Cardi B has never performed in Jamaica before, and when she finally does, it’ll be Spice standing there to welcome her.
The Queen of the Dancehall is set to host Cardi B & Friends at Independence Park in Kingston on Sunday, October 18, as part of BZR Weekend Jamaica 2026, and she is not hiding how much the moment means to her.
Spice has kept a friendship with Cardi B going for years, and she says the rapper has been openly vocal about her influence on Cardi’s earlier career. “I’m excited to host the event.
Cardi B has publicly shown me love throughout the years. And she has also mentioned me as one of her influences in her earlier career.
So, to be the one that will just welcome her to Jamaica with open arms, it gives me great pleasure to do that,” Spice said.
She did not stop there. “I’m a huge fan. I can’t wait to be there, living in the moment of having Cardi B performing in Jamaica for the first time alongside me, the host, the queen.
Who better to do it than me? Mi know seh the whole a Jamaica a come out for this time and wi a guh enjoy wi self and go on real bad. Yeah. Bardi,” she added.
The event also features Grammy-nominated R&B singer Keyshia Cole, known for tracks like Love, I Remember, and Trust, which makes for a lineup that pulls from three genuinely different corners of Black music. Hip-hop, R&B, and dancehall all sharing one stage is not something Kingston sees every weekend, and the organizers are clear that the mix was not accidental.
BZR Weekend Jamaica organiser Ryan Burke said the combination was put together with a specific idea in mind.
We wanted Cardi B & Friends to reflect the energy, diversity and influence of women in music, and bringing Spice on board as host adds another important dimension to that story,” Burke said.
Cardi B has previously spoken about her love for dancehall and has collaborated with Jamaican artists before, with Spice being among them.
That history gives the October 18 show a bit more weight than your average festival booking, since it is not just a headline slot but a reunion of sorts between two artists who have publicly supported each other’s work.
The wider BZR Weekend Jamaica 2026 runs across four days, kicking off on Friday, October 16 with the Welcome Party, Yaad Ting. Saturday brings the Tidal Rave Beach Party, Sunday is Cardi B & Friends, and the festival closes out on October 19 with the WFL Edition.
Spice has spent years being one of the most visible women in dancehall, and hosting the genre’s first Cardi B performance on home soil is the kind of full-circle moment that her fanbase has been building toward.
Tickets and further details around the event are still being watched closely by fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
