REFLECTION & REASON

Every communication tool has its era, and each generation can recall the method of communication that facilitated particular milestones or memories, personally and professionally. Each generation can also witness, in real time, how reliance on one method can easily be replaced or upgraded by another. Dragging telephone cords across rooms for privacy, taking notes in class from an overhead projector, or listening to music on vinyl—witnessing the evolution of communication changes comes with an ease of delivery, as technologies and knowledge expand. It also comes with a learning curve, as users adjust to new processes, protocols, and purposes. The medium is the message. Since this was stated from mass media theorist Marshall McLuhan, as early as 1964, technologies have come and gone, and new instruments have made many of them obsolete. Now, just within one year, communication trends and tools move quickly, and can be eliminated simply due to changed rhetoric, cancel culture atrocities, n...

For the second time in the past 6 years, we've witnessed the historic release and return to the stage of a dancehall legend at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Like the countdown to Buju Banton's "The Long Walk to Freedom" concert in 2019, the New Year's Eve "Freedom Street" show celebrating Vybz Kartel on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 was a must-see production for reggae and dancehall enthusiasts. After serving 13 years, Kartel (Adidja Palmer) was released from incarceration on July 31, 2024. From that moment, this "first" performance has been anticipated. The excitement. The chatter. The suspense. The extreme FOMO for those not able to make it to Jamaica for the show (present company included). The focus on the island of Jamaica, attracting the who's-who of dancehall, music lovers, cultural supporters, music media, and patrons and supporters of reggae and dancehall who were eager to ring in their 2025 as one of the fortunate thousa...