High Life Festival excited about Jamaican debut in Negril
Published:Wednesday | October 11, 2023 | 12:06 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
Musician and rapper MC Solomon is as much involved in the promotional and business side of music, as he is in the music itself, and he is devoted to both. The founder of UK and South Asian label and agency, Kamani Records, as well as Asian Hip Hop Festival, which takes place in India and the UK, MC Solomon is bringing his creativity to the reggae dancehall scene with a free concert to be staged on the Norman Manley Boulevard in Negril on October 14.
He has joined forces with Woodstock Jamaica to present High Life Festival and for the musician, promoter and performer, it is a dream come true, as he makes his very first visit to Jamaica. The event, which is co-produced by RedLax Productions, features artistes Derajah, Lioness Sasanya, Prince J and MC Solomon.
“We plan to visit [Jamaica] regularly in the coming months and years ahead. We currently support reggae/jungle artistes Apache Indian, Congo Natty and General Levy amongst many others. Jamaican music has influenced us for many years in terms of the strength of the message behind it, the unity it brings amongst the community and the power of the music itself globally,” MC Solomon shared.
It is surely a testament to his belief in and respect for the music that he has decided to host the event for free and it doesn’t stop there. Kamani Records’ extended goals include creating a platform to allow musicians and artistes to perform their art; provide networking opportunities with the intention of becoming a small-scale grassroots international festival showcasing music, arts, food, dance, youth workshops; and giving a percentage of the festival to a charity in Jamaica
He admitted that the High Life Festival, which he describes as “a celebration of music, unity, expression and community”, is 100 per cent self-funded.
“The main reason was to attract people from all different walks of life under one roof, and for the first launch it is important that it’s free and available to everyone. The concept is based around bringing together local and international artistes, with multiple genres, under the same event space, connecting producers, artistes and creatives and creating a safe space for music and arts to flourish,” MC Solomon stated.
Sharing that his team chose the artistes for the event through their network of musicians and friends based in Jamaica, the UK and Brazil, he added that the intention “is to create a dynamic of different genres all blended into the same evening of performances”.
Quizzed if his label is currently working with/interested in working with any of the artistes on the line-up, he declared, “One hundred per cent yes!”
He explained that international cross-cultural collaboration is integral to his musical vision, and that for the past 15 years he has been instrumental in overseeing collabs between artistes from India, UK, France, St Lucia, New York, Spain, Italy, Thailand and Vietnam.
Asked his views on the hot-button topic of reggae/dancehall reportedly losing popularity with the rise of Afrobeats, MC Solomon stated, “I believe this is possible.”
He, however, added a caveat.
“But I also believe in the importance of recognising the roots of reggae and dancehall music and how Afrobeats can take inspiration and different direction from this musically. Music is always changing, and the audience’s preferred options is always changing,” he noted.
The Kamani Records founder stated that although his label supports bigger artistes, its foundation was built primarily on street music “from the slums of Bombay in India to the hoods of London to the Favelas in Brazil”. The reason is entrenched in his own background, which saw him growing up on a suburban estate in the UK in the ‘80s, with high poverty and lack of government support.
“When I discovered the power of music and how it can heal people in communities worldwide it was a real eye-opener for me. As history tells us, some of the most magical and powerful music ever created came from struggle ... came from communities with less fortunate circumstances and from underprivileged areas globally. Kamani represents this globally. We will never change the ethos, or sell out to big companies. We are a grassroots label, with grassroots vision and we support real music. We love the journey we have experienced so far and what’s to come,” MC Solomon declared passionately.