Rootsland "Stories that are Music to your ears"

 When people think about Country Music, they think of Music Row in Nashville, Punk Rock the lower east in Manhattan and 80’’s metal hair bands it’s the Sunset Strip in LA. Cities that reflect and project, the music created on their turf, in their clubs, garages and studios. When it comes to reggae music it’s the fabled Orange Street in Downtown Kingston, a sacred strip just nor...

It's Friday night in Kingston, Constant Spring Road is buzzing and Henry K is setting out on his fist date with Sia. He knows it will take more than just a Cheeseburger in Paradise to win her heart, so he's counting on the "Black & White shake" to close the deal.  Rootsland is produced by Henry K Productions Inc. in association with Voice Boxx Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Guest Vocals by...

Fate steps in and lends Henry K a hand, when he gets his chance to meet the elusive "Black Rose."  He still can't understand why he is drawn to her, or why he is so sure that he has seen her before... but he has a 5 minute car ride to convince her to see him again.     Rootsland is produced by Henry K Productions Inc. in association with Voice Boxx Stud...

How can it be Forbidden if it's Love? Who is the Black Rose? On the Season 4 premiere of Rootsland, Love is in the air. Join narrator Henry K on a tropical beach in Bull Bay, Jamaica and spend the day with "Halfpint" a humble rastafarian singer, "Miss June" the hard working owner of a local fish hut, and a mysterious girl in a pink tank top with angelic eyes. Rootsland is produced by Henry K Produ...

In this Bonus Episode " Broken Shells ," Narrator Henry K questions if we really do get wiser as we get older? He also updates the " Rootsland Gang " on when to expect the Season 4 Debut, and plays a song by Tanya Stephens one of Jamaica's very finest female vocalists. Rootsland is produced by Henry K Productions Inc. in association with Voice Boxx Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Guest Vocals by:&nb...

In the Season 3 Finale, "Police and Thieves" Henry and Brian discover that Kingston is a city whose story always starts and ends the same way, the only thing that changes are the players... the police and thieves, the gangsters and civilians, the saints and the sinners. Rootsland is produced by Henry K Productions Inc. in association with Voice Boxx Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Introduction by: M...

Grants Pen has been called a "depressed area, where death is disseminated with unfeeling frequency," not the kind of neighborhood you want a tire blowout out at 3:00 AM. The time of the night when the scavengers come out , and fiends desperate for their next fix emerge unnoticed from the shadows. The Armour Heights Crew gets a ride out of dodge but not without a cost. Join Us for the Season 3 Fina...

Dancehall culture and the street dances that inspired it can be traced back the 1950’s to poorest and most marginalized areas in Kingston. Attended by residents who lived on gully banks and sustained themselves by sifting through garbage dumps. These were people so broke couldn't afford to go out on the town, and frankly weren’t invited , or wanted at the party. So they threw their own inner city...

Once the phone started ringing at Brian & Henry's "Dread & Breakfast" their quiet spot in the hills became the Kingston base for dozens of reggae tourists from all over the globe. Music business people, journalists, singers, musicians. Most of them very dedicated to the genre looking to contribute music’s international growth and brand, others, Not so Much. These were selfish, self cent “s...

Hanging out on a dusty, hot New Kingston street corner breathing in taxi exhaust fumes surrounded by street youth juggling dime bags of sinsemilla, isn't exactly listed as an attraction in the Jamaican guidebooks. Yet, Brian and Henry are quickly learning that hanging on the corner is where 90% of Jamaican life take place. its where culture and politics and music and art, joy and pain all collide...

The Kingston adventure begins for Henry and Brian with a dire warning from their long time taxi driver, a meeting with a top reggae power player. and a run-in with one of Kingston's "Rude Boy" Gangsters. That was just the first day. Rootsland is produced by Henry K Productions Inc. in association with Voice Boxx Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Introduction by:  Michelle "Kim" Yamaguchi Guest Vo...

As Henry and Brian are touching down, in Kingston so is an army of foreign invaders. Record Companies, music executives, publishers, mangers all looking to cash in on dancehall's recent waive of international popularity, Most were opportunists looking to take advantage of what they perceived as uneducated 3rd world artistes. Yet as greedy and ruthless as these international companies were, they ha...

People Get Ready and Enjoy the Season 3 Trailer of Rootsland to start off this Bonus Episode. Once the vibe is nice, kick back and listen to our tribute to Reggae Superstar Bob Andy . The show features special guest Wayne Armond live at the Rootsland Studios , performing his rendition of the song "I've got to go Back Home" the Bob Andy classic. Wayne is the singer/guitarist for the band Chalice, c...

On April 3, we commemorate the anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" Speech, given 54 years ago in Memphis. In this Bonus Episode of Rootsland, host Henry K explores if Moses, Bob Marley and MLK all packed the same essentials for the journey to the Promised Land. You can support the Show by purchasing The Rootsland (Original Podcast Soundtrack) featuring timeless...

The Rootsland Republic is truly a global family. These stories about reggae music and Jamaica have connected with so many people form diverse backgrounds and far away places. 2 of places where we have family and listener are Ukraine and Ethiopia, 2 places that under siege form outside and within, and as usual in these unnecessary and bloody political conflict ordinary people like you and me get ca...

In the Season 2 Finale: Brian tries to convince Henry that it's the right to move to Jamaica while chilling out in NYC's Washington Square Park. Before Henry's willing to make the move, he books some time at one New York's most iconic recording studios to hear Brian "rock the mic." You can support the Show by purchasing The Rootsland (Original Podcast Soundtrack) featuring timeless reggae tracks p...

Henry finally gets the "chance of a lifetime", an opportunity to meet his boss Chris Blackwell founder and President of Island Records. Blackwell had recently sold his label to Polygram Entertainment for half a billion dollars, a lucrative deal that made him the world's richest music executive. By contrast, there stood Henry, a 25 year old entry level t shirt salesman, anxiously awaiting a chance...

In the Spring of 1991, Henry drives from Kingston to Ochos Rios in order to attend a concert hosted by Sister Rita Marley commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Bob Malrey's passing. For the Kush Danai, the Rasta in the passenger seat the only thing on his mind was the murder of his friend Peter Tosh. Henry tries to keep the conversation upbeat, but Kush is concerned and justifiably so... reggae mu...

There is a saying in NYC real estate the 3 most important things are "location, location, location." When Island moves offices from 4th and Broadway into the swank new open floored penthouse at 400 Lafayette Street, Henry's new location happens to be the desk right across Bonz Malone. known as the "Hunter Thompson of Hip Hop." The former gang member who found redemption through the power of words,...

Henry learns that being in the game, means getting to know the players. One of the most important job qualifications at Island was having a rich father who was friends with the owner. Fortunate sons like Billy D an arrogant white Jamaican screw up , with a dark personality and an unhealthy obsession with dancehall music’s seedy underworld was just one of many characters at the office. On a dark Ne...

Host Henry K reflects on his humble origins in the music business sweeping floors and packing boxes working at Island records for the Music Icon Chris Blackwell. The episode serves as both a tribute to the artistry of reggae music and a critical examination of the industry’s often exploitative nature. Listeners are invited to ponder the ramifications of Blackwell's actions—were they those of a ben...

The Season 2 Debut of Rootsland begins as Host Henry K recounts the dramatic and pivotal moment in Bob Marley's life when he survived an assassination attempt in 1976. Amidst the chaos of gunfire at his home in Kingston, Marley and his band faced a life-threatening situation that would forever change their trajectory. The narrative highlights Marley's extraordinary courage as he chose to perform j...

In the heart of Jamaica, amidst the pulsating beats of reggae and the vibrant energy of Kingston, Henry K. embarks on a journey of self-discovery and cultural immersion. At its core, the episode is a meditation on choice and consequence, as Henry grapples with the tension between his responsibilities and his desire for artistic freedom. Dialogues peppered with Bob Marley quotes and Rastafarian phi...

Chapter 8 "Legalize it, Don't Criticize it" recounts host Henry K's adventurous road trip through Jamaica on his way to attend Reggae Sunsplash, a legendary music festival that serves as a meeting point for diverse groups of people united by their love for reggae. The narrative examines the complex relationship between the Jamaican authorities and the Rastafarian community, shedding light on the p...

This Chapter's richly woven narrative takes listeners on a journey through the streets of Jamaica, capturing the essence of its vibrant culture and the darker shadows of its societal challenges. The story unfolds with a morning walk through the city, where an encounter with local hustlers escalates into a tense confrontation, underscoring the harsh realities faced by those perceived as outsiders o...