NEWS: Sumfest Beach Party Sets The Mood

The 20th staging of Reggae Sumfest started on an excellent note with its beach party on Sunday at Aqua Sol Theme Park in Montego Bay.

A mix of local and international visitors converged on the beach to partake in the entertainment activity that went up to about midnight when patrons began to make their way to the exit after a full day of partying.

Persons from as far as Africa, Australia and France could be seen partying on the beach, having come to enjoy the 20th anniversary edition of Reggae Sumfest. Although gates opened at noon, only a handful of partygoers could be seen at the venue as late as 4 p.m. and it was not until four hours later where scores of patrons started to enter the venue.

Montego Bay's own DJ Kentucky, Crazy Neil and Jigga showed off their skills at the turntables and had patrons gyrating to their musical selections. Crazy Neil, a crowd favourite, paused at regular intervals to talk to partygoers who happily listened.

ZJ Bambino was his usual charismatic self, engaging the audience with an electrifying mix of dancehall, reggae and hip hop that injected life into the party.

Sipping red stripe

He, along with Delano of Renaissance from Kingston, represented themselves well as partygoers sipped on Red Stripe that was included in the $1,500 price tag.

Belize was well represented with their female disc jockey Miss Blease who made her presence felt at the event and gained some new fans.

The climax of the event came when dancehall artiste Jah Vinci gave a brief but effective performance to end the beach party.

The artiste will be among the list of dancehall heavyweights who will perform on Thursday night when Reggae Sumfest swings into high gear.

Dubbed 'the greatest reggae show on earth', Reggae Sumfest will see the likes of Shabba Ranks, Lady Saw, Trey Songz, R Kelly, Junior Gong along with several others making their presence felt on stage from Thursday-Saturday.

Shabba Ranks is among those highly anticipated artistes expected to rock the event. He is slated to perform on Friday night along with Trey Songz.

Reggae Sumfest Countdown

R Kelly, who released his latest album Write Me Back on June 28, is planning a special. The multi-Grammy Award-winning artiste is planning a special performance to commemorate the 20th staging of Reggae Sumfest under the theme 'Looking Back, Moving Forward'. Patrons can expect a phenomenal experience on Saturday, July 21, at Catherine Hall, Montego Bay.

NEWS/VIDEO : The Dancehall Emperor Is Back!

Hundreds of fans gathered at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday with one intention, to see the dancehall emperor Shabba Ranks.

Just minutes after 11 a.m., Shabba Ranks, who had not been in Jamaica for many years, strolled through the arrival hall to much fanfare and excitement.

While media rushed to get that first shot of Shabba embracing his mother, who he has not seen in four years, fans on the outside waved flags and sounded vuvuzelas in honour of Shabba's arrival.

Shabba's mother, Mama Christie, said she was excited to see her son.

"I feel great, wonderful and I am thankful that God has spared my life after 11 years to see my son Shabba Ranks back in Jamaica to give his people what they deserve," Mama Christie said.

Travelling with family

Also accompanying Shabba was his wife, Michelle, and their two sons Rexton Jr and Jahwon.

"I'm feeling wonderful, the welcome is amazing, you can just feel the love. It's just awesome," Michelle told said.

"It's always great fi deh inna mi island because, as mi bigger brother seh, when you check it out, nowhere nuh better than yard. This is the land of my birth, this is Jamaica, the land of my birth. Nuh matta wha gwaan, no matter how mi travel the world, nuh matter wha mi do inna the world, mi age paper mark Sturge Town, St Ann," Shabba Ranks told said.

Shabba went on to say that the overwhelming turnout of the fans was a blessing.

"This is just the blessing of God. This is just the manifestation of the love whe God have fi him pickney so mi nuh expect nothing more than just love when mi come home," he said

Shabba is scheduled to be the closing act on Friday, International Night 1 at Reggae Sumfest.

Later at Olympic Gardens, where Red Stripe was hosting an event as part of the lead-up to Sumfest and as part of the welcome for Shabba Ranks, it was more of the same.

Shabba moved slowly, not because he wanted to, but because there was nowhere to go, so thick was the crowd of supporters who came to see the legendary DJ.

NEWS: Lady Saw the queen of the dancehall to be honoured at sunfest

"Sumfest is pleased to showcase the hottest female acts in the Jamaican music industry right now," said Johnny Gourzong of Summerfest Productions. Among the hottest females on the line-up is Grammy award-winning artiste, Lady Saw, a true representative of the dancehall genre and, for this, she will be honoured at the 20th staging of the festival.
In prior editions of Reggae Sumfest, Jamaican music veterans Beres Hammond, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer were honoured for their contribution to the industry.

In keeping with the festival's 2012 theme, 'Looking back, moving forward', Lady Saw makes history during this already note-worthy staging in being the first female recipient of the award.

Lady Saw, scheduled to hit the stage on Dancehall Night, is expected to deliver a dynamic Reggae Sumfest performance in keeping with her dominance on the dancehall scene.

Still going strong

Saw is expanding her already vast music catalogue, releasing new singles and collaborating with top local artistes like Elephant Man, Lisa Hyper and, more recently, international recording artiste Estelle.

The artiste, while known for many dancehall classics, is also notorious for her raw dancehall lyrics and vivacious moves on stage.

NEWS: Sumfest Adds A Touch Of Sexy This Summer with "TREY SONGZ"

TREY SONGZ


Two-time Grammy award-nominated artiste, Trey Songz, is expected to thrill fans with his smooth lyrics and his silky voice at the 20th staging of Reggae Sumfest. The artiste, who joins a brilliant line-up on Friday for International Night 1, has a catalogue that almost assures patrons a scintillating set.

Trey Songz recently performed at the Essence Music Festival where he laid his undeniable vocal talent down on the stage for fans to bask in. The sensual singer performed hits like Neighbours Know My Name,Love Faces, and Heart Attack. Here in Jamaica, the artiste's sexy reputation precedes him and fans view him as a full package - a great body, attractive sound, and handsome face.

The soulful singer is currently promoting his fifth album, Chapter V, which is to be released in the middle of the summer. The BET Awards show also nominated him in the category Best Male R&B Singer, a category won by Chris Brown.

Face of Rocawear fragrance

In 2011, he became the face for Jay-Z's Rocawear Evolution campaign - the Rocawear fragrance.

Trey Songz is best noted for the singles Can't Help But Wait, Say Aah,Bottoms Up, Successful, and more.

The multi-talented artiste is also set to have his acting debut in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D.

Reggae Sumfest is noted for its unique style of merging the endemic reggae and dancehall styles with top hip hop and R&B acts. The Sumfest stage was taken over by Nicki Minaj in 2011, and in the previous year, Usher and Chris Brown dazzled the Sumfest supporters. This year promises to be no different.

The week of activities kicks off with a beach party tomorrow. The musical celebration will resume on Thursday, with the steaming Dancehall Night.

Reggae Sumfest is sponsored by Digicel, Red Stripe, Iberostar, Jamaica Tourist Board, The Gleaner Company Ltd, and Pepsi, and takes place at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay.

News:Jamaican Radio Personalities To Be Honoured By Sumfest 2012

IRIE FM’s Elise Kelly and GT Taylor among others will be hounored for their contribution to Reggae Sumfest.

Johnny Gourzong tells Music News in celebration of Jamaica 50 and the festival’s 20th anniversary, organizers have planned various tributes to mark the occasion.

To celebrate Jamaica 50, the organizers have planned a tribute on International Night One (Friday July 20) including a selection of the dynamic Jamaican music veterans in the industry for 50 years or more. These are Derrick Harriott, John Holt, U-Roy Mighty Diamonds, Leroy Smart, Leroy Sibbles, Yellowman, Frankie Paul and Pinchers.
The veterans will pay tribute to Jamaica’s 50 years of independence while they are acknowledged as having enriched the musical history.

Reggae Sumfest week of activities kicks off with a Beach Party on Sunday, July 15, followed by the musical celebration which will resume on Thursday, July 19 with the hard-hitting Dancehall Night and run until July 20 with International nights 1 and 2.

GT Taylor 

Elise Kelly