Masicka is stepping into the promoter’s role. The dancehall star has named December 19 as the date for Forever1NE, a music festival he is staging himself, with Dexter Daps, Chenille Mure and I-Wayne confirmed as supporting acts.
The announcement came at a launch party that drew a crowd of familiar faces, government officials and corporate partners. It arrives as the deejay rides a wave that has been building for years.
He has a well-received album, Grammy nomination chatter, and praise from dancehall royalty who have singled him out as a next big thing.
For Masicka, the event is personal. He said the festival is about returning something to the community that raised him and to the wider fanbase that has carried his music.
“It just feel like giving back and keeping it in my hometown,” he said. He added that he and his musical brothers want to stage a festival where everybody goes home talking about the experience and where his fans feel proud.
Asked whether he was simply the face of someone else’s production, collecting a fee to headline, Masicka was clear. “This is my event,” he said. “It’s a collective effort. I mean, we have partners.”
One of those partners is Zim Entertainment, led by promoter Zimmy, who urged fans to secure tickets early. “
For us at Zim Entertainment we’ve always been about having quality events,” he said, pointing to a focus on strong production and service. He described the coming together of the two camps as “an amazing feeling.”
Supreme Ventures also attached itself to the festival, but its presence brought an unexpected turn to the evening.
A company executive used the stage to publicly confront government representatives in the room over a stalled investment proposal.
The executive said Supreme Ventures has spent the last two years telling the Government of Jamaica it has US$100 million, which he equated to $16 billion, ready to invest in a property in the area, and that the company has asked to buy it.
He then singled out officials by name, including a Babsy, a Delano and an area member of parliament identified as Orlando.
“I’m calling you out,” he said, demanding that they explain to the crowd why the investment has not been supported.
Masicka, meanwhile, kept his attention on the music and the moment. “A blessing is a blessing,” he said, before inviting fans to come out and celebrate on December 19.
On the subject of a possible Grammy nomination, he answered with a sigh and a measured tone. “No, not necessarily to be honest,” he said when asked if he thinks about it often. “If the Grammy comes, it comes.”
He explained that the response from listeners already sustains him. “Just them streaming my song, just them listening to me music,” he said. “So that keep me going.”
Masicka did acknowledge that a nomination or a win would be a great milestone that could elevate his career further. Still, he stressed that the bigger picture lies with the people. “It doesn’t stop at Grammy,” he said.
Asked what he enjoys most about being Masicka right now, his answer centred on home. He pointed to “being able to take care of my family” and support his children, while living life on his own terms and continuing to grow.
With a hometown stage, a lineup of trusted collaborators and his own name on the bill as promoter, Forever1NE marks a new chapter for one of dancehall’s most closely watched artists. December 19 is now circled.
