Words by Jesse Serwer/Photos by Martei Korley
For five days and five nights late last month, the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship turned into the first-ever floating reggae festival. Setting sail from Miami and docking in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, Jamaica, the inaugural Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise featured a nightly slate of performances with some of reggae and dancehall’s biggest names. Though hardly the first genre-specific, seaborne event of its size and scope, it was embedded with a sense of history and purpose that will make it tough to replicate. That’s largely because of who was responsible for put it together: Damian Marley.
Jr. Gong was everywhere during the cruise’s five days and nights: deejaying on Stone Love and King Jammy’s sessions in the early morning hours; hopping on stage to perform during performances by Cham and Sean Paul; and roaming between the ship’s various venues with a deep entourage. He even found time to host a formal birthday dinner for his mother, Cindy Breakespeare, aboard the ship amongst a massive Marley contingent that included brothers Stephen, Julian and Rohan. The result of his efforts was an authentic family vibe that felt more like being on a “bizarro version” of a Jamaican festival like Reggae Sunsplash than being on a tourist-trap of a cruise ship.
We’ve broken down 10 key moments—plus a few more, in the usual LargeUp fashion—to show you just how BIG this SHIP was. Ahoy!
1. Stephen and Julian Marley join Damian Marley to kick off Opening Night
You’d expect that the marquee name responsible for pulling the whole thing together would want to close things out, but Damian Marley made the democratic decision to set things off on Night One. While that might sound anti-climactic, events proved otherwise, as he spent the rest of the week dropping by, and enlivening, sets from nearly everybody else. And, naturally, when things were all said and done, it was Jr. Gong who got in the last word.
2. Tarrus Riley makes it a “Love Situation” on Night 2
Tarrus Riley and the Blak Soil Band (led by sax great Dean Fraser) have one of the most polished shows in the reggae business, as the Welcome to Jamrock cruise contingent (and, especially, the ladies) quickly learned on Night Two.
3. Shaggy and the Marleys deejay on Stone Love on Night 2
The live performances commanded the attention of most patrons, but the diehards who stayed out til the early morning were rewarded with the cruise’s most unique moments. This was certainly true on Night Two as Shaggy, fresh from his headlining set, passed through the Stone Love dance in Bliss Lounge (one of several nightclubs contained on the ship, a favorite for nightlife-oriented cruises) with a few friends—including Jr. Gong—by his side, laying waste to riddim after riddim.
4. Busy Signal sounds di big tings dem on Night 3
The ship literally witnessed a sea change on Day 3, as Tarrus Riley, Shaggy and others departed, and a new crew of artists were welcomed aboard in MoBay, including several acts currently unable to travel to North America due to visa restrictions. This in turn made for the week’s most intriguing lineup. Busy Signal, who’s never performed in the U.S., didn’t disappoint, running through hits including “Watch Out For This (Bumaye)” and “Bad Up Who” with precision.
5. Jah Cure gives all of himself on Night 3
Like Busy, Jah Cure can’t currently to travel to the U.S., a status that probably won’t change anytime soon. He made the most of a rare performance before an international crowd, drawing big forwards with his cover of John Legend’s “All of Me.”
6. Bounty Killer brings out Baby Cham on Night 3
Of all the artists booked for the cruise, Bounty Killer boarded the ship with the most intrigue surrounding him. The Five-Star General lived up to the hype with a magnetic set backed by the Ruff Kut Band. The Warlord is always at war with someone or other, but there was nothing but good vibes between Bounty and the rest of the Jamrock Cruise crew, most notably Cham, who stepped onstage to perform 1999’s “Another Level.”
7. Shinehead, Mr. Williamz and Damian Marley deejay on King Jammy’s on Night 3
The open-air sessions that followed each night’s performances on the main deck had their own magic, but none were quite as inspiring as King Jammy’s on Night 3. Hearing Jammy’s running tunes and mixing live on his perfectly-tuned sound system would have been a treat in itself, but when Shinehead and Mr. Williamz stepped up to deejay over the King’s selections things really got good. After taking it all in from the crowd like a fan, a very enthusiastic Jr. Gong stepped up to add some lyrics—and even tried his hand at the controls.
8. Jr. Gong pops up on stage for Cham and Sean Paul’s sets on Night 4
Jr. Gong has released combinations with both Sean Paul and Baby Cham in the last year: “Riot” and “Fighter,” respectively. With both on the bill it was only natural that he’d touch the stage alongside both on Night 4.
9. Stephen Marley leads the crowd through the stairs in song after the rain on Night 5
When it rains on the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise, it pours. After downpours delayed Night 5’s opening sets, Stephen Marley took the stage for what was supposed to be the cruise’s conclusive set, only to find himself interrupted a few songs in by even more torrential rain. Rather than waive the white flag, Steve took control of the situation, leading a group singalong down several flights of stairs and leading the people to the massive jam session.
10. Everybody deejays together on stage during epic jam session on Night 5
We can’t remember everyone who jumped onstage in the ship’s Atrium Lounge during the cruise finale early Saturday morning, but it goes something like this: Jr. Gong, Stephen Marley, Baby Cham, Sean Paul, Gramps and Peetah Morgan, Shinehead, J Boog, Christopher Ellis, MC Supernatural, all side by side. With zero planning and no structure, this free-for-all managed to be the perfect climax to a week’s worth of performances.
>+1: Things end on a high note with “Redemption Song” on Night 5
Saving the best for last, Stephen Marley led the audience in a singalong of Bob Marley’s classic “Redemption Song,” as Cham, Sean Paul and others chimed in, in the ship’s final final moments. Watch video from the finale here:
+2: Shinehead steals the show everywhere he goes
If there was an “MVP” of the Jamrock Cruise, it would have to be Shinehead. Somewhat forgotten since his 1980s heyday, the New York dancehall pioneer has kept a low profile in LA in recent years but, if his energy on the cruise was any indication, we’re sensing a major renaissance in his future. Shinehead was everywhere during the cruise, playing 45s with his sound, Kingston 12, (he and partner DJ Papalotl were the only ones on the ship totaling brought vinyl) and deejaying on other sounds whenever the opportunity arose. When he jumped up during the finale, the other deejays had no choice but to step up their lyrics, or risk looking plain silly. Look out for more Shinehead on LargeUp shortly.
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