Some of today’s biggest names in reggae came together to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence. The Sounds of Reggae concert held in New York City featured Shaggy, Beres Hammond and Maxi Priest. Reggae fans enjoyed an unforgettable night of dancing with the real kings of reggae at Barclays Center – the landmark entertainment arena in Brooklyn.

Grammy-award winning artist Shaggy, one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all-time Maxi Priest, Ali Campbell‘s internationally renowned band UB40, along with the legendary crooner Beres Hammond, one of the most recognizable voices in all of Jamaica took their steady grooves to the stage. It truly was a unique opportunity to witness such a talented group of reggae artists perform together.

Speaking at the Bio Life Sounds of Reggae press conference at Sirius Radio Studios prior to the concert, the Consul General of Jamaica, New York, Mr. Herman G. LaMont, made welcoming remarks on the historic occasion, adding a message of encouragement for the victims of superstorm Sandy. In Jamaica, about 70 percent of the island lost power during the storm and many towns and cities were left without water service. Mr. LaMont stressed the importance of collaboration and mutual support among nations for the recovery process.

British reggae fusion star Maxi Priest and Brooklyn’s own Grammy Award-winning reggae singer and rapper Shaggy shared their thoughts about the concert and the role of reggae music in their lives.

“I’m excited to bring to the diverse neighborhood of Brooklyn a piece of Jamaica’s rich heritage and culture,” said Shaggy. Home to one of the largest Jamaican populations in the U.S., Brooklyn also happens to be Shaggy’s second home.

Although born in two different parts of the world, Jamaican-born Shaggy who moved to the States as a young man and London-native Maxi Priest both were raised in Jamaican families and grew up listening to reggae music.

“I’m one of 9 kids in the family. Five of my nine brothers and sisters were born in Jamaica, as well as my parents, and I was born in London. Jamaican culture lives deep inside of me. I grew up in England surrounded by a kaleidoscope of music and culture, listening to popular music like Jazz, R&B, Rock, and of course, reggae. We were looking for our identity and we found it through music,” says Priest who is notorious for melting an R&B flavor, adding a nice hint of pop that nicely blends with the Jamaican sound.

“Reggae is a very difficult style of music to work with,” shared Shaggy. “It’s very hard to break through and compete. There are no mainstream radio stations purely dedicated to reggae, like there are stations that play pop and R&B. And actually need to be really good and keep the proper balance combining reggae with rap and other music genres, experimenting with new music styles to get on air.”

British star Maxi Priest who had successful collaborations with Shaggy in the past, added his insight on competition in music, “You know, when I got started they asking me ‘are you the next Shaggy?’ So I’m not surprised if someone else gets the same question about me. The truth is that each one of us actually has got our own individual style. But when it comes to working together – we work together.”

These guys, clearly, work a lot! When asked about his hobbies and whether he enjoys playing sports Shaggy said “I don’t have much time to play ball… basketball, volleyball or ANYball. I work everywhere, all the time. I get on a plane, off the plane. I get on a stage and perform. That’s what I do, but I really love what I do.”

Also present at the press conference was Anne-Marie Grant, Executive director of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI), which sources and administers private donations to provide scholarships, support academic programs and facilitate development projects to improve lives of Caribbean students from 16 member countries and communities across the English speaking Caribbean region. Ms. Grant thanked the artists for their support in raising necessary funds to cover full scholarships for three students from unprivileged backgrounds, allowing each student to attend college for a year; as well as for donating part of the proceeds from the Sounds of Reggae concert to the AFUWI Scholarship Fund. (www.afuwi.org)

In addition, Shaggy auctioned two tickets to the concert with backstage passes to meet him in person. Proceeds went to Sweet Relief Eastern Musicians Fund to support musicians with illness, disability and other types of problems.

The SOUNDS OF REGGAE was a true celebration of Jamaica’s Independence, culture, music and values – unity and open hearts!  

 Maryna Dar is HOMBRE‘s ‘Girl About Town’ and a correspondent for HOMBRE TV.

Photos by David Groucher TekkPhoto1