xtra DJ and Grammy winning producer Seani B.

After some of the criticism UK artist Dave’s new track ‘Black’ has received, we thought it would be fitting to re-visit the documentary.

It looked at what it means to be black in Britain in 2016. It’s not friendly. It’s not box ticking. It is an uncomfortable listen. It may not be everyones cup of tea but hope it encourages an honest conversation.

PMG FEATURE IN ‘THE VOICE’ NEWSPAPER…X3!

Have you picked up this week’s ‘The Voice’ Newspaper? If so then you would have seen the THREE articles THE PLAYMAKER GROUP have published.

Firstly, February means one things in Jamiaca…Reggae Month! So BBC 1Xtra DJ and Grammy winning Producer Seani B had to be involved. From the legendary artists to the rising stars, Seani B discusses all in his weekly BrukOut column including his trip out to the Caribbean island. You can read the article online here

The second feature stays on the topic of a Caribbean island, but one not necessarily renowned for It’s music. PMG’s Nick Mathius discusses St Lucia’s vibrant music scene with the likes of Reggae and Soca being the heartbeat of the people. You can read the article online here

The third article ‘Introducing’ is by PMG’s Debbie Gayle and is something that will feature every other week in the Life & Style section. Kicking things off is ‘Introducing’ Sub Blue! One of Liverpool’s rising stars, Sub Blue tells us his story so far from being a suburban kid and the lifestyle that brings, to his forthcoming EP ‘Wilfully Blind’. You can listen to his brand new single ‘Russian Roulette’ here

The Voice is the only British national black weekly paper and It’s a pleasure we can be involved in a big way. #Playmakers