{"id":10769,"date":"2025-05-30T10:10:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T10:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/?p=10769"},"modified":"2025-05-30T10:12:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T10:12:51","slug":"kartel-to-be-crowned-king-of-dancehall-at-sumfest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/?p=10769","title":{"rendered":"Kartel to be Crowned \u2018King of Dancehall\u2019 at Sumfest"},"content":{"rendered":"

In addition to a highly anticipated slate of performances from a stellar line-up of local and international acts, one of the major highlights of the 32nd<\/sup> staging of Reggae Sumfest this year will be the official crowning of superstar Vybz Kartel as the \u201cKing of the Dancehall\u201d.<\/p>\n

The announcement was made by Josef Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Entertainment, promoters of Reggae Sumfest, during at the Sumfest 2025 launch, held Wednesday night at Iberostar Hotel in St James.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also crowning Vybz Kartel; that\u2019s a big deal!\u201d Bogdanovich told the\u00a0Jamaica Observer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Beenie Man was officially crowned \u201cKing of the Dancehall\u201d at Reggae Sumfest in July 2009, with robe and crown to boot. But Bogdanovich argued that a king cannot reign in perpetuity.<\/p>\n

\u201cKings come and go. They can\u2019t be a king all the time,\u201d he charged.<\/p>\n

Set to run from July 13 to 19 in the tourism resort city of Montego Bay, this year\u2019s staging of Reggae Sumfest will feature seven events under one festival, culminating in two massive concert nights at Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex.<\/p>\n

Confirmed acts include Toni Braxton, Vybz Kartel, Tarrus Riley, Masicka, Protoje, Tommy Lee Sparta, and others.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThis year\u2019s festival promises to be nothing short of eclectic\u2026 From July 13th to the 19th, Montego Bay will once again become the heartbeat of the Caribbean,\u201d Bogdanovich said during the media launch.<\/p>\n

During remarks read on the behalf by colleague government minister Homer Davis, Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia \u201cBabsy\u201d Grange described the festival \u201cas a cornerstone of our cultural heritage and an indication of the vibrant spirit that defines Jamaica\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades Reggae Sumfest has been just more than a music festival. It has been a celebration of our identity, a showcase of our talent and the powerful reminder of the impact Jamaican music has had on the world. From the soulful rhythm of reggae to the high energy beats of dancehall, Jamaican music has told and continue to tell the story of resilience and creativity,\u201d the message continued.<\/p>\n

For his part, Director of Tourism Donovan White said: \u201cSumfest is more than just a date on the entertainment calendar. It is, as far as I\u2019m concerned, our cultural North Star. It reflects the essence of our people, the pulse of our culture, and the spirit of our national identity. For countless visitors, it serves as the gateway to discovering Jamaica.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another highlight of the launch was the recognition of the work and legacy of the late Robert \u201cDucksie\u201d Russell, a co-founder of the festival who died last December at the age of 76.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to take a moment to honour the memory of a man whose vision helped birth this incredible journey, the late Robert Russell. Robert was more than a co-founder, he was a cultural visionary, a champion of Jamaican music, and a beloved figure whose legacy still guides this festival even today,\u201d Bogdanovich said.<\/p>\n

The media launch came to a climax with live performances by dancehall acts Laden, Bugle, and hometown boy Tommy Lee Sparta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In addition to a highly anticipated slate of performances from a stellar line-up of local and international acts, one of the major highlights of the 32nd staging of Reggae Sumfest this year will be the official crowning of superstar Vybz Kartel as the \u201cKing of the Dancehall\u201d. The announcement was made by Josef Bogdanovich, CEO […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":10762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10770,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10769\/revisions\/10770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}