The African/Caribbean International Festival of Life (IFOL) is all set for July 1st to 4th at Washington Park – East 55th Street & South Cottage Grove Avenue – in Chicago, Illinois.
The reggae fireman Capleton, legendary R&B/funk band Heatwave, Haitian top dance party star Roody Roodboy, and several other reggae, afrobeat, and world music acts are on the lineup for this year. Vendor booths & early tickets are now on sale via IFOL website.
Mr. Boombastic – Shaggy – will be performing at the 2023 Halifax Jazz Festival, happening from July 11th through to the 16th. The Jamaican dancehall deejay will share the main stage with hip-hop greats Maestro Fresh Wes and Digable Planets, as well as Jah’Mila, Badbadnotgood and several others.
Performances will take place at the Salter Lot, at 1521 Lower Water Street. For additional information and links to tickets, visit the event’s official website.
The 2023 staging of the annual Reggae Love Fest goes down on Friday, June 16th at the Barclay Center – 620 Atlantic Avenue – in Brooklyn, New York. This year’s impressive lineup includes some of the most sought after names in reggae-dancehall.
Confirmed performers are: Barrington Levy, Elephant Man, Capleton, Shabba Ranks, Yellowman, Mad Cobra, Patra, Mad Lion, and Little Vicious. That said, attendees should know that the lineup is subject to change. Tickets are available on ticketmaster.
The team at Pandemic Records, headed by CEO Sheldon Edwards, has been in a celebratory mood of late. This is after learning that two of their recently released songs are sitting in the #1 position on a couple of significant charts in Jamaica. Things Inside, performed by Chronic Law is #1 on the Preedis Chart. And Little Hero‘s Badman Round Here has the top spot on The Jamaica Music Countdown Reggae Singles Chart.
Chronic Law‘s tune is featured on the Things & Time Riddim, an eight-track compilation shared in late January by Pandemic Records. Accompanied by a lyric video that was published on Law‘s YouTube channel, the song became an instant favorite among his attentive fanbase, guaranteeing it steady, ongoing rotation to date.
As for Hero‘s track, Badman Round Here; it was first released in the 4th quarter of 2022, and was, from the very beginning, touted as a follow up to his other #1 song: World Right Now. Based on the massive success of World Right Now (which was also produced by Pandemic) the expectation has always been that Badman Round Here would take the same path. Fortunately, it has, and now the hope is that its listenership will surpass that of World Right Now.
Both Little Hero‘s Badman Round Here and Chronic Law‘s Things Inside are available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and all other streaming platforms.
Costa Rica is launching a brand new music festival this year – Sunset Fest – and they’ve invited only three international performers to join them. Booked for the show are Tito el Bambino, Los Pericos, and Jamaican reggae-dancehall star Capleton.
The aforementioned artists will be supported by several local talents on Saturday, June 10th in Jacó, Puntarenas. Click here for additional information.
Summer of Soca Festival, one of the biggest Caribbean events in Ontario, is all set for August 4th through 6th, at Markham Fairgrounds (10801 Mccowan Road in Markham). It will be massive, with a lineup that includes several trending reggae-dancehall and soca artists; plus one very elusive act.
Super Cat, the Cockburn Pen deejay who achieved widespread popularity in the late 80s and early 90s, is confirmed for SOS. This is a big deal because Cat seldom performs live. The show will also feature Bunji Garlin, Nailah Blackman, Alison Hinds, Wayne Wonder, Olatunji, and many more top-tier performers. Get additional info on their website.
Veteran reggae artist Fantan Mojah will be taking his Rasta Got Soul message to the GTA on Saturday, June 3rd. He along with Etana, I Noah, Wasp, Hitmaker and Empress Divine will perform at Taj Banquet Hall – 4611 Steeles Ave West – in North York, Ontario.
The live performers will be supported by Chippie Don, Vertex Sound, Gunz N Rozez, Firekid Steenie and Calum Beam International on the turntables.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 