When Cactus was king
The year 1993 was an exciting time in Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz made their first strides to the 1998 World Cup in France; P J Patterson was elected prime minister and Colonel Trevor MacMillan was appointed commissioner of police. The entertainment scene was hopping; today, we look back at some of the hot artistes, venues, movies and songs that Jamaicans tuned into.
On November 24, 1993, the Cactus Nightclub opened its doors in Portmore. It served as a springboard for the careers of many dancehall artistes.
Former club manager Earl Samuels recalled what made the venue special.
“The patrons that came to Cactus were what made it special. We always put our patrons first, then thought about the vibe to give to the people. We made it a point of duty to know our patrons,” said Samuels.
Cactus Nightclub was operated by Chris “Gypsi” Cargill and Brian “Ribbie” Chung of Nighttime Promotions. Chung and Samuels were schoolmates at Kingston College.
The club opened at a time when dancehall music was hot and ready for an international take-off.
“Cactus was a family affair and we did many things for dancehall music. The number of artistes who passed through, we were the ones who bus’ them. New artistes got their break, so too did the sound systems and the comedians. We also helped to bring back live dancehall shows,” Samuels shared.
He continued: “A lot of the established artistes of today were upcoming artistes when they performed at our After-Work Jam on Friday nights. Back then, whenever the artistes performed we would grade them and assess if they should continue in music or find a day job. As an artiste released a song they brought it to us to play.”
The club partnered with Sound System Association of Jamaica president Louise Fraser-Bennett to stage weekly sound clashes. On Dancehall Night, the various crews came out to party including the Ouch, Topless, and Black Roses.
“People would leave the movies or an event and head straight over to Cactus to party. Those were great times,” said Samuels.
Cactus Nightclub closed in 2001.