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Guyanese Singer Killed in Hit-and-run in US

The Late Jermaine ForresterDriver arrested – The Jersey Journal

The music fraternity in the Caribbean region was thrown into a state of being “sad” yesterday as news spread of the death of promising US based Guyanese singer Jermaine Forrester. The 33-year- who came to prominence as a lead singer with the group ‘4play’ recently released a single titled “Gonna Be Alright” but for his Guyanese family it turned out to be the opposite.

The 33-year-old was killed in a Jersey City hit-and-run accident yesterday and the driver has since made a court appearance.

The Jersey Journal reports a Harrington Park man made his first court appearance yesterday afternoon on charges that he killed a New York City man in a hit-and-run collision in Jersey City yesterday morning before his arrest in River Vale by officers on the lookout for his vehicle, officials said.

“Holy s—! I killed that guy?” said John Dineen, 23, when River Vale Police Officer Christopher Bulger told him he was being charged with death by auto and other offences, reports said.
River Vale Police Chief Michael McCann said Bulger recognized Dineen’s speeding vehicle at 1:13 a.m. based on the alert issued by Jersey City police.

Dineen is charged with death by auto, endangering an injured victim and other offences in connection to the collision that killed Jermaine Forrester, 33, of Springfield in Queens, as he was crossing the State Highway 139 at Bevan Street at 12:48 a.m. today, Jersey City police said.

A driver who witnessed the fatal collision followed Dineen’s 2009 black Toyota Land Cruiser north on Kennedy Boulevard but went back to the accident scene when he realized it wasn’t going to stop, police said.

A pedestrian who was walking in front of Forrester said he heard a loud noise and when he turned he saw Forrester flying through the air before coming down on the pavement, reports said. Another witness told police the vehicle that hit Forrester pulled over for a moment before speeding away.

Forrester was pronounced dead at the scene and Jersey City police officers contacted his mother and notified her of his death, reports said. When Dineen was spotted in River Vale he was travelling 48 miles per hour in a 35-mile per hour zone and the police officer noticed the SUV had a smashed headlight.

After failing a sobriety test and refusing a Breathalyzer test, Dineen was arrested on the charge of driving while intoxicated and brought the Hackensack University Medical Center, reports said. At the hospital he refused a blood test that would determine his blood-alcohol level, McCann said.

While being brought back to Jersey City, Dineen said “I can’t believe that I killed that guy. I can’t believe I hit him,” reports said, adding that an officer advised him to remain silent.

When he appeared in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City yesterday afternoon Dineen was wearing a white undershirt, brown slacks and black dress shoes. His hands were cuffed behind his back. He appeared stunned.
Dineen’s lawyer, Otto J. Scerbo, described him as a Bergen County resident, college student and lifetime resident of New Jersey. Dineen said nothing at the hearing before being escorted from court by Sheriffs officers. After the hearing, Scerbo said he had no comment.
While being booked at Jersey City’s North District Police Station, Dineen said “please give me something to throw up in I’m gonna be sick thinking about the guy I just hit.”
An officer told the judge Margaret Marley of the statement and at 4:12 Hrs she stipulated it represented probably cause to charge Dineen with death by auto. The charge is a first-degree crime since alcohol was allegedly involved, Jersey City Police Director Sam Jefferson said.

Who was Jermain Forrester?

The handsome, young dynamic, singer was known by many as the “Caribbean Pop Artist to watch.” Born in Georgetown, Guyana, raised in Barbados and currently residing in New York City, Jermaine Forrester was poised to spread his gale force musicianship and charisma throughout the US and the world.

Jermaine Forrester was a singer/songwriter and producer who declared on his Facebook page that he was psyched and more than ready to introduce his many hot tracks to the world. Infused with his own distinctive blend of Pop, Reggae, R&B and Hip-Hop with trace influences of Rock, his music is an eagerly anticipated treat for all who’ve been fortunate enough to hear it or witness one of his high octane performances.

He demonstrated his eclectic ability as a songwriter and producer on “It’s All Good,” a sizzling hot Pop-Caribbean fusion incorporating an infectious beat with a catchy hook that is sure to be an instant hit, and his remake of the Billy Ocean classic “Caribbean Queen (no more love on the run)”, was listed a major buzz getter for him in the USA.  His substantial depth as an artist is evident on “Gonna Be Alright”, a message of hope that is sure to be an inspiration to all, and the epic song simply entitled “Sad”.

His numerous credentials include hosting “The New Vibe” radio show on HOTT 95.3 FM in Barbados, where he played the music of local artists and aired entertaining skits, and the “Rock City” radio show on MIX 96.9 FM, where he played Top 40 music, kept listeners in tuned to the latest entertainment news and was renowned for his prank phone calls. No small wonder that his show garnered the coveted place of #1 in its timeslot! As a VJ for the weekly television show, “Riddim Express”, which was seen in 16 islands in the Caribbean, he aired music videos and interviewed several Caribbean artists.

Jermaine Forrester no stranger to commercial work on radio and television and his voice stood out in numerous voiceovers and in-studio appearances. His sex appeal and vibrant personality placed him on magazine covers and in many news publications in the Caribbean. He also has the distinction of being the featured artist on a Cable & Wireless endorsement, generating sales of 50,000 phone cards in just two days for the telecoms giant, the largest telephone network in the Caribbean and one of the largest in the UK.

Jermaine Forrester had toured the UK with hip-hop star Busta Rhymes, gaining legions of fans for himself. He had also performed as the opening act for artists such as Boyz II Men, James Ingram, Ashanti, Ja Rule, Carl Thomas, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Beres Hammond and Sean Paul.

At an early age, Jermaine performed with the band The Smooth Boyz, earning him the notoriety of being the ultimate in smooth vocalists. Later, as a key member of the band 4D People, he began his prolific creative expression with his song writing. Jermaine has song writing credits on three of that band’s albums.

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Introducing Guyanese Singer DJ DFlex

DJ Dutty FlexThree albums and counting

When an artist is serious about his craft, the way Dutty Flex envisions his successes, there’s only one way to press on. That’s precisely the approach this talented, persistent, versatile and independent US based Guyanese artiste, had to succumb.

Already he has completed an album, ‘Fully Loaded’ and now Dutty Flex is aiming to take his music higher heights never experience personally or by his peers. Hence, the birth of his second album dubbed recharged and ‘Reloaded’.
The successful outburst of ‘Fully Loaded’ created a wide opportunistic appeal for Dutty Flex’s follow up album, ‘Reloaded’. If you don’t know this artist yet, you’ll come to know that he’s a perfectionist and his music, no doubt takes center-stage.

‘Reloaded’ breaks open to all, with its worldwide appeal, fusing diverse dance hall music with splashes of West Indian culture, making it a ‘must see, hear and must get’ album. With its lyrical and collective efforts, this album stands up to the test of times and critics.
Dutty Flex is young, full of wit, a talent to be reckoned with and has a promising career in the music industry. So it comes as no surprise when he chose to work with the best and creative ‘on the rise’ artists, to make ‘Reloaded’ an impressive accomplishment.
‘Patience is virtue’. Some would agree but others, including Dutty Flex isn’t one to display this sentiment. He’s beyond serious and passionate about his craft and with this eagerness comes genuine realization that he’s at the top of the pack, the leader on a trail, which takes him to the ultimate place he seeks, in only ‘A matter of time’.

DJ Dutty Flex works with Neil Anthony Bacchus exclusively on the production of his music videos.

CrewHis album releases to date include Reloaded, Fully Loaded and OutBreak 2 while his line-up of videos include True Guyanese, To The Girls, Serious Thing (Remix), Serious Thing, My Gal and Be My Girlfriend.

Call him Dutty Flex, if you may but he’s a young and ambitious Guyanese born DJ, who’s been making waves also as a singer and songwriter. Living in New York for most of his life, Dutty Flex takes much pride in the learnt skills of how good music should sound. He’s taken the past eight years of exposure to underground remixes of Hindi music, fused with Caribbean and scores of worldwide influences and made them his trademark. Dutty Flex’s take on music is extremely riveted on a higher level than most of his colleagues, but longevity is what keeps him maturing and comprehending music, in a different light.

Dutty Flex will always be a DJ at heart, but his maturity level has already taken flight. Amidst consistently producing new music, he’s also transitioning from his DJ years, to his present artist status, on the Dancehall Reggae scene. While he stays faithful to his fan base, Dutty Flex’s music has a worldwide appeal, so he’s bridging that gap in the process.

A true artist’s work is never done! While Dutty Flex works diligently to get his name and music heard, he’s also scouting young artists, like himself, but less fortunate, for his compilation records. Thus far, he’s been very successful. In the past, he’s released two (2) albums of such: “Outbreak” and more recently, “Outbreak 2: The Epidemic”. These albums features a little of everything that today’s listeners desire, including Soca, Chutney, Reggaeton, Hip Hop and of course Dancehall Reggae. Already, you can see the camaraderie in this fine artist.

Proving to both himself and his following, Dutty Flex has taken many extreme steps in the right direction, one of his many outstanding achievements are the few  music videos he’s already made, that can be easily viewed on his website. With these elements in line, Dutty Flex’s career is taking a more prominent shape as a promised artist. With his eyes set on the prize, you can be assured that every album that he’s involved in, will be a guaranteed success. This is a newcomer, you don’t want to miss. His name is Dutty Flex.

By Mondale Smith

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WWE final ECW Champion on Eddie Neblett

Ezekiel JacksonThe countdown continues to the big show on August 8 when Guyanese Gospel artiste Eddie Neblett will perform as part of the cast with Gospel great Shirley Caesar in the USA.

Eddie is reporting that he’s excited and honored to be among the artistes carded for that show will also feature Caribbean artistes Papa San. Of the August 8 show he said “preparation for the show is coming along fine the hype is growing and it is promising to be a really big event. New York is buzzing about it.”

He has told entertainer that the Eddie Neblett management team has increased with the addition of an international wrestler. That person is Guyana Born Ezekiel Jackson. While many might know the wrestler many do not know that he is a proud Guyanese.

Born Rycklon Stephens on April 22, 1978 in Guyana this Guyanese bodybuilder and professional wrestler is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He works on its Raw brand under the ring name Ezekiel Jackson, but is inactive due to injury.  He is a one-time world champion, having won the ECW Championship in February 2010, and is recognized by WWE as the final ECW Champion.

Additionally Eddie reported that “we are half way in production of our new album with the label since I got signed and they are working to release it by this winter.

That album he says will not be Caribbean music as he says “we are crossing over to the North American flavor like R&B POP and even rap.”

On the family front and he reported that his family is not only doing great and is expecting a new addition which he dubbed “our final child”. Incidentally his wife is his accountant.

He has also informed that he has met with Wyclef Jean’s sister and brother and if all goes well “we will get to open for Whyclef at one of his shows.”  While he has not talked about returning to the local shores anytime soon he assures his fans that his team is “looking to make history as it relates to music out of Guyana”.

By Mondale Smith