Fans excited by Beenie Man’s US return - Manager outlines busy year for dancehall icon

Manager of the 'King of the Dancehall' Beenie Man, and the founder and managing director of CIGA Records, Shawn Ciga Baptiste, is feeling upbeat as he considers the icon's eagerly anticipated comeback to the US and the prospects for dancehall's worldwide resurgence.

Baptiste discussed the excitement surrounding Beenie Man's recent US performances in an exclusive interview with THE WEEKEND STAR. These performances are a significant milestone for the musician and the larger dancehall community.

"It's a great thing because being unable to perform in the States for so long, you're not getting the type of magnitude of opportunities there is to get, especially financially. America is where the money's at," Baptiste admitted. "So this return is good."

And 'The Doctor' is not going to slow down anytime soon. Baptiste outlined a jam-packed itinerary for the upcoming months, featuring Beenie Man as the main act in the Caribbean and the US, with stops in Barbados on April 27; St Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Jazz In The Garden in St Lucia; before heading back to the US for performances in Atlanta, Virginia, and at the highly anticipated 'Beenie Man & Friends' show in New York.

Speaking on the dancehall genre's current state, Baptiste said he was proud to see Jamaican musicians come together as a cohesive group amid an increasing trend of foreign collaborations and genre-merging.

"To be honest with you, I feel very proud to see Jamaican artistes getting together and doing what they need to do to take back their music," he shared.

"A couple months ago, the African beat was running the place and the Africans were sticking together. So I guess the Jamaicans opened their eyes and saw what they were doing and now the Jamaicans are doing the same thing. They're having that unity within all of them, and that's the way they're gonna conquer the diaspora industry again," he said.

Fans have even more reasons to be thrilled as they look to the future. According to Baptiste, the dancehall icon is now working with a number of American artistes and refining his next album in the studio.

"We don't basically have a timeline right now. We don't want to rush it. We are doing a lot on the road. We just want to make sure when it hits, it's gonna be good," he said confidently.

Even though he is keeping things under wraps, fans can anticipate some significant collaborations and big surprises in 2025, which will mark another significant chapter in Beenie Man's illustrious career.