Dancehall star Beenie Man was named Reggae Artist of the Year during the ASCAP 2000 Rhythm and Soul Awards held June 7 in New York, beating out Ziggy Marley for the title. Beenie Man's new album, Art and Life, featuring appearances by Wyclef Jean and Journey singer Steve Perry, will be released by Virgin on July 11. ...

Zimbabwean star Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, whose new album, Paivepo, was recently released by Putumayo, undertakes his Tuku 2000 tour of North America starting with the Africa We Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Aug. 25–26. The tour concludes in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 23. Mtukudzi's Tuku Music is the best-selling album in Zimbabwean history. ...

Former Black Uhuru singer Garth Dennis is at work on a solo album in Los Angeles. He'll be backed by the band Reggae Rock, consisting of Dennis' three teenage sons, Shaka (17, bass and drums), Gyasi (15, drums and vocals) and Saeed (13, keyboards and vocals). ...

Ali Farka Touré, Dimitri From Paris, Asian Dub Foundation and Juan de Marcos' Afro-Cuban All-Stars will join numerous Australian musicians at Hemispheres, the world music festival to be held Sept. 9–10 in Sydney, Australia. The two-stage festival, which also features Transglobal Underground and Siouxsie Sioux, will be held the weekend before the Olympic Games. ...

Those who can't attend WOMAD USA, held July 28–30 in Seattle, will still be able to see and hear the music. Mainstage performances will be webcast by the World Entertainment Network, with streaming video available at either wen.com or womadusa.org. Events on the other four stages will be available for download from the same sites, along with interviews and commentary. ... Director Wim Wenders' "Buena Vista Social Club" documentary, starring some of pre-revolutionary Cuba's biggest musical stars, will be telecast July 19 on PBS. The Buena Vista Social Club album, produced by Ry Cooder, has sold more than 3 million copies. ...

The New York Post's Page 6 gossip column reported that bandleader Tito Puente, who died May 31 at the age of 77, was a longtime cocaine addict. "He was a cocaine addict for 40 years," said Christopher John, a former publicist for the mambo king. "It was absolutely a daily thing. But it was a quiet, functioning addiction." Puente's assistant, Nadien Gautier, denied the accusation.

— sonicnet.com staff report