According
to information monitored byEnterainment,
the renowned Jamaican reggae star Sizzla arrived in the country yesterday. The
International Jamaican artists' plane landed at the Banjul International
airport at 2pm. According to the information, upon his arrival thousands
of reggae lovers were at the airport to welcome him.
The much
talked about and the long awaited concert is organised by Betts Promotion,
Rebel T music and Kalongic Records Waxs United for the sole purpose of
organising a historical and momentous event in The Gambia. Rebel T was begun in
1999 by Jamaican born brothers Chin and Doza. They united and set out with a mission
to unite people through music all over the world. Annually they hold the New
York Miami Link Up Spring Break Show in Negril, Jamaica, which draws over 35,000 college
students from around the world. This event coincides with the college semester
spring break, to allow young people to escape from their stressful exam phase
and others from their work and careers.
For many
years Rebel T music has been compelled to help the less fortunate citizens of Jamaica by sharing some of the financial
proceeds from the event. In 2004, they donated clothes, toys, food and
medicines to the children suffering from HIV in the Musteed Seed Home in Kingston, Jamaica. In 2005, two computers were
donated to the local basic school, and the other to the police station.
On December
25th, 27thand 29thRebel T Music in collaboration with Betts
Promotion and Kalonji Records will hold one of the most historic events to be
held in Africa. They will be bringing their years
of expertise in the business of music to The Gambia to create an environment of
enjoyment and learning. In addition to organising a great event in Africa, this marks the first time that Jamaica's renowned artist, Sizzla Kalonji
has performed in Africa. This makes Rise To The Occasion a historical moment not only for Africa but also for Reggae Music.
Drawing on
the experience of having organised previous shows in the U.S. and Jamaica, Rebel T will be donating funds and
supplies to two adopted schools in The Gambia. They also recognise that malaria
plays a significant role in the loss of many children's lives, so funds will be
donated for research to help eliminate this problem. Sizzla Kalonji is one of
the most prolific leaders of the conscious Reggae dancehall movement. Emerging
in the latter half of the '90's, he helped lead dancehall back to the musical
and spiritual influence of roots reggae and heavily Rastafarian subject matter.
He was born Miguel Collins on April 17th1976 in St Mary and was raised in the community of AugustTown by devout Rastafarian parents. The
1980's witnessed a dancehall explosion, and with the music came the lifestyle.
Sizzla watched carefully and began collecting his lyrical ammunition. He began
his career in the Caveman Hi-Fi Sound System, where he first made a name for
himself as a performer. He cut his first single for the small Zagalou label in
1995, and soon moved on to Fattis Extermination Burrell. Extensive touring with
fellow roots and culture artist Luciano followed, earning Sizzla critical
acclaim. Working with Fattis marked an important turning point for Sizzla. From
the outset their relationship was one of mutual respect and inspiration. A run
of successful singles led to the release ofSizzla's debut album, Burning Up RAS. The alliance again proved fruitful
a year later with the follow-up, Priase Ye Jah Jet Star. Securing his position
as a top conscious reggae artist, he set about cultivating his role as a
spiritual messenger. Sizzla's combination of Rasta principles and up-to-the
minute dancehall rhythms made his hard line approach more palatable.
