Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist Beenie Man's Sept. 17 concert at Centennial Hall has been cancelled "due to ongoing concerns and pressures regarding Beenie Man's controversial lyrical content," its promoters say. Centennial Hall staff learned of the cancellation yesterday after only a handful of tickets had been sold.

MIAMI - Grammy-winning dancehall reggae star Beenie Man won't perform at a concert associated with the MTV Video Music Awards this weekend after gay groups planned a protest over his lyrics, the network said Wednesday.

Gay rights group Outrage! has condemned the Music of Black Origin (Mobo) Awards for nominating two artists whose songs include homophobic lyrics.

Deejay Mad Cobra is celebrating after passing all three GCE O'Level subjects which he sat in June this year. The veteran toaster who is known for hits such as Flex, Done Wife, Deso Ever Tight, Lock Di Place, Mi Gone, and Don't Waste Mi Time, obtained a C in Mathematics, C in Economics and A in English.

LONDON, August 20: Buju Banton's appearance at the Reggae Jam Festival in Saarbruecken, Germany, on September 3, has been cancelled. Concert appearances in Hamburg and Darmstadt have also been dropped.

A young gay man in Jamaica fled to a nearby churchyard looking for refuge from a chanting mob where, the London Observer reports, they cornered the man and shot him to death just because he was gay.

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- BURNIN', the legendary 1973 album that introduced many American and British rock fans to reggae and to Bob Marley & The Wailers, has been augmented with five bonus tracks (two previously unreleased) and expanded into a two-CD package featuring a never-before-issued live concert also from 1973. BURNIN' - DELUXE EDITION (Island/Tuff Gong/UMe), released September 28, 2004, also includes complete lyrics, an essay and photographs in a 24-page booklet. BURNIN' joins the previously released DELUXE EDITION Bob Marley & The Wailers classics LEGEND, EXODUS, CATCH A FIRE and RASTAMAN VIBRATION.

The singers at the centre of a campaign to rid homophobic lyrics from music are set to face added pressure today, with both UK police and sports clothing giant Puma threatening them to tone down their songs.

Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and a leading barrister were meeting yesterday to discuss whether charges could be brought against the Jamaican reggae star Beenie Man over lyrics which allegedly incite the murder of gay men and lesbians.

He may have spent most of yesterday in a wrangle with the courts, but famed Jamaican reggae artiste Bounty Killer emerged at the end of his experience without any bitterness to the country, and plans to host a free concert later this year.