It was after 3 a.m. on Sunday morning when a disgruntled Elephant Man, after having his set cut short by police officers, unapologetically announced that fellow deejay and unscheduled performer Beenie Man had “mashed up” the Coca-Cola Presents Sean Kingston in Concert.

Receiving boos from the disgruntled audience for ‘dissing’ the self-styled King of the Dancehall, Elephant Man made his way offstage after just getting the energy started in his shortened set. After being called up by Sean Kingston earlier in the night, Beenie Man made his way back onstage for a short stint begging scheduled performer, DeMarco, “five minutes” to give his fans a taste of ‘the doctor’. DeMarco obliged, cutting in here and there for a few lines of his own songs and to showcase his own dance moves. Beenie Man ended up taking longer than his ‘five minutes’. At the abrupt end of the show as emcee Miss Kitty thanked the packed venue for showing, persons in the crowd lively debated Beenie’s performance for the night, often favouring the deejay for showing up and performing unexpectedly.

 strong vibe

Prior to its the unexpected ending, Sean Kingston in Concert was a well-organised and well-attended event that saw more interesting than forgettable performances for the night. Dominated by young artistes after 9 p.m., acts such as G Whizz and Tessanne Chin alongside surprise act Shaggy performing their duet Hold Me got some responses for their effort. Voicemail soon brought a dancing vibe as the younger crowd members bawled out “bembe” along side the trio, who kept a strong vibe. Laden soon followed, deejaying more of his song than usual with Gal Over Gun, Working Hard and had hands waving for Time to Shine. QQ gave a surprisingly mature performance, showing promise for the future, as he came out in a Michael Jackson-style outfit and had fans screaming at the front of the stage. Singing his R&B song, security had to come to his rescue at one point as fans tried to grab the young singjay while he ’stookied’ and ‘rum-rammed’.

the boo-bird 

 
Elephant Man during his shortened set at Coke Zero Concert, held at LIME Golf Academy, New Kingston on Saturday night. Elephant Man was later booed after he blamed Beenie Man’s extended performance for his abbreviated stint. – Winston Sill

Elephant Man wasn’t the only person to be bitten by the boo-bird for the night. Emcee Supa Hype received a solid one as well. After re-entering the stage, he asked fans to scream if they liked QQ. The audience complied. He then proceeded to ‘big up’ LA Lewis in the VIP area and asked fans to scream for the graffiti artiste. However, instead of shouting their approval, he was given a sound booing. Miss Kitty soon took over emceeing duties, bringing on Alaine next who danced and did her set followed by Tifa, who received a strong forward from welcoming fans. Fans sang along to Bottom of the Barrel, as the female deejay showed off her quick lyrics before going into Spell It Out. D’Angel looked enticing in a red body suit as she hailed her husband in the building and blazed onstage. Executing a quick wardrobe change, she soon made way for Chino who made time for new songs such as Phone Gallis on the Boops rhythm. He slowed it down for Ruff It Up as he took a seat onstage and played his guitar. Bringing out ‘the captain’, Chino made way for his father Freddie McGregor to get in a line or two as the crowd sang along to Push Come to Shove.

Etana, Shady Squad and Mystic all had the crowd warmed up as shortly after 1 a.m. the man of the night Sean Kingston made his way onstage as those sitting down, stood at attention for the international act. Coming to Mi Love, Kingston had a lot to say throughout his first performance in Kingston. In a disc jock showdown with his DJ NAZ, Kingston showed that he was in touch with new music, playing Assassin’s Hand Up Inna Di Air, Serani’s Skip to ma Luu and Stephen McGregor’s Cyaa Friend Again before bigging up the Big Ship. The deejay was all business with hits such as Take You There, Beautiful Girls and Fire Burnin.

While all eyes will be on Canada’s athletes competing for Olympic gold next month, a lot of ears in Vancouver will be treated to the best of New Brunswick music.

More than 20 of New Brunswick musicians have been financed by the province’s Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport to perform at Atlantic Canada House and Place de la Francophonie from Feb. 13 to 28.

The selected English and francophone artists span every genre and region. The roster includes Fredericton’s world-renowned soprano Measha Brueggergosman, but no artist is more fitting than her aptly named hometown compatriots, The Olympic Symphonium.

“On the list of things you want to do, it’s one of the ones you wouldn’t even think of putting on the list,” says Symphonium guitarist and vocalist Nick Cobham. “When it comes about that it’s happening it’s pretty exciting.”

The group probably wishes it had seen this possibility coming. They’ve already received a call from the Olympic administration, and may have to change their name because the word Olympic is trademarked.

“A few years ago, we even talked about that and that somewhere in the future it could come back and bite us. We’re not sure what’s going to happen there. I think it’s pretty appropriate that we’re playing there and hopefully they won’t be too mad about our name.”

Name issues aside, Cobham is excited about the opportunity and hopes to see at least one athletic event. Saint John chanteuse Jessica Rhaye is also staying a few days after her showcase to possibly catch an event and take in the atmosphere.

“I don’t have an athletic bone in me. I like to swim, that’s about it,” says Rhaye. “I will be telling people I’m going to the Olympics and they look at me funny, because I don’t look sporty. So, it is an interesting way to be involved with the Olympics.”

The news that they would be playing in Vancouver on behalf of New Brunswick came as an early Christmas present for the selected artists. But they’ve had to keep mum for the past month.

Marc Chouinard was entrusted by the province with choosing the musicians. As general manager of the Capitol Theatre in Moncton, he says he was used to programming and choosing from the wealth of New Brunswick musicians.

“We’re bringing the best image possible for our province to Vancouver,” says Chouinard. “I think we’ve got something original. We’re not just programming two or three artists, we’re putting on a show of what we do best in New Brunswick.”

The showcase will put the province’s Acadian heritage on the world’s stage. Acclaimed multi-instrumentalist group Ode a l’Acadie, considers it a “huge chance.”

“It’s a responsibility we have, but also a privilege, to share that part of who we are with the rest of the world,” says Monique Poirier, an artistic director and member of Ode. “We’ll certainly be choosing songs that best represent the Acadian spirit and culture.”

Country musician and Sussex native Julian Austin, who is now based in Alberta, shares Ode a l’Acadie’s sense of pride in his home province.

“I’m very honoured,” says Austin, “especially during the Olympics. It’s going to be such a proud time for all Canadians, and I’m going to give it 120 per cent.”

For Fredericton’s DJ Nasty Naz, who was born and raised in Trinidad, his selection goes to show what can happen if you work hard.

“I tell people this all the time, when I moved here it forced me to really do what I’m doing right now. I would not have gotten those opportunities in Trinidad,” says Naz “This can be your New York. This can be your L.A. You just have to have that mental ability to drive and succeed.”

Naz couldn’t believe it when he got the phone call at his Fredericton restaurant inviting him to Vancouver.

“I thought they were joking. I was expecting Ashton Kutcher to be on the other line “¦ I didn’t know whether to jump for joy or think it was a hoax.”

Named Atlantic Canada’s Top DJ, Naz has performed with the Black Eyed Peas, Akon and The Pussycat Dolls. He’s also reggae superstar Sean Kingston’s official DJ and will be heading in a week around the world to play the Grammys, Dubai, New Zealand and the NBA all-star game. But even with that international schedule, Naz is most looking forward to the Olympics.

“It definitely obviously makes me excited. I’ve done many shows with different artists -Akon, Sean Kingston, Black Eyed Peas, etc. But to tell my kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, I was part of that Olympics in 2010? That’s a big thing.”

David Myles

DJ Bones

DJ Nasty Naz

Edith Butler

George Belliveau

Grand Theft Bus

Hubert Francis

Jean François Breau

Jessica Rhaye

Julian Austin

Julie Doiron

Lisa LeBlanc

Matt Anderson

Measha Brueggergosman

Mindy Ward

Ode A l’Acadie

Pascal Lejeune

Radio Radio

Ryan LeBlanc

Samantha Robichaud

The Olympic Symphonium

VJ Pan

His crazy Caribbean style definitely shines through his music selection, his energy, and his food. DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award-winning restaurant in Fredericton, “Caribbean Flavas.”

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend Leonard Cohen. DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars. For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit www.djnastynaz.com, Join the “fan page” www.facebook.com/djnastynaz Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/djnastynaz. Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St. Fredericton.

Somebody call N-A”"Z… he’s got them shawtys fire burning in tha kitchen… whoaaa… Haha, how about I just stick to the cooking and leave the singing to the professionals, a customer told me this week. So much for me putting on dinner and a show.

Myself and Sean Kingston are on tour again, so I hope you enjoy this Jamaican dish.

Oh well, the reason I was singing that song is because I am on tour AGAIN with Jamaican reggae/pop sensation Sean Kingston (’Fire Burning’), and triple platinum R & B singers Danny Fernandes (’Private Dancer’) and Karl Wolf (’Africa’).

This is the second time on tour with these acts, and so far every venue has been sold out. So with that whole island vibe, I decided to do up a Jamaican dish, in light of ma boi Sean Kingston.

Ingredients for the Salt fish Fritter

- 1lb of soaked, washed and stripped cod

- 2 chopped garlic cloves

- 1 red bell pepper, sliced.

- 1 tspn of paprika

- 1 red onion chopped sliced

- ½ cup of all purpose flour

- 2 habanero chili peppers

- 2 large tomatoes

Directions

1. Wash and dry the salt fish.

2. Use your hands and shred the salt fish finely and set aside in a mixing bowl.

3. Cut the onions, garlic, habanero pepper and tomatoes in to fine pieces.

4. Combine the onions, garlic, pepper and tomatoes.

5. Cook this seasoning thoroughly in a frying pan (skillet) using a small amount of oil.

6. Add flour and water to the salt fish and make a thin batter. Stir this batter till it is smooth.

7. Combine the fried seasoning and paprika with this batter. Mix batter.

8. Dip a large spoon in oil and “spoon scoop” thin batter into frying pan.

9. Deep fry in a frying pan till brown and crisp on both sides.

10. Drain on paper towel and serve, with a side of your favourite chutney.

I decided to put my little recipe into a ’song.’ Now remember to sing it to the tune of Sean Kingston’s ‘Fire Burning.’ I’m not saying I’m gonna win any Grammies here people, but you can certainly try… ha.

Can you say REMIXXXXXXX …

Shawty got that super thang

with tha pepper its hotter than the sun in Spain

Got me soon as I walked through the door ..orrr

My mouth started water-ing

The way she dropped it low that thang

Got me wanna eat more and more ”

She roll it, shape it, and drop it in tha oil,

That salt fish frit,

Got a candle, or a match to get that fryer lit,

Now take my BMO card or my CIBC

Shawty that fritter is HOT like the fire,

HOT like fire

Somebody call N”"A-Z

He got them Shawty fire burning in tha Kitchen

Whoa

I gotta cool her mouth

It will burn the roof of your mouth, in the kitchen

Whoa

It’s fire burning, fire burning in the kitchen

That little fritter’s fire burning in the kitchen

It’s fire burning, fire burning in the kitchen

That little fritter’s fire burning in the kitchen

Fire burning fire burning

That taste is a masterpiece

You can place your order every couple days

But ain’t no doubt you’ll eat it before you get home… home…

I’m afraid it’s not made with eggs

So all you vegans, yup, that’s what I said

Once they taste it, it will be in kitchens all over the world …world

She roll it, shape it, and drop it in tha oil,

That salt fish frit,

Got a candle, or a match to get that stove lit,

Now take my BMO card or my CIBC

Shawty that fritter is HOT like the fire,

HOT like fire

Somebody call N”"A-Z

He got them Shawty fire burning in tha Kitchen

Whoa

I gotta cool her mouth

It will burn the roof of your mouth, in the kitchen

Whoa

It’s fire burning, fire burning in the kitchen

That little fritter’s fire burning in the kitchen

It’s fire burning, fire burning in the kitchen

That little fritter’s fire burning in the kitchen

Fire burning fire burning

Somebody call N”"A”"Z

Now even though Sean Kingston usually eats my mom’s homemade Coconut Bread, I guess I will be making some Salt fish Fritters for him this time around. Okay I gotta bounce outta this kitchen now, because my customers in the restaurant are looking at me funny, as I am singing while I’m cooking. Make sure and look out for me while on tour in a city near you with tha Crew… come up and say ‘Hi’ even.

DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “Caribbean Flavas.

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen. DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars. For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit www.djnastynaz.com, Join the “fan page” www.facebook.com/djnastynaz, Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/djnastynaz.

Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

I’m back, I’m back, I’m back and what a feeling to be back home in Fredericton.

Las Vegas was absolutely AMAZING. Last year I was there with the family, and I had the opportunity to spin at club Pure, with another fellow DJ, in attendance was the infamous Paris Hilton and Kevin Federline, which was cool and all.

BUT, THIS year I had to fly back out because I was invited by an Elite Core DJ crew, largest in the US actually. They have been following my path for about three years now, and finally decided to sign me to their group, which consists of Top Models, Video Vixens, Top Producers like Akon, Swiss Beats and Cool and Dre and of course Top DJ’s like Clinton Sparks (top DJ for the likes of Britney Spears), and DJ Jam Master Jay (RIP) (DJ for legendary group – Run DMC) etc. It consists of DJ’s around the world and I was THE ONLY CANADIAN DJ in attendance.

It started off with a bang, where I was picked up by my cousin who is a house DJ in Vegas. He took me straight to the host hotel, The Stratosphere. We drove up, and my jaw literally dropped, because I am not one for heights, but this is second highest building compared to the CN Tower. It has their version of “the tower of terror” and some crazy amusement park rides ON THE ROOF of the 120-floor hotel. Great Naz, I can already feel my heart getting ready to stop.

After checking in, I was taken to my room, and the madness started! My other DJ’s realized I was there and we all had lunch on the roof top pool, with varying artists performing for our entertainment. A stretched Hummer took us all out to the Madalay Hotel, for an event hosted by our fellow DJ Clinton Sparks. In one word, let’s just say it was NUTS. Now 6 a.m. and the crew and I are now walking into the hotel (some are stumbling in) but with the time difference it’s 11 a.m. Ha, most people are at work by now.

We gotta get up at 10 a.m. for a breakfast meeting, which seemed like a blink away. We then had a few hours to relax then we were all taken by another limo to the Palms Hotel. Our good friend 50 Cent, or as some of you may know him as “Fiddy” booked out the entire 300-seat theater for us, AND the concession stand! He had a private movie premiere for us, and was absolutely amazing. It was about the Legendary DJ – Jam Master Jay – two turntables and a microphone and 50’s Before I self Distruct. It was very sad though, but absolutley amazing!!! Despite all the “gangsta” talk he (fiddy) has, he’s a real nice dude.

Later that night we hit the town again, where we were not only bumping to some old school joints, we also ripped up the club at the Palms with some new Flava.

The TOP-REVOLVING restaurant which is now the highest point west of the Mississippi, was reserved by Diddy for us the next day; some of you may know him as Puff Daddy. The view was absolutely breath-taking, the décor tres gorgeous and the food delicious. Only at a breakfast with Diddy, would everyone be drinking CIROC VODKA. And yes, Naz, drinks OJ (with extra pulp of course). I’m a gangsta like that.

But seriously, I couldn’t believe I was sitting right next to him and HE was having brunch with us, talking about his new album Dirty Money and just chillin.

The minute he met me, he pretty much jumped on me, and was super excited to see me. He picked me up off the ground. He was VERY impressed to know of the many things I have been doing out here in Canada. He heard about my column in [here], my Radio Shows, my TV stuff, my DJ Nasty Naz Clothing, even about my award-wining restaurant – Caribbean Flavas. Of course the Paparazzi were there, taking a million and one pictures, which was pretty cool. Some of his other friends and artists were also there including Danity Kane, Ray J (Brandy’s Brother) and Cassie. They were all nice, but of course my highlight was being able to chill with Diddy. While giving that “diddy swagger” smile, he said he was definitely up for staying in touch. One item Diddy ordered for us to eat was some wicked Strawberry Crepes. So even though I was in DJ mode, I had to chat it up with the executive chef to find out his recipe.

Ingredients

- 1 lb sliced strawberries

- Vanilla extract, whole butter and lemon juice (1 Tbsp each)

- 1 lb sour cream and cream cheese

- Crepes

- Granulated sugar

Directions

- This is a great brunch dish and super easy to make. Basically you have to combine the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract and about 30 grams of sugar. Beat it until it’s a smooth consistency.

- Use about three tablespoons to fill each crepe, and then roll it around the filling.

- In a saucepan, melt and cook the butter and the sugar and add the strawberries and lemon juice at the end, to coat it. Bring to a boil and let thicken.

- Place the crepes on the plate and then spoon the strawberry syrupy goodness over them. You may garnish with fresh strawberries and even blueberries on the plate.

Your breakfast crepe with some OJ (extra pulp), without the Ciroc vodka, is a great way to start your day, if you wanna be like Diddy, and for me, well, movies with Fiddy and Breakfast with Diddy, is all in a days work.

His Crazy Caribbean Style definitely shines through his music selection, his energy, and his food.

DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “Caribbean Flavas”.

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen.

DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars.

For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit

www.djnastynaz.com,

Join the “fan page”

www.facebook.com/djnastynaz

Follow him on Twitter

 www.twitter.com/djnastynaz.

 Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

Halloween and all its spookiness was just lingering around me this past weekend. ON HALLOWEEN DAY…all 5 of my watches DIED…they all seemed to work perfectly the day before…and then my swordfish died, and then my agent in Toronto got me a VIP pass for tha Jay Z & Drake’s (aka Jimmy Brooks from Degrassi) private party, which I didn’t end up going…take ONE GUESS WHY….yup, u guessed it, because my time was all messed up!

SO really..what was soooo good about this Halloween? Hmm let’s see, tha restaurant was fairly busy. The good weather and the need for everyone to have their candy fix had a part to play in the slower downtown traffic, however we still had customers so I guess I can’t complain too much. Hmm what else…a couple of my “fans” decided to dress up like “DJ Nasty Naz” for Halloween…ha-ha, with the tee shirt and clothing, the posters, and EVEN the beats.

This one dude, crazy French Guy from Ontario, who is the top “kicker – punter” for the “Laval Rouge et Or” actually made a chain like mine! Ha, die hard fan…no doubt! I wonder if I can talk the CFL into giving “Cam” another championship ring,..just for pulling off a “championship costume”? Ha.

Maybe not I guess, because I tried calling tha CFL and they won’t take my calls, ha, so instead, I will do something half as cool, and less “blingy”! I’ll do up a dish, with a French Flare to it, seeing as he plays for Laval and all.

This Laval conch salad is like Salad Niçoise (pronounced nee-suaz) which is essentially a French composed salad with raw veggies and Tuna, however we are substituting the Tuna with Conch (pronounced –konk) which is a large saltwater snail.

Ingredients for tha Vinaigrette

-6 Garlic Cloves

- ¼ cup chicken broth

- ½ cup of basil and the same of Oregano

- 8 tblsp of lemon juice (this is gonna “cook” the conch.

 - 2 tblspn Dijon Mustard

- 2 tblsp of Evoo (aka Extra Virgin Olive Oil, come on we gotta be cool while we are cooking too J)

For tha Salad

-          3lbs of Conch meat

-          3 eggs

-          7-10 small red or purple potatoes

-          ¼ lbs green beans

-          3-5 cups mixed greens

-          3 cups romaine lettuce

-          ¼ cup grated carrots and the same of sliced yellow bell peppers & halved cherry tomatoes.

-          ½ Niçoise Olives

-          2 tblspn capers

Directions

Okay lets “kickoff” this thing…The vinaigrette is pretty simple to make, just take everything and run it through your blender or food processor, and in 3.5 seconds just like a “snap” the ball is now officially in play…sorry I meant the salad is now ready to get going J

To prepare the salad, take the conch and marinate it using about 4 tblspn of vinaigrette, and about 5 more tblspn of lime juice, shake and leave in a plastic bag for about 20 mins. That’s our First Down.

Boil your potatoes, your eggs and your green beans (for about 7-10 mins) or so, then cut into nice thick slices. This is our Second Down.

Okay hold tight, we are almost to the “end zone”! No room for “fumbles” here! Combine all the ingredients, your greens, tomatoes, peppers, olives, potatoes, beans, in a nice big bowl with the remaining vinaigrette and start adding your fantastically marinated conch meat.

Okay, now let’s start dishing up this great yummy conch salad for my “frenchie crew”. We gonna go straight for tha “touch down” here on this one; after plating up your salad, in some nice big bowls, you can now place a couple of slices of your hard boiled eggs on top the salad.

I think we can get an “extra point” here, we are gonna sail between the uprights and above the crossbar of the goalpost on this one, just add some chunks of pineapple (to take us back to tha islands), some capers and some FRESH cracked pepper, and for some added heat, some crushed chilies.

His Crazy Caribbean Style definitely shines through his music selection, his energy, and his food.

DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “Caribbean Flavas”.

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen.

DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars.

For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit

www.djnastynaz.com,

Join the “fan page”

www.facebook.com/djnastynaz

Follow him on Twitter

 www.twitter.com/djnastynaz.

 Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

Last week I have had a lot to be thankful for…and this week has been a big one for me. Not only do I have an amazing family, to always help (cover) my shifts when I go touring (shout outs to Johnny and Mama), but they always help keep me grounded.

Today, I was named one of the hottest DJ’s in the US (on a skill level…not on looks…we all know there aren’t many points to be won there…ha-ha). This prestigious hip hop magazine is an Atlanta based magazine – Ozone Magazine – with not only distribution in Atlanta, but in Miami and NYC as well. They surveyed all across the US, for the nations most influential DJ’s, who have continuously been on their grind and hustle. I was actually fortunate to attend their major music awards show in Miami, 3 years ago. It seems they have been following my path since then, and decided I would be THE ONLY Canadian DJ to grace the pages, with the likes of platinum selling artist – Pitbull ( yup that guy who sings that – 1, 2, 3, 4 I know you want me – song). They asked everything from “what’s my most embarrassing moment as a DJ” to “who’s my favourite artist to work with”

So in sticking with the ATL feel of things, that whole “Southern Hospitality” vibe just took over my senses. I had to do something for the vegetarians out there.

Southern food is comfort food, Creole, Cajun, soul food – Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers and Gladys Knight type food. There is quite an array of corn dishes (like corn bread, or corn muffins, even the famous Grits are always tasty, which Britney Spears eats for Breakfast by tha way. Not forgetting the fresh seafood like catfish and prawns. This made me remember a promoter out in New Orleans I met while on a show out there, instead of having dinner at the hotel, he just brought two very large cardboard BOXES of steamed prawns, and said I had to experience that southern hospitality vibe. I had never seen anything like that before. It was definitely an experience & messy, but good ha-ha. Some favourite Atlanta dishes include barbeque, black-eyed peas (nope not the artists…but the same name though , biscuits, okra and sweet potatoes.

• 1 banana pepper
• 1 small jalapeno chilli pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 celery chopped
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 quart vegetable broth (store bought or made from scratch)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 lbs wild rice
• parsnip, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (which are a BIG favourite in (Caribbean / Creole culture)
• 1 cup canned black-eye peas, rinsed and drained (a reminder, if you’re a parent trying to be cool here, please DON’T SING one of their songs to your kid while making this dish especially when their friends are around )
• 2 cups frozen cut okra, thawed

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Arrange the banana, and jalapeno chilli peppers on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Watch carefully and broil just until the skins blacken and blister, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the peppers (with gloves or tongs – TRUST me, I used my fingers, and 2 days later, put in my contacts. Even after washing, I am just a DJ, but I was SINGING some pretty high notes, with the pain). Continue broiling until all sides are blackened. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a sealed bag to steam. After 15 to 20 minutes, peel off black skin. Coarsely chop, and place in a bowl.
3. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over a medium temperature until a pinch of flour sprinkled over the oil just begins to bubble. Whisk in the rest of the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is well blended and dark brown, about 10 minutes. This in cooking terminology is called a Brown Roux. Once it becomes dark brown, remove the roux from the heat.
4. Place 2 tablespoons of canola oil into a deep soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is just about to smoke, stir in the celery with half of the onions and the carrots. This is called a mirepoix. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the onion is transparent. Stir 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth into the pot. Cover, and simmer until almost all the liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Stir the banana, and jalapeno chilli peppers, along with the bell peppers, onions, garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika. Stir the roux and 1 cup of stock into the vegetable mixture until the roux dissolves. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sweet potato, wild rice, parsnip, red beans, okra, remaining stock and black-eyed peas (yeah yeah I know, you just cant resist the feeling to sing, okay fine, but let me tell you, with all those hott peppers you threw in, everyone will be saying “they heard it through tha grapevine” that you have tha best gumbo ).
6. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, Serve in soup bowls while hot.

[here] Magazine.

His Crazy Caribbean Style definitely shines through his music selection, his energy, and his food.

DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “” Caribbean Flavas.

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen.

DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars. For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit www.djnastynaz.com, Join the fanpage “” www.facebook.com/djnastynaz or follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/djnastynaz. Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

I was the Deejay for an event this weekend, and I played the track Jai Ho by A. R. Rahman, and I remembered everyone had the Oscar Fever, especially with the many build ups and sneak previews the networks aired during that week. After it was all said and done, I think that Slumdog Millionaire definitely deserved all the credit it has gotten. It was a total underdog project that no network wanted in the first place to now an Oscar award-winning film.

That hits close to home, as my award winning restaurant Caribbean Flavas was an underdog project as well, which no one wanted or believed in at UNB. Now, four years later, we have won BEST restaurant in the province, where to dine in Canada and we have gone on to cook for acts like Hedley and Snoop to Leonard Cohen and the Trailer Park Boys.

So I decided in keeping with the Indian theme that I would do up a nice recipe for some curried duck. Of course any protein can be used here, from chicken to lamb, including tofu, which would be an excellent choice. I didn’t want to have beef in this recipe, as I said I am sticking to the Slumdog theme, and the cow is seen as a sacred animal in their beliefs.

Having lived in Trinidad most of my life, curry was always part of our Sunday traditional “River Lime.”

I guess I should lend some insight to this new lingo:

Lime/Liming “” a party or any get-together/to hang out with friends and acquaintances. Example: Hey Johnny, we are liming at the mall, you should swing by.

Anyway, our “River Lime” would entail having most of the family and many friends pack up the trunks of their cars with coolers “” properly stocked with drinks and duck, and head down to the nearest river to “make ah cook!” We would then find a suitable spot, bring out the cast iron pot, start up the fire, bring out the playing cards and blast tha music from tha trunk.

Slumdog Curried Duck

Main Ingredients:

Duck: 2lbs (if you are ah true Trini, the whole duck would be used here!)

Frying Oil: 4 tbsp

Onion: 1 (large)

Garlic: 3 cloves

Coconut milk: 1 cup

Yogurt: 1/2 cup

Fresh ginger: 2 tbsp (grated)

Curry powder or curry paste: 3 tsp

Salt: 1/4 tsp

Black Pepper: 1/2 tsp

Coconut flakes

Slivered almonds: to garnish

Cooked jasmine rice for 4 (to serve with)

Note: Again if you are a crazy Trini like me, Scotch Bonnette Peppers are in order here, probably at least 2-3 whole peppers.

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and finely dice the garlic cloves.

2. Rinse the protein (lamb, duck, tofu etc) with lime juice to take away some of the freshness; pat dry. Cut into one-inch pieces

3. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the chopped onion and sauté until tender. Add duck and sauté about 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Transfer the duck to a medium-size bowl.

4. Add remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pot. Add the rest of the chopped onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Drain.

5. Add coconut milk, yogurt, grated ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Add the duck and water, simmer for about 30 minutes.

6. Transfer the curry to the serving bowl, garnish on top with slivered almonds, chopped cilantro (coriander) and grated coconut (optional). Serve with jasmine rice.

After serving up such a great dish, you would surely get a great nod of approval but if you are going for the Oscar award, like my good friend Marion (aka Dev Patel look alike), then a lovely side of Naan (which means bread “” similar to a pita bread) and some mango chutney would surely give you a standing ovation and the Oscar for best role as a leading Chef.