Notes of defiance and unity echoed across the ancient mahogany trees of Farley Hill National Park as thousands swayed together on Sunday night, just two weeks after Hurricane Melissa forced Rhythmz on the Hill to postpone.
Originally slated for November 9, Zulu Entertainment and Caribbean Music Festival successfully delivered the show’s belated return. It became a night where dancehall and soca pulsed as lifelines — for fans, for a cause, and for a Jamaican landscape slowly recovering from its worst-ever cyclone.
Live performances kicked off just before 6 p.m. with veteran Lil Rick, who “blessed up” the stage with a high-energy soca set, a perfect warm-up for the dominant dancehall genre of the evening.
Between the main acts, the island’s top DJs — including the Legacy Team, Daddy Fabian and Deejay Thorny — kept the crowd charged, mixing popular reggae and dancehall hits that had the massive audience in constant motion.
Aidonia took the stage as the penultimate regional act and set Farley Hill alight. The versatile Jamaican artiste demonstrated his continued relevance in the dancehall arena with certified bangers like IG Girls, Ukku Bit, Tip on Yuh Toe, Yeah Yeah and Fi Di Jockey.
In a moment of powerful connection, Aidonia showed massive love to the gneral and VIP sections, jumping into the crowd twice and sending patrons into a frenzy. His performance took an emotional turn when a visibly moved Aidonia paused to thank God for guiding him through his toughest times, particularly following the death of his son, Khalif. So electric was his performance, he left the energised audience shouting for more.
The man himself, Alkaline, concluded the show just after 10 p.m. with his signature, eclectic stage presence. Decked out in sequinned denim and bold red high-fashion sunglasses, the headliner delivered a powerful set featuring well-known hits such as Boss, Fleek, Formula, Pretty Girl Team, and the evergreen anthem, Champion Boy. The crowd — a true mixture of all ages — chanted, sang along and danced, recording plenty of footage of the ‘Vendetta Boss’ reigning supreme.
Reggae veterans Admiral Bailey and Flourgon also gave excellent accounts of themselves, effectively unifying the older and younger generations with their classic songs.
The Bajan contingent was extremely well received, with the large crowd drawing close to the front of the stage to catch every lyric. Mastaa T and Chiief Diin represented the nation well with magnetic performances and sharp lyricism, chanting crowd favourites like Why Should I and Tek Way Myself respectively.
Throughout the night, hosts Astra and Salt reminded the audience to contribute to the Hurricane Melissa relief efforts by way of cash or food donations, successfully underscoring the need for Caribbean solidarity. With well-stocked bars and food vendors in both general and VIP sections, patrons could secure ideal vantage points across the venue and enjoy an incident-free night of pure dancehall vibes.
Zulu Entertainment Inc pulled off an event of this magnitude flawlessly — rescheduled and with a charitable focus — proving once again that music is arguably the Caribbean’s strongest unifier.
(CJ)
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