Rick Ross, Beenie Man To Perform At VaCae Weekend In April
Andrew Ellis, CEO of Supreme Team Limited — the entity responsible for spearheading VaCae Weekend — says American rapper Rick Ross is anticipating his performance at this year’s staging.
“Rick Ross is a family friend. He was the major performer at our Sandz Florida event; it was a good show, and throughout that time we’ve built a relationship with him. He loves Jamaica, as most people know…We’ve provided him with an opportunity to come to the island and deliver a strong performance for his fanbase, not only here—but in the diaspora markets who are coming back to the island. He’s excited about it 100 per cent. We expect a great performance,” he told DancehallMag at VaCae Weekend’s media launch held at Volkswagen Jamaica in Kingston on Wednesday night.
VaCae Weekend will be held in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, between April 7 and 10. It will feature a series of events, including The Lawn, Pan Di Plaza, Aqua Holix, Strictly 2K, Sandz, Ova Suh and The Estate.
Other performers include Beenie Man, Stalk Ashley, and Gyptian.
The Hustlin’ rapper told his Jamaican fans as early as January that he would be coming to Jamaica soon. He even teased his rendition of patois by using Valiant’s “rich ah lie??” slang.
Rick Ross previously teamed up with Reggae singer Skip Marley and Ari Lennox on the 2020 track Make Me Feel, and with Konshens and Rvssian on Big Belly, released in 2018.
Meanwhile, Ellis touted Jamaica as the entertainment capital of the world and says collaborating with international acts provides for exposure for the island.
“Everybody takes from us, everybody wants some of our influence because we have it. This is the home. This is the mecca of entertainment and definitely this is one step in that direction. We want to invite international artists here to the island so that people can understand that we have the capability, the resources and the venues that can facilitate first world performances. We want to be included in every tour, in everything that every major artist is doing so that we can build up not only the entertainment industry but the entertainment industry worldwide and push music forward,” the CEO said.
According to Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange last month, Jamaica’s creative sector generated approximately US$2.2 billion in earnings during 2022.
That is approximately 5.2 percent of Jamaica’s gross domestic product (GDP), and three percent of direct and indirect employment.
Adversely, the industry took a J$26 billion hit in just two months during the onslaught of the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.
Ellis further told DancehallMag that his team is no stranger to rubbing shoulders with global stars, and patrons can expect to see more at its events in the future.
“When we were doing Florida during Covid, we actually invited DaBaby. He was a major superstar. He was a part of Sandz Florida. Members on our team was also involved in the planning and execution of Burna Boy Live the other day, it was a good show so we’re gonna continue that. There’s a lot more shows to come too,” he said.