Black Star Foundation and singer/songwriter Yan Bazin (artist name: Mr. Aya) are working together since 2013, when Yan Bazin was the winner of the Benelux Reggae Contest. During the years, we have done many live performances together and we recorded 2 musical productions with Yan Bazin on the label of Black Star Foundation. But we still have some more musical productions to finalize. As a social and cultural exchange on Caribbean culture between France, the Netherlands and Jamaica, we are going to Jamaica in January 2024. We bring Yan Bazin for an artistic residency for inspiration, studio recordings, cooperations with artists, meet and exchange with various associations and medias and possibly some performances. In this context, we want to finalize our musical productions during this artistic residency in Jamaica.

At least once a year Michelle (founder of Black Star Foundation) brings a visit to Jamaica and its capital Kingston. Over the years several Dutch artists have been traveling with her to this beautiful island for a musical tour. E.g. Brainpower came to Jamaica to record a video clip with the legendary Yellowman and Michelle accompanied a film crew in Kingston for a Dutch TV program with host Chris Zegers and singer/songwriter Tim Knol.

The Netherlands Wind Ensemble is a group of more than twenty top musicians who perform approximately 90 times a year in the Netherlands and abroad. The group does not fit into any box and that is its strength. For many years the ensemble has been making programs with musicians from other musical cultures. In 2023 the ensemble visited Jamaica, where Michelle (Black Star Foundation) supervised and guided the NBE.

Since 2021 Black Star Foundation has a new webstore with brand-new products! Besides music we also sell all kinds of merchandise, like different t-shirts, sweaters and mouth masks.

In 2020 Black Star was present at Rebel Salute Festival, the festival that opens every new year with lots of different artists, from new upcoming talent, to old school roots reggae bands. And all of that in 2 full nights. We were tired but satisfied!

Amsterdam based reggae production house and sound system Black Star traveled to Jamaica for the release of their latest album. Black Star producer Asher-E came along, his very first visit to Jamaica! The collection offers 20 takes on Asher-E’s beloved Babylon Burning riddim. The release party took place at the legendary Sugar Minott studio in Kingston.

The 26th edition of Rebel Salute Festival took place on January 18 and 19 2019 at Grizzlys Plantation Cove in Priory, St. Ann (Jamaica). Black Star Foundation crew was there again!

Black Star Foundation was present at the very first show of The Long Walk to Freedom Tour by Buju Banton, which took place at the National Stadium in Kingston (Jamaica) on Saturday 16 March 2019! The whole of Jamaica was exited. This show was gonna be special moment in Jamaican music history.

Jorge Manuel and Anibal (Delidel Touch) will join Black Star Foundation to Jamaica, to mix their long awaited album in the studios of Kingston town! The trip is scheduled for 2019.

Vinyl Thursdays event in Kingston (Jamaica) also came to Amsterdam (Holland)!

Since 2009 Michelle en Den-Den (Black Star Foundation) are visiting the yearly Rebel Salute Festival in Jamaica (mid January). This is their impression of Rebel Salute 2018!

To celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Black Star Foundation in 2018, Black Star Sound went on tour this summer season. Black Star Sound brought the European audience a special DJ-set with strictly Black Star productions and dub plates, combined with live artists!

Black Star Foundation has a webshop! In the store all our releases are available: 6 albums, 2 singles and 3 riddims! Later we will add vinyl and merchandise like t-shirts.

Friday 25 Aug. 2017 EXILE DI BRAVE (Jamaica) released his new EP on the label of Black Star Foundation! 'Exile Di Brave meets Black Star' contains 6 very versatile tracks, from ska to reggae, dancehall and dub. Riddims by ASHER-E (Holland) and FIREHOUSE CREW (Jamaica) for Black Star Foundation.

With the upcoming 15th Anniversary of Black Star Foundation (Sunday 15 April 2018 in Melkweg, Amsterdam), we will release a few new CDs on our Black Star label these coming months.

Once again, Black Star Foundation was present at Rebel Salute Festival in St. Ann, Jamaica. Another huge line-up with so many great Reggae artists and bands passing by during two full nights.

In January 2017 the 2 founders of Black Star Sound, Selector Den-Den and MC Michelle, went to Kingston (Jamaica) for a series of performances. The tour is supported by the Performing Arts Fund NL.

At least once a year Michelle (founder of Black Star Foundation) brings a visit to Jamaica and its capital Kingston. Over the years several Dutch artists have been traveling with her to this beautiful island for a musical tour. E.g. Brainpower came to Jamaica to record a video clip with the legendary Yellowman and Michelle accompanied a film crew in Kingston for a Dutch TV program with host Chris Zegers and singer/songwriter Tim Knol. Read more here...

For the 3rd time, BLACK STAR SOUND played at Rototom Sunsplash Festival in Spain! On Monday night we entered the stage of the Dancehall with MC JAHFORTH, RASSI HARDKNOCKS and MR. AYA. On our way to Spain, we did a 'tour de France' of 8 performances in the South of France with MR. AYA and LEAH ROSIER!

At least once a year, Black Star Foundation visits the beautiful island of Jamaica. Also this year we had some people included to our trip: DJ Dab (Skank Around Sound) and Leah Rosier. A journey full of musical surprises, read the travel report here.

Black Star Foundation organized an instore tour for Leah Rosier, to present her new album 'Only Irie Vibes' to the public. The album is not released on Black Star label, but is a project by Leah Rosier and Rise & Shine band (France).

Summer 2015 Black Star Foundation started a new reggae event in Amsterdam (Holland)! Sugar & Spice takes place in the Sugarfactory, the event is brought to you by Black Star Foundation in cooperation with Back-A-Wall Movement and Leah Rosier!

Irielion.com has been the online reggae agenda for Belgium and the Netherlands for many years. The website has been back online since February 2015 and is still a work in progress.

The promotional trip to Jamaica of female reggae singer Leah Rosier, organized by Black Star Foundation, was a big success. In a period of only 3 weeks, the Dutch artiste did 6 performances, recorded 4 new songs, shot material for 6 video clips and she was interviewed live on Bess FM, one of the largest national radio stations in Jamaica.

Black Star Foundation released a brand new album by the Jamaican/UK roots reggae artist Vivian Jones! The album holds 10 tracks, including 2 dub versions. Riddims by Black Star producer Asher-E (Holland) and the Fire House Crew (Jamaica)!

The mix tape 'From Amsterdam to Kingston' holds 48 minutes of strictly Leah Rosier tunes: 21 tracks which are released the last 4 years (2010-2014) plus some extra unique tracks, all mixed by Black Star Sound.

Dutch reggae artist Leah Rosier would love to go to Jamaica in January 2015 with Black Star crew Dennis and Michelle. Help Leah to realize this goal!

Rototom Sunsplash takes place in Spain, it is the biggest reggae festival in Europe! Since 2014 Black Star Foundation is official partner of Rototom Sunsplash for Holland. This year (2015) we also went to Spain with a special Black Star showcase!

Black Star Foundation and Dutch author/poet Erik Jan Harmens will go on a Jamaican adventure: recording a Dubpoetry album in Kingston (Jamaica) and release this as travel report/book with CD.

The Jamaican reggae legend Bunny Wailer is coming to Amsterdam with his band The Solomonic Reggaestra. On Thursday July 31st the band will perform in Paradiso. Bunny Wailer is 67 years old and the only living member of the original reggaeband The Wailers.

Especially for Valentines Day, Black Star producer Asher E released two singles with Samuel and Sonko (rappers from the Deventer Vibes crew)!

The BeneluXXL Reggae Contest is open to all artists residing in Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Germany and France. All information about how to register can be found on the website www.beneluxreggaecontest.eu.

The Utrecht University of the Arts is doing a project for Black Star Foundation.

The book 'Passion For Vinyl' is a tribute to vinyl. Different DJ's, musicians, label owners and collectors share their passion for vinyl and talk about their first record. Dennis van Tetering, aka selector Den-Den for Black Star Sound, is also in this book!

A project by Black Star producer Asher E with young hip hop artists from his hometown Deventer.

Black Star Foundation releases a Jamaican reggae riddim, called Rub A Dub riddim. The album holds 9 tracks by national and international artists on the same instrumental (riddim).

Black Star Foundation released it's first dancehall riddim on September 21st 2013. The album holds 6 tracks by national and international artists on the same instrumental (riddim).

The Suriname Dutch singer Joggo has released his single 'Private Performer' on August 1 2012. This song is the first single of his new CD 'Conscious Love' which will be released in 2013 and contains collaborations with national and international reggae artists.

BNN broadcasted a TV- programme 'Hit the Road' in September 2012. Michelle (Black Star Foundation) went to Kingston (Jamaica) together with a Dutch filmcrew, Chris Zegers (Dutch presenter) and Tim Knol (Dutch singer/songwriter)!

Michelle (Black Star Foundation was a member of the professional jury for the Benelux Reggae Contest 2012, and Black Star Foundation will support the winner of the contest: Sunrockers (Belgium)!

Marlon Asher (Trinidad) is the singer/songwriter of one of the biggest worldwide hit tunes in reggae music of the last years: Ganja Farmer! The reggae artist was in Holland in July 2011!

Black Star crew Dennis and Michelle were in Jamaica again this January (2011). A short report from their trip.

The Dutch rapper Brainpower released a reggae album, called Dub & Dwars. The CD contains reggae versions of 6 of Brainpowers hittunes, plus the new title track Dub & Dwars. In this tune Brainpower explains the whole idea behind this reggae album.

From 2010, Black Star Foundation is assisting in programming and promoting Future Reggae Ruigoord Festival. Together with Ruigoord we are creating an interesting programme with both national as international artists. Unfortunately Future Reggae Ruigoord Festival 2013 is cancelled!

Den-Den and Michelle of Black Star Foundation spent the first 3 weeks of 2010 in Jamaica! Dutch rapper Brainpower came with us.

Summer 2009 Black Star Foundation started to work with Vivian Jones (Jamaica). The very talented artist lives in England, where he is running the charts for more than 20 years. In Holland he is not that well known yet.

Black Star Foundation is doing radio promotion for new reggae releases at national and regional radio in Holland. Reggae and dancehall music is hardly played on Dutch national radio and we really want to change that!

In January 2009 Lady K-Wida went to Jamaica with the Black Star crew Dennis en Michelle, to record a few tracks for her upcoming album. The trip turned out to be very successful...

Lady K-Wida released her new single One Man Woman in the beginning of 2009. The single features Jamaican artist Yellowman.

Black Star Foundation wants to tell the audience more about the backgrounds of reggae music. That's why they developed different musical lectures about Bob Marley, reggae and the development of Jamaican music.

In May 2008, Dennis and Michelle of Black Star Foundation went to Jamaica. They met King Yellowman and recorded Lady K-Wida's next tune with him!

A demo-version of the new single 'Love Can Make You Blind' has been played on FunX Radio! It's the first time this track has been played for the public. Official release was on Saturday May 3rd in Fantasio (Amsterdam).

Black Star Foundation exists for 5 years and that needs a celebration! It will be a special event in the legendary venue Fantasio. This venue opened her doors exactly 40 years ago and then it was the first rock club in Holland.

Every week one hour of Black Star music on Radio Free Amsterdam. Sometimes live recordings from Black Star events in or around Amsterdam, and sometimes mixtapes of Black Star Sound (selector Den-Den) with our own exclusive Black Star productions.

Every last Wednesday of the month there was relaxed reggae music and pumping dancehall beats by selector Den-Den of Black Star Sound with every month different guests: singers, DJ's and/or live bands. Unfortunately we stopped!

In the beginning of 2007, Black Star Foundation started a record label. Since then 6 artist albumswere released (whereby 1 album also on vinyl), 4 singles, 5 riddims with a variety of artists plus 2 mixtapes with strictly Black Star dubplates.

Thursday October 12 2006 The Box will braodcast a 5 min. special about Osagyefo! Moccah, the Urban lifestyle programm of The Box, is broadcasting 3 different items every day and this Thursday Osagyefo is one of them! The programm will be repeated on Sunday October 15 2006 at 17.00.

From the beginning of August till the beginning of September 2006, the Ghanaian singer Osagyefo came to Europe for the first time! Black Star Foundation invited him for shows, studio recordings and rehearsals with musicians from here.

December 2005 / January 2006 Dennis and Michelle of Black Star Foundation went to Jamaica. Partly for pleasure (to run away from the cold winter in Holland), but mostly to do some business for the foundation!

In 2005, 2006 Black Star Foundation was present at another location in The Hague. Every first Sunday of the month: Black Star Reggae Party in 't Syndicaat (The Hague) with Black Star Sound and friends!

Wednesday Nov. 16 2005 at 16.40 The Box TV broadcasted a 5 min. special about Black Prophet! Moccah, the Urban lifestyle programm of The Box, is broadcasting 3 different items every day. Nov. 16 Black Prophet was the first item. The programm was repeated on Thurday Nov. 17 2005 at 22.45.

Summer 2005 Black Prophet (Ghana) came to Holland for the second time. Black Star Foundation worked hard to build up a professional music career for this African artist in the Western world.

Black Star Foundation worked together with Lampfall Foundation. Lampfall Foundation stands for the production and promotion of African culture and tradition as well as support of different projects in Africa.

Black Star Foundation worked together with Club Bazart (The Hague) on a regular base: for 3 years, every other month there was another 'Bazart Bashment' in Club Bazart!

Black Star Foundation invited the Ghanaian rapper/singer Black Prophet to come to Holland for different shows and performances. He went to Europe for the first time of his life!

In January 2005 Black Star Foundation recorded some Specials (or 'dubplates') with different Ghanaian artists. We want to support African (especially Ghanaian) artists to offer African Specials to dj's, soundsystems (and everybody who is interested).