Red Stripe, a beer brand of Heineken USA, White Plains, N.Y., announced its plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of beer producer and Jamaican brewer Desnoes and Geddes Ltd. (D&G).
The brand has collaborated with Los Angeles-based Jamaican Musician and Producer Paul “Pablo” Stennett and seven other Jamaican artists to create original singles representing the evolution of Jamaican music through the years, the company says.
The following are the featured genres and artists from the album:
- Blue Glaze Mento Band / Sweet Jamaica (Mento)
- Christopher Martine / Fun Time Gain (Ska)
- J-Summa / Keeping it Up (Pop/Dancehall)
- Tift / JA Party (Dancehall)
- Ed Robinson / Neva Give Up (Rock Steady)
- Tosh / I’m Done (Lover’s Rock)
- Agent Sasco / Feel the Vibe (Dancehall)
Red Stripe officially previewed the first single from the album in a live performance from reggae and SKA artist Christopher Martin on June 9, the company says. Martin’s track serves as the unofficial Red Stripe anthem and also features follow along choreography, it adds.
Amberly Hilinski, senior brand manager of Red Stripe USA, commented: “Reggae music is intrinsically Jamaican and so is Red Stripe beer and so it makes perfect sense that the great Jamaican beer would develop this tribute to reggae to celebrate Desnoes and Geddes’ 100th anniversary. This EP allows our fans to experience, first hand, the ‘good vibes’ of our heritage through an amazing collecting of original songs from celebrated reggae artists across multiple genres.”
The full album will be available for download beginning Aug. 31. Funds generated from sales of the album on iTunes will be contributed to the development of Jamaican music under the D&G Foundation’s Learning for Life platform, in partnership with the Pablo Stennett-led We are Tomorrow Foundation, the company says.
