Help me shape the future content of your favorite podcast. I'm asking you, our listeners, to fill out a quick five-question survey to help us better understand what you love and what you want to hear more of. Your feedback is crucial, and will directly influence the planning of our episodes for the next year. The survey link is in the show notes, so feel free to fill it in and make your mark on Styling Vibes. Whether you're a long-time listener or new to the family, your input matters a...

Annya Brown dynamic entrepreneur combined her daughter's skincare needs and her Jamaican heritage into a successful business - Natural Annie Essentials. What began as a bath and body product venture, has now morphed into a household name in the scented candle industry.  Annya shares her journey, highlighting the importance of staying true to your roots and the resilience needed to navigate the rough waters of entrepreneurship. From grappling with growth, limited space and manpower to...

The Caribbean Music Awards was held in the heart of the Caribbean diaspora, Flatbush Brooklyn aka Little Caribbean. This pulsating event, coinciding with the New York Carnival weekend, was a spectacular display of unity, pride, and the rich Caribbean culture. We dish out the unique experiences of the artists, the nomination process, and the sheer vibrancy of this cultural evening. This episode is a tribute to the exhilarating Caribbean vibes that have left an indelible mark in the music...

Prepare for a journey of music, culture, and entrepreneurship as I engage in a captivating conversation with Lexi Chow, a PR maven who has left no stone unturned in her diverse career trajectory. Lexi's storytelling prowess takes us through her experiences with music industry big shots like Lil Wayne and Flo Rida, her transition to corporate giants like Paramount and MTV, and her roots touching the soil of Jamaica that motivated her entrepreneurial ventures. We delve into the significance of...

How often do we take the time to truly listen and understand our own cultural stories? The remarkable Dr. Danielle Brown, ethnomusicologist and founder of 'My People Tell Stories', brings her passion for teaching and understanding her own culture in an enlightening discussion on the Style and Vibes podcast. Dr. Brown imparts her wisdom on the role of study of music at the academic level and the importance of having people from within the culture involved. We'll unpick the complexities of...

In this episode, we tackle the question of why dancehall hasn't seen the same level of growth as hip hop. We explore the trials and triumphs of these two vibrant genres. Our special guests, Chris and Kerry, share their expert insights on the often overlooked ways that reggae and dancehall have shaped hip hop.  Venture even further into the music space as we dissect the unique song clash culture in dancehall and hip hop. With a critical look at the harsh realities faced by artists and the...

In continued celebration of #HipHop50 we are sharing our favorite Reggae/Dancehall and Hip-Hop song collaborations. Check our playlist with some our favorites. Apple Music  Support the showStyle & Vibes: Website | Newsletter | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

This year Hip-Hop celebrates its 50th anniversary as a genre. You can’t talk about hip-hop and not talk about the influence that Jamaican sound culture played on hip-hop as a genre. DJ Kool Herc, who is of Jamaican descent popularized playing records is between one another, using two record players. This music playing technique became the backbone of the movement in the late 70s and early 80s. While DJ Kool Herc isn’t the only accredited foundation member there are definitely other influences...

Negus Imara is a Jamaican comedian and Instagram influencer who's lighting up screens and spreading laughter wherever he goes. With his hilarious content and infectious personality, Negus has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. Transitioning to stand-up comedy and bringing his unique brand of humor to live audiences, Negus is currently on tour, opening for Jamaican comedian White Yardie on his Coming to America tour. In this episode we talk about Negus’ journey from making comedic...

White Yardie is a UK-based Jamaican stand-up Comedian and entertainer. The viral comedian launched his first Comedy special titled Straight Outta Jamaica in 2017, and quickly became a sensation in the Caribbean community. He was nominated for Best Comedian 2016 by the UK Entertainment Awards. Best known for his social media skits, White Yardie is currently on his Coming to America Tour. I caught up with White Yardie midway through the tour to discuss his journey from St. Elizabeth, Jamaica to...

Dr. Nicole K. Grimes is the founder of Carib Biz Network (CBN), a business development platform dedicated to the growth and success of Caribbean American businesses, freelancers and brands based in New York City. Grimes is a former principal, STEM educator and assistant professor. In this episode we hear more about her journey transitioning careers, working with Caribbean small business owners, building the role of CBN and upcoming events Momentum and more. Support the showStyle & Vibes:...

May is mental health awareness month. In this episode I explore how culture and impact on mental health. I’m going to focus on the potentially positive and negative impacts of Caribbean music, food and culture.  Support the showStyle & Vibes: Website | Newsletter | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

We live in a day and age, where anything on social media is taken at face value and can form an opinion based on a highlight without all the facts. In this mini episode, I share how I almost formed an ill-informed opinions that I was ready to record and after viewing the longer form content, I decided not to.  It's a short reflection that I wanted to share with you on how easy it is to get caught up in social media clips, clickbait articles and the doomed comment section. It's a transparent...

Celebrating our 100th episode, which I’m extremely grateful for. Thank you so much for listening and enjoying the podcast. In this episode show producer Kerry-Ann and I discuss our love for the Amazon Prime show Harlem. The show stars Meagan Good, Jerrie Johnson, Shoniqua Shondai and Grace Byers.  It follows the dynamic women and their friendship as they navigate their careers and personal relationships set in Harlem, New York. The show is culturally rich, relevant and relatable. But it also...

We can alway expect a surprise out of Spice. She recently returned after a mini hiatus due to health issues due to complications stemming from cosmetic surgery procedures. In this episode we talk about how the Queen of Dancehall decided to tell her story via Instagram and how people responded to it. Support the showStyle & Vibes: Website | Newsletter | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

In today’s episode, award winning Trinidadian-American editor, writer and book critic Keishel Williams joins me to deep diving a recent article written in fashion magazine The Cut about Pyer Moss entitled “The Promise of Pyer Moss” by Tahirah Hairston. The article references Pyer Moss’ founder Kerby Jean Raymond’s heroic rise and shortcomings as a business. We discuss our reactions to the article critique of the Haitian-American’s designer brands heroic rise to the pitfalls of lack of product...

Music conferences are all about industry growth and development. Usually Caribbean music is relegated to portions of conferences, but in recent years the Caribbean music  industry has created a few conferences to elevate specifically for the Caribbean music industry. In this episode I discuss how Caribbean conference can be most effective and utilized to elevate the business side of the music industry for all.  Caribbean Music Conferences mentioned Island Music Conference Jamaica Music...

In recent years we have seen so many conversations about award shows.  Every year there is excitement and conversation around the Grammys Reggae category (nominations and winners.) I compare to public outcry when non-Jamaican Reggae band Soja won compared to this year’s winner Kabaka Pyramid.  The idea resurfaces about the Caribbean music industry having our own award shows.  In doing some research, some of our own awards show do exist, but have limited support in terms of marketing,...

It was reported in early January  that retired track star Usain Bolt was missing $12.7 million from an account with a private investment firm in Jamaica, Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL) Usain Bolt gave the firm 10 days to return the money to his account. This left many Jamaicans in the country and abroad in a state of shock. It is no surprise that banking on the island is not the best process, coupled with the idea of Scamm/Choppa culture at the height of scrutiny in music, how can a...

Here are my 2023 cultural trend predictions.  Music Artists will have to embody a content creator mindset in the age of social media relevance. TikTok Challenges impacting usage in the U.S. competitive apps, advertising and short form video in totality More non-English music will lead charts U.S. and global charts(focus on rhythms and beats the resonate with people)Caribbean artists/producers/labels exploring legal options for usage rightsEconomic challenges impacting everyone including...

Sean Paul recently celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the release of Sean’s Grammy-winning album, Dutty Rock originally released in 2002, with consecutive hits from the album including “Gimme the Light”, “Like Glue”, “I’m Still in Love with You”, and “Get Busy” and his duet with Beyonce “Baby Boy.  In this episode, Belizean-American creative entrepreneur, Andrea K. Castillo, joins me as we reminisce about the iconic album. We discuss our personal connections to the Dutty Rock album, how the...

As 2022 comes to a close, Alexandria joins me to discuss the top events and topics we talked about in 2022. From the biggest moments to impactful conversations. We reflect on which of those discussions had a lasting resonance for us both. Tune in as we explore our top picks together. Scammer series on Netflix (Finding Anna & tindr Swindler)Black women assault/murders/kidnapping on high alertGrammys Winner SOJA 2022 / 2023 Spice (Love & Hip Hop, Grammy Nomination) Queen of England’s...

Do you have a song that you dislike, if not despise? What about a song that completely irritates you? What about songs that are simply overplayed? It's no secret that some songs absolutely grate on your nerves. Whether it's the ear-piercing opening notes, the grating vocals, or the fact that it's been played on repeat for what feels like an eternity. Chris, Alexandria, and Kerry-Ann join Mikelah in this episode to discuss dancehall and reggae songs that they dislike, are annoyed by, and are...

In this episode, Mikelah is joined by guest host Chris and producer of the Style & Vibes podcast, Kerry-Ann to discuss some of the memorable episodes of the podcast that listeners should check out.  Mikelah and Kerry-Ann share some of their favorite episodes, including ones that made them laugh, ones that inspired them, and ones that challenged them. They also offer some advice for new listeners on which episodes are a good place to start. Whether you're a new listener or a longtime fan,...

It’s been a year since I took maternity leave from the Style & Vibes podcast, and I’m so excited to be back!  In this episode, I'm thrilled to be joined by my good friend Chris Williams, Associate Publisher of WhereItzAt Magazine, as guest host. We had a great time chatting about the birth of Style & Vibes the platform, the transition to podcasting, where I've been, some of my favorite guests, what I'm looking forward to and everything in between. It’s been an amazing journey so far,...