Akae Beka Live

Midnite In Kingston

On The Radar: Akae Beka’s performance in Kingston, Jamaica

History will be made at the Hope Gardens Shell Bandstand in Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday, March 26 at the Midnite In Kingston show headlined by Akae Beka, (Vaughn Benjamin), former lead vocalist of celebrated reggae band Midnite, alongside rising reggae acts. IRIE Mag is ready and waiting to document the occasion with our partners at Touch The Road Jamaica—you can check out their Do Road: Midnite In Kingston tour itinerary here. It’s naturally the biggest buzz for this period in the world’s reggae capital city and we can see why, it’s Akae Beka’s first performance in the city and the line-up is HOT! The event is organized by Away to Africa — a travel company conceptualised by attorney-at-law Tiffanie Anderson —and co-produced by Lauren Watkis.

Anderson’s company launches officially this month and aims to be a bridge between Africa and the world. She is excited about her upcoming events and believes the synergy is perfect. “The music and energy of Akae Beka has a very strong Motherland focus, much like the other artistes on the show. We thought it would be a good partnership as they all make music that embodies this outlook. Reggae music is about African awareness and intelligence. It heavily promotes the necessity of having a direct connection with our roots and a continuous need to make the voyage to the Motherland,” she explained.

In addition to Akae Beka, the production also features Avocado singer Jah9, who will release her highly anticipated new album soon; Modern Day Judas singer Jesse Royal, who is taking Europe, Japan and the Americas by storm; and Beat Dem singer Lutan Fyah, a longtime reggae favourite known to deliver great performances. Multitalented budding artistes like Rastafari Way singer Dre Island, Rate Rasta singer Xana Romeo (daughter of veteran artiste Max Romeo), and ZincFence Records producer/Black Marcus recording artiste Silkki Wonda will also add their flavour to the concert. In-between all these militant performances I Grade Dub (St Croix) accomplished producer, audio engineer and dub mixer, Laurent ‘Tippy I’ Alfred (who often worked with Benjamin and his former band), will play authentic dub while Dubwise conceptualiser/DJ Rory ‘Yaadcore’ Cha will keep the vibe going with more mystical
selections. Sounds awesome, right? There’s more…

Mark your calendars for the Midnite In Kingston Reasoning Session on the next day, Sunday, March 27, at Kingston Dub Club for a discussion on how the region can align with Africa for mutual advancement. The dialogue features Vaughn Benjamin and Jah9 as moderators, joined by other distinguished minds giving their take on the subject before segueing into the internationally renowned Gabre Selassie-led weekly dub session. No doubt about it, both Midnite In Kingston events are sure to be spectacular. We strongly advise getting your tickets right away so you don’t miss this phenomenal occasion. Not in Jamaica? Book a trip to Kingston now for this one of a kind show and go tune in to some great performances. Make sure you listen to the wicked Midnite In Kingston promotional mix every day to get yourself in the mood too.

For more news on the event, visit www.midniteinkingston.com, e-mail [email protected] or follow @midnightinkingston on Twitter/Instagram.