Last week Friday I witnessed history at Popcaan’s Unruly Fest. Lysson’s Beach was packed from corner to corner with patrons enjoying our reggae and dancehall music from the Unruly Boss himself and friends. Stalwarts in the music industry such as Coco Tea, Agent Sasco, Jah Vinci, Tanya Stephens, Louie Culture, to name a few, and his specially invited international guests Drake and Tory Lanez had the crowd rocking. It was wonderful to see Drake supporting his brother Popcaan who he announced will be officially signed to his OVO Sound in 2019. This is the effect of our Jamaican music, so powerful that it brings people from different cultures, languages and walks of life together.

Our music is a lifestyle, from the ‘riddim’ to the lyrics to the fashion, to the dance moves. It is followed by and incorporated internationally with big acts such as Drake, Rihanna, Beyoncé, DJ Khaled. They come to Jamaica to record music in our studios, film music videos, collaborate with our Jamaican artistes, learn our dance moves and be styled like a yaadman or a dancehall queen.

When you go to some parts of Canada, you would think you are in Jamaica as the Canadians have our Jamaican slangs and music locked, thanks to the music of Popcaan, Drake and others. If you go to some non-English-speaking countries, reggae music would be the only ounce of English they know. This is the power of our music.

Buju’s absence in our music industry has created the biggest anticipation for his upcoming Long Walk to Freedom Tour in March 2019. The buzz locally and internationally to see Buju perform has exploded since his return home. They are the hottest tickets for 2019.

These two events are hopefully the beginning of a movement of increased support for our local artistes. This is our music and we should invest in it as much as, if not more than, the rest of the world. We have a unique, prized possession that should be treasured and celebrated as often as possible. 2019 needs to be the year of supporting our music.