Dark clouds and a short but steady shower of rain had everyone initially doubting that the show would go on but the 7^th Annual Reggae Carifest held at Keyspan Park in Coney Island, New York was blessed by good weather and a very well presented package of artists. 

Although there were several minor outbreaks of crowd displeasure (whether with each other or the artist on stage I don’t know), things went pretty much according to plan.  West Indian Times arrived at the venue while sound check was still going on, and the crowd outside was lining up in anticipation of what was to come.  With artistes such as Beenie Man, Capleton, T.O.K., and the King Yellowman, there was quite an eclectic mix of old and new school on display.   The vibe was like electricity flowing through the place when the Ruff Stuff Band opened the show with Artistes Ky-enie, Mr Willow, and Jason Lyrics who were followed by Tillibengey.  These artists had the audience doing all of the latest and favorite dances.  Baby Vinegar, the youngest member of the crew had crowd in a frenzy from the onset.

Building on the vibe that set the pace Jah Paul gave a blessing then proceeded to grace the stage with a contingent of beautiful ladies each of them wearing a garment representing the flags of various countries.   The crowd was very appreciative.  The Reggae Rags models were also looking very nice as they modeled the latest dancehall fashions for the crowd.  There was a short band change, and then the Soca and Calypso massive took over.  The crowd was up to the time, and they began to show the “ Fire in the wire” as they danced with abandon.  The band also treated them to some R&B  for which the crowd was greatly appreciative.

Sagittarius Band was next on the stage, and they brought on King YELLOWMAN who PROCEEDED TO DUN the place!  Beginning with Musical Youths 'Pass Di  Duchie', the crowd was in an uproar, as he told them that “Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt”, he then told his darling to “Come Back”. Hit followed hit as he dug into his decades old catalogue.  The Sagittarius Band more than held it down as they played.  When the King told the crowd that he would not leave until they wanted him to , he then began to sing out for the ladies, as he told them that if they wanted to here more songs to shout “same so, same so”  The shout was loud and strong.  The King then proceeded to flatten the place with Mr.  Chin, Bam-Bam,” I’m getting married in the morning and the ever-living classic “Operation Radication.  Then he sang Zung gu Zung with a fervor not seen in quite a while. “.  It was truly a joy to see King at work.  He is truly a legend and living every minute of it.

With a musical interlude by the Fun Factory, and LP International disco, the crowd began to grow in anticipation of the next artiste on stage.  The varied “VIP’s” made their way backstage, and soon it was Standing room only.  You could hardly breathe within the confines, even though it was out in the wide open air.  The MC duties then went from Boogie G to Dahved Levy.  He then began to build the crowd up, and you could cut the tension with a knife.  He brought rap group “Juvenile” on stage, and they rocked the MIC quite proficiently with their brand of hip-hop..   Next up was KC Jockey, then Marsha Morrison.  This stunning young lady has a very beautiful voice and excellent stage presence.  Look out for her.

I had the chance to sit and speak with the newest singing sensation out of Jamaica,  Natty King, whose song “No Guns To Town” is currently burning up the airwaves.  We spoke about the song, and I was amazed to learn that it was written based on a true life experience.  Natty explained to me that as a nature singer he sings about the things that he sees and experiences in life.  A rising force in the business, keep your eyes open..  With strong advice for newer artists to stay away from the Slack tunes, as they will affect them in the future, he tells them to instead strive to be clean in their lives and music.  A pleasant surprise within the realm that we have now.  We discussed at length where the music is now, and where he sees it headed in the not too distant future.  He stated quite strongly his belief that “ there is a force coming”, and that force is Natty King.   Capelton was next on stage, and when he hit the bright lights, and started to “bun fire” on everything wrong in society, you could literally feel the electric charge in the air.  The lighters and flame throwers were out in abundance, and the temperature rose several degrees higher.  Capelton is one of the few artistes that can change the atmosphere of a show with his mere presence alone.

Baby Cham  hit the stage during this time, and I don’t think I need to say anything else.  Him mash it up with his vibes and music.  The only draw back was that I had already seen the presentation, and most of those in the audience hadn’t.

Beenie Man hit the stage in a wave of non-stop motion.  With his hit single alongside Miss Thing “Dude” burning up the charts, he was in a rarified mood.  Quite the performer he had the crowd eating out of his hands.  Burning his own brand of fire, he led the crowd as a choir director training new performers.  As he told them that “Real Bad Man Nuh Run”, he then said to get something and wave, and bun afire.  Not quite satisfied, he then hit the bounce rhythm, and jokingly told the audience that he was leaving.  They pleaded with him to stay, and his band members brought out the mad instruments. He introduced the young artist QT (Cute T) who rocked the house and had the ladies swooning..  He called on John Hype and his dance troupe, and they really rocked the floor.  With dances such as Scooby doo, and Kangaroo. The tried to out do each other.  It was quite a site to behold.  As he gets more mature, his performance grows by the  leaps and bounds.  Although there was no parade of singers, and several artistes were no shows (most notable Vybz Kartel, Kevin Little, and Assasin), the crowd thoroughly enjoyed themselves with this presentation. 

Can’t wait till the next one.