How Jamaica Conquered the World show

How Jamaica Conquered the World

Summary: The small island of Jamaica has forged a new type of empire, an intangible realm of which there are no physical monuments. There is no official political or economic sphere of Jamaican influence but when it comes to popular culture its global reach is immense, far exceeding the reasonable expectation for a nation of just over 2.7 million people. For a nation that gained independence from the British only 50 years ago, Jamaicans have left their mark on music, sport, style and language around the globe and have become an international marker of ‘cool’. Jamaican music has colonised the new and old world alike, its athletes break world records with impunity and youngsters the world over are incorporating Jamaican slang into their dialects. Despite this the country has reaped no economic reward in return, unlike empires of old, and Jamaica still remains an economic pygmy. Jamaican influence has unconsciously spawned creative innovation around the globe and to this day it remains a country to be studied, celebrated, and demystified. Through the help of linguists, artists, musicians, designers, sports personalities, and historians we take a closer look as to how Jamaican culture conquered the world.

Podcasts:

 "Cool Runnings" 1988 Jamaican Bobsled team at the Calgary Winter Olympics - Episode 27 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1656

The team (consisting of Devon Harris, Dudley Stokes, Michael White, and last minute replacement Nelson Stokes) debuted at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. There they quickly became a fan favorite largely because of their status position as the ultimate 'underdog' story of the games. This team was the inspiration for a major motion picture, Cool Runnings. The characters in the film are fictional, although the original footage of the crash is used during the film. The film's depiction of the post-crash rescue was changed to show the bobsledders carrying the sled over the line on their shoulders for dramatic effect.

 Episode 25 - Kickstarting How Jamaica Conquered the World | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1412

This is a review and Kickstarter episode. We look back at the some of the show's highlights and why I decided to document the spread of Jamaica culture around the world. To donate please go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roifield/how-jamaica-conquered-the-world?ref=card

 Episode 24 - Birmingham, UK | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1620

The story of how the sound of Jamaica became the sound of Britain's second city and how its bands went world wide. The story of Musical Youth, Steel Pulse and UB40.

 Episode 23 - Announcement | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 212

The shows will commence again soon. The donate button, Colin Powell and other news.

 Episode 22 - New York | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1297

The Jamaican influence on The Big Apple has touched all aspects of the city's life. A Jamaican started started Hip Hop, Jamaican Panamanians gave birth to Reggaeton and Brooklyn's population alone is 10% Jamaican.

 Episode 21 - The Story of Soul II Soul, when Reggae met Soul | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 880

Jazzie B grew up in North London and fell in love with Jamaican Sound Systems. He went on to have the biggest Sound System in the world and he created a new sound that united Jamaican reggae with American soul. His bass fused driven music captured the attention of the world and was to change the sound of US RnB.

 Episode 20 - the Reggae Boyz and Rise of Football | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 890

When the West Indies cricket team finally lost a test series after nearly 20 years, Jamaica turned it's back on the sport and embraced football with gusto. This is the story of how Jamaica qualified for the 1998 World Cup and how an English man of Jamaican parents played for the Reggae Boyz.

 Episode 19 The Jalympics - The Beijing Olympics 2008 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 766

Until Beijing 2008 Jamaica had only won 6 gold medals in 60 years of Olympic participation. In 2 weeks that summer it gained another 6, an achievement that rocked the world and the island and give rise the superstar that is Usain Bolt.

 Episode 18 - The "incredible" story of Jungle | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 883

As the house music and the rave scene swept the UK in the late 80's and early 90's, Sound System culture fused with urban London to create an "Incredible" sound that became know as Jungle.

 Episode 17 - Thrillah - Michael Goldwasser of Easy Star All Stars | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 941

We take a departure in our normal routine and interview Michael Goldwasser of Easy Star All Stars about their latest album Thrillah, a reworking of Michael Jackson's Thriller

 Episode 16 - Toronto | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 762

Toronto is not only Canada's largest city but its also the Canadian capitol of reggae and the home of its Jamaican population. This is the story of immigration and integration.

 Episode 15 - Arthur Wint - Jamaica's first gold medalist | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 919

In 1948 Arthur Wint won Jamaica's first gold at the London Olympics. He was the first of a long line of Jamaican track heroes, the Usain Bolt of his day, this is his story.

 Episode 14 - "Jafaican", London Jamaican and Tippa Irie | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 934

When Jamaican immigrants came to London, they didn't only bring music, they also brought language patterns that would change "Cockney" the London dialect forever. This is the story of the rise of Jafaican in innercity London.

 Episode 13 - Sleng Teng, Dancehall and Steely & Clevie | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 713

By the mid 80's the sound of reggae was to change forever. Computers brought in a new vibe that was to turn the music "digital" and a new style, Dancehall, was born.

 Episode 12 - Reggae in Japan and Mighty Crown | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 749

In the 70's Reggae hit Japan. The land of the rising sun took it to its heart and 20 years later a Japanese sound system was crowned the best in the world!

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