San Francisco, CA – On the heels of his comeback single with dancehall superstar Sean Paul, London-based reggae fusion legend Maxi Priest is doing everything he can to make his native home of Jamaica continue to “Feel So Alive” after the devastation from Hurricane Melissa.

First and foremost, Maxi is supporting his brother in music, Sean Paul, who has pledged to match every dollar raised by his foundation, up to $100K, to a partnership with Food For The Poor Jamaica.  Maxi, in conjunction with his label distributor, Intercept Music, has partnered with the The Bob and Rita Marley Foundation Relief Fund on GoFundMe to raise funding for Paul’s foundation for The Food For the Poor Jamaica. Intercept Music made a financial contribution, with Maxi speaking directly to his fans in a heartfelt video appeal. 

States Maxi Priest, “One of Jamaica’s greatest gifts to the world has always been music.  It’s how we share love, unity and hope. But right now, our beautiful island needs us. Hurricane Melissa has left so many of our brothers and sisters in need of help and support.  Music and unity have the power to heal and rebuild. Let’s all do our  part to make Jamaica ‘Feel So Alive’ again.”

Maxi Priest’s “Feel So Alive” with Sean Paul, distributed by Intercept Music, is the new single and final track in “The Signal” riddim series by renowned music curator and producer Lion Face for Lion King Muzik.

Adds Intercept Music founder and chairman Ralph Tashjian, “Intercept Music is honored to join forces with Maxi Priest, Sean Paul and The Bob and Rita Marley Foundation, to assist with raising awareness and funding for the plight of Jamaica.  Jamaica has given us all so much with her music, food and culture.  It’s imperative that we do are part to restore the island’s glory and her people.”

In addition, Maxi recently collaborated with The British Chamber of Commerce Guyana (BritCham Guyana) to help raise funds for hurricane relief efforts in Jamaica. The Chairman of BritCham Guyana, Faizal Khan, and Maxi Priest dedicated the networking segment of the BritCham Guyana Business Forum & Networking Event, at Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge in London, to a special fundraising initiative. The live auction raised over $27,000 to support relief efforts.

Maxi is also working directly with Tropical Sun, the largest distributor of African and Caribbean products in the UK, to get canned goods, rice, etc. to Jamaica. Last but not least, Maxi sent a plane filled with relief items, along with some other charities’ donations, to Jamaica.

Maxi encourages all lovers of Jamaica and Jamaican music to donate to The Bob and Rita Marley Foundation Relief Fund on GoFundMe.  

“Sunrays” is a meandering slice of transcendent, jazzy hip-hop from Madlib’s five-piece band, Yesterday’s New Quintet. Monk Hughes, Ahmad Miller, Malik Flavors, and Joe McDurfey, and Otis Jackson Jr., (Madlib’s government name) were  in the credits, rounding the band out to a full quintet. The instrumental that started with a maudlin violin but transforms into a rhythmically exciting yet tranquil hip-hop meditation on soul jazz landed on the 2001 Elle’s Theme EP. A full album from Yesterday’s New Quintet was released soon after during the same year. Madlib’s Quintet concept and the head-nodding trance of “Sunrays” are part of a longtime connection between hip-hop and jazz. Most fans have assumed that the Quintet is really just an alter ego for Madlib and the names of the band members are psuedonyms. Stones Throw said that they could not release too much information about the group because of privacy concerns. What is known is that Madlib played the Fender Rhodes on all three of their releases. The group dissolved by 2007 and Madlib had already brought other artists like Karriem Riggins into the camp, which was then called Yesterday’s Universe.

Madlib’s home was destroyed in the Altadena Fires at the beginning of 2025 and he lost decades of music and studio equipment. He released the Your Old Droog collaboration “Woodstock 2029” at the end of September. The single will be included on their upcoming album as Droogie Otis. 

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Alex Harris is ready for the biggest holiday of the year with his rendition of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” Harris sings one of the most soulful versions of the XMAs standard in his venerable vocals. The new single is another part of the buildup to Harris’s sophomore album coming out early next year. He owned another cover with Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland’s “Ain’t No Love” earlier this month. Harris, who sees his music as part of a spiritual praxis, shared his intentions for recording “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”:

“My wish this holiday season is that we all are a bit more intentional with being present with our energy and love towards each other…What is needed now is more love felt more than we can imagine. We’re all human. I hope that when people play my interpretation of the song, ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas,’ it evokes a feeling of wanting to give more love and peace in our world.”

Harris’ “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is destined to belong to the canon of R&B Christmas songs and be an on-time upliftment for anyone privy to the holiday blues.