Reggae lovers are anticipating an epic night of reggae music at the third annual Redemption the Concert, which takes place at the Hasely Crawford Stadium Training Grounds, Port-of-Spain, on May 28.
Fresh from earning and claiming their first-ever Grammy Award for Reggae Album of the Year, the royal family of reggae known as Morgan Heritage will join the veteran reggae ambassador, Calvin “Cocoa Tea” Scott; the ladies’ favourite reggae crooner, Kevin “Sanchez” Jackson; and one of the most-commercially successful and consistent entertainers, Miguel “Sizzla Kalonji” Collins.
Released in February, the 13-track project debuted at number three on the Billboard Reggae chart—marking the reggae icon’s 26th entry on Billboard and Sizzla’s highest-charting project to date. Sizzla made his debut on the Billboard chart back in 1997 with his album Praise Ye Jah.
Since launching his career in the mid-90s, Sizzla has released over 70 albums and continues to record and perform extensively throughout the globe.
In 2011, Collins survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident (he suffered multiple broken bones and a ruptured liver) and subsequently became more introspective and more deliberate in his delivery, both onstage and off. He took several months to recover, yet still managed to release two full albums (The Chant and In Gambia) and an EP (Don’t Mislead The Youths) in February, March and April of the following year.
“It’s a vivid experience,” he told the Jamaica Observer in 2012. It drastically changed my life. Even though we know time is the master spanner, there is no time to waste. You just got to do what you doing now and make sure you doing good, because it’s just love that had created us…”
Collins recently celebrated his 40th birthday and revealed that his schedule is currently back to being “very busy doing Jah works.”
“Well currently I’m very busy...I’m constantly working on uplifting my community through my NGO Sizzla Youth Foundation.
“We recently celebrated my 40th birthday with a motorcycle stunt show and some special performances by some of my friends. We also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the arrival of His Imperial Majesty to the shores of Jamaica with a visit from his grandson Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie.”
The celebrated “sing-jay” said he hopes that Trinidad supports his latest album and promises a great performance on May 28: “876 is truly a beautiful album,” he enthused.
“There is something on there for everyone and so far the response is excellent.
“Vychalle Singh, or Kid of 868 Music, along with Jason J-Vibe Farmer, are the musical masterminds behind this magnificent piece of work. Trinidad can expect an energetic performance from Sizzla and the Fire House Crew as always.”
Sizzla Kalonji will be performing in Trinidad exclusively at Redemption III, alongside recent Grammy Award winners Morgan Heritage, Sanchez and Cocoa Tea on Saturday, May 28 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium Training Grounds in Port-of-Spain.
Call 477-8755 or visit the event page on Facebook.com