No-Maddz

No-Maddz was form at their high school alma mater Kingston College in 2000. The premiere Dub Poetry group comprises of Sheldon Shepherd, Everaldo "Evie" Creary , Christopher "Birdheye" Gordon, and O'neil Peart. No-Maddz music is no doubtingly something new. It fuses their unique Dub Poetry style with multiple music genres and carries the spirit of Jamaica's Roots music. The unique sound is complemented by a live performance that breathes life in the entertainment world. They are respected as a key administrator for the new music movement out of Jamaica. No-Maddz trod firmly on the motto, "If it nuh live; it dead" and only performs with their band, Dihaadhaadban. The group's single "Rise Above Profanity" is currently featured on the PUMA FAAS global campaign. The No-Maddz plays the characters 'Rocker', 'Flex', 'And' 'Groove' alongside world top athlete Usain Bolt. All members are recipients of the prestigious Jamaican Prime Minster Youth Award for excellence in the field of Arts and Culture (years awarded 2006, 2005,2009, 2007 respectfully); the highest state award for youths in Jamaica.

"Embryo Years"

While in high school the group gain popularity through the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's performing arts festival (JCDC). They are the only act to be given a perfect score, back-to-back, in the festival's history.The quartet began to Trod the Jamaican local scene with frequent appearances on major cultural and folk shows held by the JCDC. Evidently, they were invited as a special guest at the Jamaica 42nd Independence Celebration in Florida USA. The invitation opened the door for several shows around the State that led to a major appearance on the West Palm Beach Jamaica Festival. The No-Maddz returned to Jamaica and continued to make more appearances around the Island but still unrecognized to wider public.

"Jamnesia"

The band relocated from the inner city of Kingston, to an east coast town called Bull Bay. It was shortly after the shooting of the feature length Film 'Better Mus Come" in the summer of 2007 that the group became integral with the making of Jamaica's most popular Jam session called "Jamnesia". The beach Jam at the surfer's HQ became the rehearsal ground for the group. They began to merge their Dub Poetry with other musical genres. For over three years, the bi-weekly Jam session grew steadily and was considered the "home" of the No-Maddz. However, In March 2010, after a three month hiatus from Jamnesia, the group recorded "The Trod" at Finnegans. It was the first official display of their music after 10 years of crafting.

"The Trod"

The No-Maddz carefully gather a group of young musician to form their personal band, DiHaadhaadban. Then opted to record their debut album at an open-air concert in Kingston; a venture deemed to be the first of the new millennium; a notion unseen for over 30 years in the Jamaican music industry. The Trod [at Finnegans] was as a limited release Demo-Album. The album recording has been hailed as one of the milestone moments in Reggae music history by the Jamaica Gleaner, and has been dubbed by some of the music industry’s most discerning critics as one of 2010’s most innovative World Music albums. The recording was shortly followed by the group's concert series: "The Trod Live". No-Maddz had a local summer tour that brought their music to a diverse audience throughout Kingston. An unorthodox approach which cemented No-Maddz as the first act of its generation to embark on a Jamaican tour. The concert series came to a sold out summer finale in the heart of Kingston in August 2010. The success of the concert series saw No-Maddz being billed as the opening act of the Multi-Grammy award winner Kenneth "BabyFace" Edmonds a few months later. The No-Maddz was voted as the "Best Performer of the Year" by Television Jamaica and closed the year with "The Trod Live: Holiday Special" at Bob Marley's Home (56 Hope Road).


"Jah Road"

The year 2011 as seen No-Maddz making only one public appearance in Jamaica. In March, they celebrated the Trod Live: Anniversary Special at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston. The red carpet charity concert was held in aid of the "EveForLife" (Women and children living with HIV non profit organization) and the Edna Manley College - visual art department. The following month the group privately recorded a live album at the Tuff Gong recording studios. The quartet along with their band recorded single take 21 track album; a first for the legendary studio. The Album is yet to be released. In late spring, No-Maddz made their way into Europe with the DiHaadHaadban without any prior bookings for gigs. Independently, they are currently touring the Trod Live concert series in Germany and being added to the artist line-up for the Ruhr Reggae Summer and Summer Jam; two of Germany's most esteemed reggae festival. Also, The group continues to gain international popularity through the PUMA FAAS campaign. The quartet has already made public appearances as "The World Fastest Band" along side Usain Bolt in Italy and France. The No-Maddz looks toward their next PUMA appearance for the 2011 IAAF World Championships in South Korea. In September, No-Maddz will return to Europe for the grand summer tour finale at the U-Club in Wuppertal Germany.

Discography

• The Trod - Live!! (2010) - Demo-Album (Jamaica)
• Rise Above Profanity (2011) - Single

Videos

• "The Trod" - (Live Video)
• PUMA Faas - Blam Blam" - (Advert Spot #1)
• "PUMA Faas - Recording" - (Advert Spot # 2)
• "PUMA Faas - Shut It" - (Advert Spot # 3)

References

http://nomaddzja.com/ (Official Website)

http://www.eveforlife.org/ (Official Sponsored Charity)

List of Gleaner Articles

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110803/business/business1.html

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110307/ent/ent2.html

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110101/ent/ent2.html

http://mobile.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110316/ent/ent1.php

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20101014/ent/ent1.html

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100329/ent/ent1.html

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100822/ent/ent71.html

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100831/ent/ent1.html

http://mobile.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100919/ent/ent1.php

http://mobile.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100404/ent/ent2.php

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20041214/ent/ent1.html

Jamaica Daily Star Newspaper

http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100618/ent/ent7.html

http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20100709/ent/ent7.html

Jamaica Observer Newspaper

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/No-Maddz-records-live-album_8540469

other websites:

Puma.com

http://largeup.okayplayer.com/2011/02/22/faas-times-no-maddz-x-puma/

http://www.antheamcgibbon.com/trod-magazine-celebrates-anniversary-with-no-maddz-concert.htm

http://jahkno.com/2010/09/17/nomaddz-completing-the-trod/

http://jahkno.com/2010/11/07/nomaddz-the-music-and-style/

http://www.golocaljamaica.com/readarticle.php?ArticleID=11312

http://sungamesmag.blogspot.com/2010/03/fortis-of-nomaddz.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dub_poetry