Words by LargeUp Crew
Photo by Martei Korley
Reggae Sumfest is happening this week and, for the first time, Jamaica’s toppa top stageshow will present an exclusively Jamaican talent roster. While the Montego Bay music fest, now in its 24th year, is of course known for presenting the biggest names in reggae and dancehall, this year it will place an extra emphasis on the local talent pool as the long-standing International Nights have been eliminated. It’s an opportunity to take a close look at Jamaican music as it stands in 2016, as the festival features a diverse lineup of veteran artists, current superstars, and up-and-coming artists ready to claim their place at the top of the heap in reggae and dancehall.
Scroll through here to see the 12 acts we’re looking forward to catching at Sumfest 2016.
If you’re in Jamaica, or headed there for the weekend, get your tickets to Sumfest here. If you’re not, well, you can watch it right here, in 360-degree, virtual reality, on the player below, or at reggaesumfest.com.
Beenie Man has professed to be the King of Dancehall for quite a while now, with few bold enough to question that title. This year, however, he’s seen a few challenges to his proverbial throne. Last month, the incarcerated Vybz Kartel issued an album called King of Dancehall, seemingly elaborating on his I Am Dancehall claim from last year’s hit single, “Dancehall.” That same month, none other than Bounty Killer stepped up to support Kartel’s position. And, in the court of public opinion, the album version of Drake’s “Controlla” with Beenie pales in comparison to the original leak of the track with three verses from Popcaan. With Beenie receiving top billing on the festival’s Dancehall Night this Friday, the Sumfest stage provides him with a much-needed opportunity to silence naysayers, and re-affirm his now questioned claim on dancehall rule.
Listed right ‘longside Beenie Man on Sumfest posters is his long-time rival Bounty Killer. The two have recently made peace, leading some to speculate that they could share the stage in a show of unity. We certainly hope so. In any case, a live performance from GrungGaadZilla is always a thing of gravity.
Speaking of can’t miss, we’ve never seen a boring show, or off-key performance, from one-time Bounty Killer pupil/protege Busy Signal. And, considering the tight bond those two artists have kept over the years, you can almost count on a cameo from the Warlord.
Chi Ching Ching has been a vital part of the dancehall circuit for years but over the last year or so he’s taken things way up, with hits like “Way Up, Stay Up,” “Get There” and “Roast or Fry.” Ching brings the energy to every room he steps in, and his Sumfest performance should be no different.
I-Octane is one of those reliable artists whose ship is so steady, he’s sometimes taken for granted. Not at Sumfest, where he was called upon to close Dancehall Night in 2014. The decision was a controversial one, as some including Mr. Vegas called into question Octane’s viability as a headlining act for Jamaica’s biggest stageshow. But Octane afforded himself nicely on the Dancehall Night stage, and he’s been brought back every year since.
Dancehall is experiencing a changing of the guard and a jolt of new, youthful energy, and 23-year-old Jahmiel is clearly at the front of the pack. With hits like “Where Were You” and “Great Man” in heavy rotation in Jamaica and across dancehalls worldwide, you can bet Jahmiel, one of LargeUp’s Artists to Watch for 2016, will receive nuff forwards from the Sumfest crowd.
Photo: Martei Korley
Never count out Barrington Levy. The skat-slinging singer’s voice is as sharp and potent as it was when he first buss outta Jamaica nearly 40 years ago, and he’s still getting props from everyone from EDM producers to today’s pre-eminent streetwear brand Supreme. The man who brought us such hits as “Here I Come” and “Black Roses” is sure to get vuvuzelas blowing with his deep, deep catalog of classic hits.
This year has been a very visible one, full of ups and downs, for the “Messenjah,” Luciano, following an extended period of relative quietude. Things started off with a Grammy nomination, his second, for his 2014 album Zion Awake, but took a turn for the worse when his son, Menelik McClymont, was killed in February. More recently, he’s topped the Jamaican reggae charts with “In The Name of Love,” an R&B piano ballad. It all points to what should be a poignant and emotional Sumfest appearance, on Reggae Night on Saturday.
Thanks to his burgeoning affiliation with rapper Drake, specifically his appearance on the summer hit “Controlla,” Popcaan’s international stock is at an all-time high. The singjay recently made a big splash on the international music circuit with his surprise appearance at last month’s RBMA Culture Clash, an appearance which cemented victory for the Mixpak Records camp. And, with songs like “High All Day” and “Ova Dweet” currently blaring from speakers from Saint Thomas to St. Ann, his ratings haven’t slipped at home. Fry Yiy should definitely get a hero’s welcome when he takes the stage Friday for Dancehall Night.
There’s no tighter ship in reggae music than Tarrus Riley live with the Blak Soil Band. Riley’s Dean Fraser-led backing troupe is a well-oiled machine, capable of shelling down every festival they appear at. Even without the hype surrounding other artists performing this weekend, it would surprise no one if Tarrus and crew take the show at Reggae Night on Saturday.
Spice may have dropped hit after hit the last few years, but the dancehall diva born Grace Hamilton identifies herself firstly as “The Queen of Stageshow.” Spice has become a major live draw, with a female answer to Elephant Man’s raucous live shows, full of crowd interaction and the raunchiest dancing this side of a go-go club.
After a long absence from Jamaica of over a decade, the Don Dada Super Cat returned to Jamrock in 2013 with a performance at Sting. This will be his first time back since and since you never know what you’re gonna get when to see the Wild Apache pon stage next, you may want to be front and center
Africa's dancehall ambassador on the cultural connections between Ghana and Jamaica.
From Illinois to Kingston, Jamaica, comes a story of fierce determination.
Rhea 'Rheezus' Prendergrast is a young woman from Jamaica, living in New York City, working…
LargeUp is bringing Caribbean sounds to Long Island's North Fork Saturday, July 29.
Guyana's past meets its present at this Arawak outpost.
Machel, Agent Sasco, Voice and Travis World close out Carnival 2023 with an epic visual.
This website uses cookies.