Woman in Reggae, well when it comes to a specific sound, distinguished from the rest this is one artist that one can really say has that impact on her audience with a smooth voice, Uprising was the ultimate experience seeing Jah 9.
Torch genuinely has this presence about him, on and off stage, his humble nature carries him way beyond that which he even sees in himself. His music, the lyrics are all such a great ensemble of what this artist represents in this genre of music. Torch's performance at Reggaejam was elevated to another level after having seen him perform in a more intimate space a few months prior to this event. His tantilizing personality and vibrant nature on stage is always something to watch.
R.C. (Righteous Child) a.k.a Ryan Campbell, started off as a shy youth, not exposing and sharing his talent with the world, but in 2002 at the age of 17 he overcame his shyness. Teaming up with Dj Brasco until they took their seperate paths in life. RC then took his own path and started writing his own lyrics and making his won music performing in his community. Initially his name was Righteous Chant but the decision came by a friend who released that R.C. never trod onto the dancehall side of music and never slacked, suggesting Righteous Child which was shortened and are also the initials of his birth names. 2004 came as a year were he spread his wings and made a debut and later again in 2007 and which launched this young musician to new heights. As they say the rest is history.
"Loyal Flames" a.k.a Devar Oliver stennett, another young charasmatic artist where looks can be deceiving...and with him, dynamite comes in a small package. Loyal flames has alot up his sleeve and one can tell by his attitude and energy. At the tender age of 13 Loyal realised how healing music was to the heart, singing in the youth choir at the Sandy Ground Baptist Church, later continuing to follow his passion that was strongly motivated by his friends. For Loyal Flames this is where the 22 year old singer/songwriter conscious journey began.
Lady Saw a.k.a Marion Hall has come along way in this industry and still doing her thing passionately. Lady Saw began performing at the 15, she has worked with other artists like herself including Beenie Man,Luciano, Dennis Brown, Bounty killer and Beres Hammond. "Underneath It All" with No Doubt reached number 3 on the US and sold over 3 million copies reaching triple platinum and won a Grammy Award for "Best Performance by a Duo or Group".
Chronixx and the Zincfence Redemption in 2014 at Reggae Jam, these young artists have come a long way in a short space of time. Reviving Reggae has been at the top of their agenda list and believe me they seem to be getting the job done.
With certain names in the Reggae industry these days the association of the Reggae revival immediately strikes when the name Jesse Royal is mentioned. With hit songs like "Modern day Judas" this artist has taken the reggae scene by storm.
From having seen Protoje perform a number of times, I'm still left in a state of euphoria. Protoje's presence on stage only but seems to heighten the audiences appeal for his music.
Addis Swaby a.k.a Addis Pablo, son of Melodica and Dub King, Augustus Pablo is following on his father's footsteps. Addis started is career in 2005 and has been playing on his fathers annual tribute working with various artist including Chronixx, Cali P, Jesse Royal and Kellissa. Addis Pablo has also performed on different shows on the East Coast in the US. He has released 2 albums to date.
With his strong baritone voice Vido Jelashe marveled the crowd, though it had been the first time I had come across this name, I was brought to an absolute halt and even more so surprisingly we'd shared something in common. Vido Jelashe was a South African artist performing at Reggae Jam and pride filled my heart at that moment.