Nicki Minaj Falls In Love With Jamaica, Bigs Up Gaza AND Gully
Fresh new faces on the local scene like Denyque and Protoje got things
going on Saturday’s International Night 2 before Turbulence and Gyptian set it off. And then the festival built to a Young Money climax. Taking a break from her sold-out tour with Britney Spears,
Nicki Minaj brought her Barbie badness to the same Sumfest stage that
Lil Wayne had rocked three years before. Clad in a leopard-print pants that
lent extra oomph to her hip action, Nicki and six amazing female
dancers delivered a swift but lethal set, running through the Young
Money Queen’s platinum credentials from “Bedrock” to “Bottoms Up.” The
zombie choreography in “Monster” was particularly effective as was the
“Dutty Wine” segment set to tracks by Tony Matterhorn, Bounty Killer,
and Beenie Man. Although Gyptian peformed on the same bill, he didn’t
join Nicki Minaj onstage. She did perform her “Bad Gyal Edition” of
his hit “Hold Yuh” and showed her knowledge of dancehall current
events by asking the crowd “Gully or Gaza?” The unenviable task of
following NIcki Minaj fell to perennial dancehall star Wayne Wonder,
who also worked the very first Sumfest back in 1993 along with Buju
Banton. Wonder paid tribute to his old sparring partner, who is now
incarcerated but whose music remains uncontainable. Jah Cure blazed
the stage with anthems like “Longing For” and his infectious ballad
“Unconditional Love.” Touching the hands of his adoring fans, the
young lion of reggae told them “I hope you get the Cure.” We can only
hope that the rest of the world will get it one day too. Veteran
reggae rhythm section Chalice closed out the festival, celebrating
their 30th anniversary as a band on a festival that celbrated the
past, present, and future of reggae music. Stumbling home on the final
night of Sumfest 2011 we could hear that old Chalice tune echoing
through the streets of MoBay—yes indeed, it was “Good to Be There.”
Turbulence could have been one of the most Notorious…
Gyptian brings the Purple Reign to Sumfest.
Young Money’s Nicki Minaj gives MoBay the “Bad Gyal Edition”
Only one man could follow Nicki Minaj at Sumfest: Wayne Wonder.
Mya joins Wayne Wonder to do the “If I Ever” Remix.
You never see it coming, and the next thing you know, Unconditional Cure!
And don’t miss Boomshots exclusive interview with Nicki Minaj:
Unfortunately the Jamaican police force was not feeling the love. As Nicki exited the Sumfest venue, she was served with a summons for using profanity on stage—a criminal offense in Jamaica—as well as
“sexually suggestive dance moves” which means they shoulda locked up half the artists on Dancehall Night! But Nicki shouldn’t have been too surprised. Her Young Money label mate Drake ran into similar problems earlier this year while performing at a show in Portland, Jamaica.
According to the Jamaica Observer, a representative for Nicki pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a fine of $1000 Jamaican dollars, just under $12 in American currency. It’s a small price to
pay for a legendary performance moment 4 life—Young Moolah baby!
Photographs By Radcliffe Roye and Rob Kenner
For more Sumfest reportage, check out vibe.com
