Words by Jesse Serwer, Photos by Tono—
On Wednesday night, Large Up brought the bashment to Winter Music Conference with the first ever Miami edition of New York’s famed Rice and Peas party, featuring a special performance from Mr. Vegas. Rice and Peas DJs Orijahnal Vibez, Max Glazer, DJ Gravy and DJ Maya set the tone for the night with top-notch dancehall selections while super MC Micro Don got the crowd hype with his mic chatter, Mixpak Records chief/Vybz Kartel producer Dre Skull took things to the left with some tropical bass and Trinidadian swimwear designer Elysia Persad debuted her Colly Dolly brand with a brief runway show. Everything, of course, built up to Mr. Vegas’ set, which featured the expected medley of classic hits like “Heads High” and “She’s a Ho.”
The peak of the evening, though, came with”Bruk It Down,” arguably the moment’s biggest dancehall hit. Dancehall queen Miss Likkle Bit, whose “Bruk It Down” YouTube video has fueled the tune’s hype as much as anything, was in Miami for the first time and, along with fellow dancehall queen Lena, gave the ladies of Miami a lesson in Bruk it Down. And anyone who witnessed Likkle Bit’s headtop movements for the first time will surely never be the same. And dancehall in Miami may never be, either.
