While winter holds a tight grip on New York, several of the Caribbean’s biggest stars brought some much-needed heat at Friday night’s Jamaica Strong benefit concert.
Held at Long Island’s UBS Arena on Dec. 12, Jamaica Strong brought together some of the biggest acts across reggae, dancehall and soca music to mount a fundraiser collecting donations for Hurricane Melissa relief. Billboard chart-topping Grammy winners Shaggy and Sean Paul delivered career-spanning hit medleys, new-gen dancehall star Teejay proved the timelessness of his signature hit “Drift,” and reggae giants like Marcia Griffiths and Gramps Morgan kept soul at the center of it all. Dancehall star I-Octane even leapt into the stands to get up close and personal with some lucky audience members. As fans filed into the arena, which has notably hosted an impressive string of Caribbean-headlined, million-dollar-grossing shows this year, everyone banded together for the cause of rebuilding Jamaica — an umpteenth reminder of the West Indies’ unity, especially in the face of natural disasters.
First announced on Nov. 12, Jamaica Strong also featured performances by Chronic Law, T.O.K, Tessanne Chin, Aidonia, Inner Circle, Ky-Mani Marley, Yaksta Richie Stephens, Mikey Spice, Abby Dallas, Kevin Downswell, Maxi Priest, I-Octane and DeMarco. Noted radio personalities DJ Roy, DJ Norie, Dubbmaster Chris and Dahved Levy shared hosting duties throughout the night. YouTube and Amazon both livestreamed the event, with the four-hour show remaining available to rewatch on the latter platform. Net proceeds from ticket sales and in-stadium donations went directly to the Jamaica Official Hurricane Relief & Recovery Fund.
On Oct. 28, nearly 40 years after Hurricane Gilbert, Hurricane Melissa marked the strongest storm to strike Jamaica in the island’s history. With a death toll of at least 45, according to AP, Melissa’s devastation inspired Jamaica’s biggest stars to jump into action and support their home’s most affected communities.
Friday’s Jamaica Strong concert also preceded a second, separate Nice Up Jamaica benefit show, led by Yellowman and Johnny Osbourne, set for Tuesday (Dec. 16).
Here are the five best moments from the Jamaica Strong benefit concert.
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Chronic Law Performs ‘NY Girls’ in Namesake State
Last month, Billboard caught up with rising dancehall star Cjthechemist, who collaborated with Chronic Law for this year’s runaway Caribbean diaspora hit, “NY Girls.” The slick riddim has garnered remixes by everyone from Armanii to French Montana. Still, none are as irresistible as Law’s, which rocked UBS Arena and helped prime the crowd for the even more explosive dancehall sets to come later in the night.
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In Memoriam Honors New Ancestors
Although resilience was the night’s theme, Jamaica Strong carved out some time to honor some of our new West Indian ancestors. Anchored by Jimmy Cliff‘s timeless “Many Rivers to Cross,” a video montage rolled in tribute to the late Grammy-winning reggae and film star, as well as Cocoa Tea, Owen Gray, Allan “Skill” Cole, Alsion Roach Wilson, Max Romeo, Leroy Gibbons, Joe Lick Shot, Determine, Junior Byles, Pluto Shervington and George Rhoden.
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All Artists Join Stage for Jamaican National Anthem
To close out the four-hour extravaganza, every performer took the stage to sing along to a recording of Jamaica’s national anthem, “Jamaica, Land We Love.” With music stars ranging from roots reggae pillars to new-gen dancehall breakouts joining hands and earnestly belting the anthem in tandem with the passionate crowd, the love, unity and resilience of Jamrock were on full display.
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Kes Delivers Night’s Best Performance
Although Kes was the only artist on the bill who didn’t hail from JA, that didn’t stop the Trini soca superstar from delivering the night’s strongest and liveliest set.
Anchored by a barrage of smashes like “Hello,” “Cocoa Tea,” “No Sweetness” and “Savannah Grass,” Kes worked the stage like a superstar, firing off the night’s sweetest wines while maintaining crisp, clear and resonant vocals. Between his relentless energy and waistline-rocking catalog, Kes brought the aura of a true superstar to the UBS Arena stage. When he leapt down to dance with those in the front row, he somehow made that moment feel equally intimate for thousands of people in the venue. And when he caught a Jamaican flag from an audience member, Kes showcased the cross-country unity of the Caribbean — a beautiful, and always necessary, sight.
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Jerry Wonda Previews Star-Studded New ‘Jam for Jamaica’ Charity Single
As the acts cycled through the stage, Billboard caught up with a few icons backstage — including Grammy-winning Fugees producer Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis. Wonda has worked extensively with R&B, hip-hop and pop stars like Justin Bieber and Keyshia Cole, and now he’s uniting nearly every notable Jamaican musician for a “We Are the World”-esque charity song called “Jam for Jamaica.”
While he kept the sound of the record — which he first ideated in his kitchen — close to his chest, Wonda did confirm the involvement of a litany of music stars, including Buju Banton, Shaggy, Busta Rhymes, Damian Marley, Cedella Marley, Missy Elliott, Slick Rick, Gramps Morgan, Naomi Cowan, Mystic Marley, Capleton, Akon, Sean Paul, Baby Cham, Mona Scott, Stephen Marley, Jesse Royal and Kevin Downswell. Gargamel himself has been teasing the song’s recording process via his official Instagram page since Nov. 26.
“The song’s gonna be eight and a half minutes, but we separated it into two parts,” he told Billboard. “So many artists wanna jump on it. And we’re going to do a Spanish version too. It’s coming out Feb. 6, Bob Marley’s birthday. We got the classic artists, the young artists and the young, young artists. There’s gonna be a whole documentary.”
