Chef Presents and Earthdance Global announce an unprecedented U.S. global music event Word.Sound.Power to Celebrate Soundsystem Culture with an epic block party in Northeast Minneapolis at 56 Brewing (3055 NE Columbia Avenue) on Saturday, August 13, 2022. Akin to Jamaican soundsystem events of the 1950s, Word.Sound.Power unites the Minneapolis community with a one-day urban festival for essential cultural healing. Five separate soundsystems will fill the streets with an array of Jamaica's biggest stars sharing the stage with premier U.S. hip-hop artists and DJs from noon to 10pm. Tickets can be purchased at theticketing.co.
Word.Sound.Power presents a collective of international artists spanning generations, genres, and geographical borders. Seminal headlining artists include Black Uhuru vocalist Mykal Rose, master turntablist Cut Chemist, Jurassic 5 emcee Chali 2Na, dancehall sensation Turbulence, reggae legend Johnny Osbourne, jungle pioneer DJ Soul Slinger and innovators such as Up Bustle & Out and Kush Arora, plus local Minneapolis mainstays Prince Jabba and Truth Maze, among many others. Dub originator and King Tubby protégé, The Scientist, will perform live and serve as the acting sound engineer for Word.Sound.Power.
Scott Stanley Moore, presenter of Word.Sound.Power, says, "Soundsystem culture has always been about community, bringing people together in the middle of town and having a big dance party. After the last few years in Minneapolis with COVID-19, the civil unrest, and the polarization of our country, we all need to heal together through the power of music and dance."
Originating out of the ska music of mid-20th century Jamaica, soundsystem culture evolved into Hip-Hop in the Bronx, Electronic Dance Music in the U.K., and traveled all across the globe. Word is sound and sound is power is the Rastafarian proverb that inspired Patrick Scott Stanley Moore to produce an essential event for the Minneapolis community, Word.Sound.Power.
Headliner Highlights @ Word.Sound.Power:
Mykal Rose + Subatomic Soundsystem:
Veteran superstar Mykal Rose of Black Uhuru is set to propel his iconic vocal style into the future in a new collaboration with NYC's Subatomic Sound System, set to headline Word.Sound.Power on August 13 in Minneapolis. While heavy on bass and drums for the new millennium, they will also preserve the roots and foundation of reggae with horns and percussion as exemplified in Subatomic's decade long tenure as a hybrid live and electronic band backing dub reggae pioneer Lee "Scratch" Perry. Winner of the first ever reggae GRAMMY Award back in 1985, Mykal Rose's style has resonated across generations of reggae. Mykal's latest single "The Weed," a collaboration with Vybz Kartel, debuted in February 2022 at #1 in Jamaica.
Chali 2na & Cut Chemist:
Inseparable for 35 years, legendary hip-hop emcee Chali 2na and master turntablist Cut Chemist feature a special blend of hip-hop gold. It all started in 1987 when they formed their first group UNITY Committee, and in 1994, they combined forces with local rap group Rebels Of Rhythm to form Jurassic 5. With J5 in full swing, Chali and Cut became founding members of the fusion Latin group Ozomatli in 1995. Since then, the two hip-hop heavyweights also found time to pursue solo projects.
Cut Chemist went on to do remixes and features for such acts as DJ Shadow, Less Than Jake and Blackalicious. Chali collaborated with Roots Manuva, Lyrics Born, Slightly Stoopid, Galactic, and others. Separately, they've landed deals with Interscope and Warner Brothers. Since 2019, the two have presented special collaborative performances that spotlights their musical lives together.
Turbulence:
Discovered by Philip "Fatis" Burrell, Turbulence (aka Sheldon Campbell) blends hip-hop, R&B, and deft DJ skills to great effect which has distinguished himself on the reggae scene. Raised in Jamaica's Mannings Hill Road section, Turbulence released his debut single, "Keep It Going," in 1997 on the Sky Hi label before coming to the attention of Burrell, who then included his song "Word Wid It" on the 1999 Xterminator compilation, The Herbalist. Turbulence's self-titled, full-length debut followed in early 2000.
Fast forward to 2022, now with several critically-acclaimed albums and singles, Turbulence celebrates life with his latest album, The Remedy. His empowering voice touches upon a variety of topics such as change, love, and hope. The album released by Neva Stop Booking under exclusive license to Ineffable Records features 12 stellar songs as a follow up his 2020 album, Jah Jah.
The Scientist + Johnny Osborn & Junior Dread
A truly outstanding practitioner who thrives on innovation, Scientist helped dub reach some of its greatest heights as one of Jamaica's most sought-after engineers. Scientist rose up in tandem with the Roots Radics in the late 70s and early 80s. With his singular work as an apprentice engineer at King Tubby's Dromilly Road studio and work with seminal labels/studios Greensleeves, Channel One and Tuff Gong, many dub fans consider Scientist to be the last of the classical Jamaican dub mixers.
Over a decades-long career, Johnny Osbourne moved from soulful reggae to a massive dancehall catalog. His warm voice filled with conviction and yearning, he's one of the Jamaica's best, especially on standards like "Ice Cream Love," "Water Pumping," and countless rub-a-dub singles.
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Carlos Almeida Jr. "aka" Junior Dread, represents the new generation of conscious reggae music. His music brings the positive message of love and "overstanding" to the world. He has toured worldwide spreading the "Word Sound Power" culture.
For additional biographical information for artists appearing at Word.Sound.Power, please visit: @wordsoundpowerfestival
The Full Lineup for the Word.Sound.Power Festival Includes:
*Mykal Rose + Subatomic Soundsystem (Jamaica)
*CHALI 2NA & Cut Chemist (US)
*Turbulence (Jamaica)
*The Scientist (Jamaica) + Johnny Osborn (Jamaica) & Junior Dread (Brazil)
*DJ SOUL SLINGER (NYC, US)
*Up Bustle & Out (Bristol)
*Joe Nice (MD, US)
*DJ Madd (MI, US)
*Lost City (LA, US)
*Surya Dub with Maneesh the Twister & Kush Arora (SF, US)
*EDICA+ (TX, US)
*Tribe Steppaz (London)
*Distinct Motive (Canada)
*Reggae Rajahs featuring Diggy Dang & General Zooz
*Green Lion Crew (ME, US)
*Sgt. Remo (Mexico)
*McPullish (TX, US)
*Kelly Dean (LA, US)
*Red Peak Sound (CO, US)
*Prince Jabba & The Hi Grade (MPLS, US)
*Prizefighters (MPLS, US)
*Necromancer (MPLS, US)
*Jen Symmetry & Nick Merchant, B2B (MPLS, US)
*Nick Twist (MPLS, US)
*Ray Azucar (Uruguay / US)
*Truth Maze (MPLS, US)
*Moonlit Mushroom (MPLS, US)
*Arion Lee (MPLS, US)
*MC Hyde (MPLS, US)
*DJ I Roach (MPLS, US)
*Bhump Takeover - Verum, Wndow, Eylxr, Blighten, Hith (US)
*Culminate Takeover - Buxaplenty, Kandor, MORTL (US)
*Head Inna Bin Takeover - Batty Tesla, Beargod, Jeeves, & Lazyrobot (US)
*Low & High Takeover - mixedmind, Badman, Trip B, aиtithesis (MPLS, US)
Sound Provided By:
*Champion Sound (MPLS, US)
*Dem Deya sound System (Denver, US)
*Head Inna Bin (MPLS, US)
*Headway hiFi (Madison, US)
*Pomegranate Sounds (Denver, US)
Additional details about the Word.Sound.Power festival are available on Facebook and Instagram.
