22 hours ago
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Jamaican dancehall star Teejay (Timoy Jones) delivered one of the night’s most polished performances at Saturday’s SummerStage concert, but the moment that may resonate longest came after the headline act, when two of Trinidad and Tobago’s most closely watched Trinibad artistes shared the stage in a heart-warming display of peace and unity.
Kman (Kashif Sankar) brought Plumpy Boss (Mescach Emmanuel) onstage shortly after midnight, accompanied by his mother, former radio announcer Sandra Emmanuel (aka Warrior Princess aka Queen Steam), and popular bodyguard and Trinibad advocate Kevin Da Costa (aka Johnny Bravo). The moment carried particular significance against the backdrop of recent tensions within the local dancehall community.
The two artistes performed some of their hits together, including a song by former rival Medz Boss (Joseph Ollivierre), sending a powerful visual message at an event where dancehall’s energy, influence and relationship with violence have been under intense scrutiny.
The development followed a government-facilitated meeting and peace declaration between Kman and Plumpy Boss earlier on Saturday, hosted by Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander, with Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj also present.
Alexander described the meeting as part of efforts to encourage dialogue and bring an end to conflicts affecting communities in Laventille, Beetham, Maloney and surrounding areas.
The public show of unity therefore represented more than an impromptu concert moment. It offered a glimpse of what can happen when the energy surrounding Trinibad is channelled towards reconciliation rather than rivalry—and that was the bigger mood Teejay had already advocated for over the past few months and during his time in Trinidad.
Taking the stage shortly after 11 pm, Teejay opened with his Caribbean-friendly hit “Airplane Mode”, dressed in a distinctive pilot-inspired look that immediately established the theme.
From there, the Jamaican delivered a tightly constructed set spanning hard-hitting dancehall cuts, love songs and crowd favourites, while adding production elements designed specifically for the Trinidad audience.
Local dancers from the Xtreme Dance Academy joined him for “Phenomenal”, “Up Top Boss” and a few other selections, while fresh-cut red roses from Flowers 137 were distributed to women in the audience, adding another dimension to a performance that went beyond simply pressing play on a catalogue of hits.
Teejay had previously told Guardian Media that Caribbean music should be looking for ways to build bridges rather than divisions, and his Trinidad appearance provided a fitting backdrop for that philosophy.
By the time Alkaline (Earlan Bartley) took the stage around midnight, the crowd had swollen significantly, filling the available space in the Queen’s Park Savannah Paddock area as the Jamaican delivered his own stripped-down, confident brand of dancehall.
The event had largely maintained its advertised running order, with an early start and the energy beginning to build noticeably after Tempa, Jahllano, Jasse and Yung Bredda’s earlier appearances.
Teejay’s 40-minute set then provided one of the night’s major peaks before Alkaline carried the momentum forward.
The growing attendance eventually became a logistical issue, with fire officials restricting further entry and access to the stage area as the crowd filled every available space.
The excessively humid evening gave way to rain near the end of Alkaline’s performance, but the majority of the crowd was not yet ready to leave. Parking congestion in the Savannah also created difficulties for patrons attempting to exit.
For all the debate surrounding the Trinibad genre since the pandemic—from concerns about violent lyrics and gang associations to calls for restrictions on some local songs—Saturday night’s most striking images were not of confrontation.
They were of artistes once associated with opposing sides standing together, a Jamaican dancehall star using his platform to advocate positive connections across the Caribbean, and a crowd responding to music that, at its best, brings people together.
Music Business Principles founder and Jahllano’s manager, Delicia Patterson, told the Guardian Media:
“The talent has always been there, but it was perhaps focused in the wrong directions. Now we have an opportunity to shift towards more positive outcomes, collaborations instead of clashes and economic sustainability.
“The temptation to go for hype and street cred will always be there,” she added, “but I think the movement has suffered enough and seen the effects of choosing hype over substance and unity. I have been advocating for this change for many years, so let’s hope the artistes and the industry is finally ready to stand up straight and become a united force.”
English (US) ·