Stop the violence says dancehall artiste Teejay to concert crowd

Jamaican dancehall star and self-proclaimed "Up-Top Boss" Timoy "Teejay" Jones chose a peak time in his performance on August 19 to advise thousands of screaming fans at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, to "stop the violence" and remind them that "this is just entertainment."

The massive crowd at he first edition of the Magnum Xplosion SummerStage concert enjoyed performances from Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica's hottest acts, said a release from Overtime Media.

Teejay took the stage around 2 am and worked the audience into a frenzy, but still paused on the adulation to deliver an important message:

“Stop killing one another,” Teejay said, while in the midst of his commanding 40-minute set.

“My name is Teejay, The Up Top Boss, and true me sing badman song, this is just entertainment! Ghetto youths, me wha uno make nuff money, take care of your family scene, yuh understand. We no do petty crime, we no rape women, we no kill lickle pickni, yuh understand. All ah de G dem who know say ah money alone we ah pree. But we bad same way and we na go drop we three points cause we dey ah road."

Not dropping three points is a Jamaican expression meaning to not let one's guard down or make bad decisions, the release said.

Magnum Top Performa "Jubba" and Magnum Spotlight winner "Kesi" opened up the live action around 10 pm and received warm receptions from the rapidly-growing audience. From 8 pm, dancehall fans began streaming into the spacious venue which was lined with bars and booths, promotions and giveaways, all enhanced by the brilliantly visible Campari and Magnum activation centres. Mlulekqi "Jashii" Clarke then ignited the main segment with a thrilling performance, complete with a surprise guest appearance from Spragga Benz and a salute to the Trinibad movement.

Rheon Elbourne and Jahllano then delivered a stirring tribute to the late K-Lion, before the seductive Jada Kingdom Murphy took the stage and invoked screams and shrieks from her many adoring fans. Expressing satisfaction with the turnout and the energy of the assembly, she said rhetorically:

"Meh love how the crowd looks! None ah we in here not no losers, don't it? Cause one ting we ah go try how much time, no matter if ah million times, don't it?" Launching into her popular song Win, she grooved and waved, wined and twerked for the litany of cell phones recording every moment.

Skeng followed and built upon the stir Jada had already caused and soon had the audience fixated on his unpredictable movements, indecipherable speech and rock-star type behaviour. Somehow, they knew all his lyrics and sang along as he sprayed champagne and various other beverages all over the stage, the crowd, and himself in turn. Between Jada and Skeng's appearances, most cell phone memories may have been almost full to capacity, but there was much more to come as Raheem "Valiant" Bowes would claim the stage and work it to perfection, sharing his many hit singles with an endearing and charismatic stage presence, in spite of the intermittent rain showers.

Around 2 am, those in the Savannah, nearby Belmont and surrounding areas within earshot were blessed with the sound of Sam Cooke’s classic A Change is Gonna Come, delivered acapella by Teejay offstage – just to demonstrate his singing ability and bless the place right. Making his entrance with his mega-popular Haunted hit single, the singer/songwriter had the crowd singing his lyrics and following his instructions throughout his performance.

Joined briefly by Keri The Dancer to demonstrate the moves for his latest smash hit Drift, Teejay put the icing on the proverbial cake before local acts, Squid, Tech Sounds and Lady Lava added more treats to the SummerStage offering.

Spokesperson for SummerStageTT Producers' Purple Robe Entertainment and Ultimate Promotions Lyndon Gomez thanked the fire and police services for their co-operation in making the event safe and successful. He said:

"We faced a number of challenges on the day of the event in particular but managed to rise above them all and execute an event, which lived up to, and some say surpassed expectations and fulfilled the mandate and objectives of our corporate partner and title sponsor of the Magnum Xplosion series. We sincerely thank and appreciate all team members who assisted or provided services to the production of this event and look forward to working with key stakeholders to grow and nurture the entertainment industry in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the region."

Magnum Tonic Wine's project manager, Danielia McLean was in attendance and expressed great satisfaction with the event.

“It’s always a pleasure for us at Magnum to be able to join in the celebration of music." She said, "In Jamaica, dancehall is more than just music, it’s a way of life and we are honoured to be able to share that with our Trinidadian family. Tonight was an incredible show and we are awed at how well-received all the artistes were here. Many thanks to the promoters for having us on board and we look forward to many more years of partnership as this event grows year after year.”

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