Teejay sizzles at MoBay Jerk Fest
Published:Saturday | August 5, 2023 | 12:05 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
Dancehall star Teejay, the man with the hottest summer song, Drift, delighted Montego Bay, his hometown, on Emancipation Day, with a fabulous performance before some 12,000 fans at the annual Montego Bay Jerk Fest, at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre.
As he did at the recent staging of Reggae Sumfest 2023, which was staged at the same venue, the man dubbed the ‘Up Top Boss’ danced and sang his way into the hearts of the delighted fans with hits such as Dutty Money, a cover of Barrington Levy’s classic, Too Experienced, Owna Lane, and, of course, Drift, which all but brought the house down, as the younger patrons went into a screaming frenzy.
For the native of ‘Pen’, which lies adjacent to the Glendevon community, it was perhaps the ideal way to celebrate the deals he inked with Warner Music, which are expected to take his career to another level.
While not generating the type of excitement Teejay did, perennial crowd-pleaser Professor Nuts, who is well-known for his comedic lyrics, did not disappoint. He got solid love from the crowd as he entertained them with old favourites such as Tan So Back, Mama Have Her Own, and Jamaican Girls.
Like Teejay, hometown girl, rising deejay Moyann, who had also delighted at Reggae Sumfest, had the fans singing along as she waxed lyrically sweet on her popular songs such as Likkle Miss Riding Hood; No Limit, her collaboration, which was done with Shenseea; Feelings, and Too Good.
The dancehall segment of the show was completed by Malie Donn, who drew rich applause for Money Time and Cash Code, which completely captivated; and Rajay Wild, who was equally electrifying in his set, which featured, Dunce Bat, Infinite, Another Dollar, and Ghost.
The religious segment, which preceded the dancehall segment, saw Petra-Kaye and Kukudoo delighting the patrons, who reacted to their gospel-flavour songs with much relish. Petra-Kaye, the Sterling Gospel Music Award winner for Female Artiste for 2022, was in her element as she ministered her way through He Is Gone and the Christ Alone Medley. Kukudoo was quite powerful, rocking the patrons with a high-energy gospel medley.
The food part of the festival, which unfolded during the day, was a sumptuous affair as, against a backdrop of sound system music, locals and visitors feasted on jerked chicken, jerked pork, and other delicacies, which had the venue saturated with their rich aroma.
“You can feel that the people wanted this kind of family entertainment, and this year was a wonderful line-up,” said John Lindo, the organiser of the popular festival. “I must express my gratitude to the management team, the sponsors and the patrons who came out in such large numbers.”