Young, energetic and soulful, reggae’s newest superstar Chronixx (Jamar Rolando McNaughton) delivered a vibrant and engaging performance to a crowd that begged for more during Saturday’s Monster Energy Summer Jam concert at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain.
The show featured headliners Chronixx and the Zinc Fence Redemption Band and fellow Jamaican performer Cham (Damian Beckett) as well as local acts Freetown Collective, Collis Duranty, Olatunji Yearwood, Ravi B and Prophet Benjamin.
Cham entertained with a sexually suggestive performance to match his popular dancehall lyrics and charmed fans with his interaction.
As he performed with a charming smile never leaving his face, fans sang out the lyrics of his hit songs like Vitamin S, Love it Like that and Rude Boy Pledge.
The event started later than promised. It was scheduled to begin at 7 pm but actually started just before 10 pm with an hour-long performance from Freetown Collective featuring the Alternative Quartet.
Freetown Collective held the small audience’s attention with a few patrons singing along to their tunes.
Freetown was followed by a powerful performance from Duranty, who opened with a soulful rendition of his song Red, White and Black.
The song, which speaks to the high crime in this country compares white sheets, black boys and bloodstains to the colours of the national flag.
Duranty performed for 30 minutes followed by cameos from Yearwood and Ravi B.
By midnight the crowd had increased from a few hundred, to a few thousand people.
While all the artistes delivered strong performances, the star of the night was Chronixx who arrived on stage at 12.30 am to an enthusiastic welcome and delivered a performance rife with provocative lyrics.
At one point, he told an appreciative crowd that “one less corrupt politician means one million more free lives.”
He said this while calling for the more “militant” of his supporters before launching into the lyrics of his highly-popular track, They Don’t Know.
The 20-year-old musician called on this country to unite and be strong and said his country saw the same violence and corruption T&T and other Caribbean islands.
After an hour, the artiste left the stage ending his performance with Here Comes Trouble, before being called to return by host Sunny Bling.
Before leaving the stage he thanked the crowd and the other artistes who had performed.
The young singer had a warning: “One day when I come to Trinidad all of the slackness ah cut out,” was his parting warning.
CHRONIXX SPEAKS
In a short interview following his performance, Chronixx spoke about his music and his plans.
On his first performance in Trinidad:
“It has been a great joy to see how the people received me. It is actually my first show in the Caribbean because the show in the Cayman islands got rained out so I didn’t even perform. It shows that people are appreciating the good music again just like any other genre. Just like they appreciate American music and European music, so they love reggae music the same way. It is a thing that I really feel good about.”
“I try to keep my expectations on a level you know, which with me being a hard working artiste I always expect to do a good performance but tonight definitely exceeded my expectations. The people were much more than I thought they would be like. It was like performing in Africa.”
The message in his music:
“We try to bring forth love and acceptance. Militance out in Babylon because it rough pon the youth them side and there is nobody to teach the youths except teachers who are giving an education system and politicians who are giving a political system and artistes who are giving Babylon music.”
“They don’t have an institution or get the reality and righteous message. The message we put forward is righteousness, love and acceptance because all things start with acceptance. You have to accept Trinidad for what it is and then start the change process.”
Reviving the Reggae music
“I know I am not responsible 100 per cent but I am playing my part. There are a whole heap of artistes pushing the music and even when you come to Trinidad you see the artistes pushing a certain vibe out. You have Collis Duranty, Freetown, so many artiste doing it. I am just playing my part. Reggae is something that I love and this is all that I know. I have always had a choice. I have never been put in a desperate position where I have to make a certain kind of music and people who have a choice will make the right choice. People who were desperate do what they have to do. I do what I want to do because it is what I was made to do.”
The artiste, who will perform in Tobago on August 24, said he will return to Trinidad in five years and expects to see a better country.