Dreamfest 2020 in Crown Bay St. Thomas
ST. THOMAS — Dreamfest 2020 — a reggae extravaganza in St. Thomas held Saturday night at the Crown Bay parking lot — brought out Virgin Islanders by the thousands, making for a spectacular event put on by Westline Production and PumpStation Entertainment, and sponsored by major players such as the V.I. Port Authority, the Dept. of Tourism, Banco Popular, Viya, Southland Gaming and Hennessy.
Aerial shots of the Port Authority's Crown Bay parking lot show the massive crowd gathered as world-renowned reggae artists Tarrus Riley and Chronixx delivered their vast library of hit songs — including Mr. Riley's She's Royal, Just the Way You Are, Gimme Likkle One Drop, and Simple Blessings among a plethora of others. For Chronixx, the chart-topper delivered crowd favorites such as Here Comes Trouble, Likes, Smile Jamaica, Shankin and others that kept the crowd enjoying the all-night affair.
Mr. Riley, 40, born Omar Riley in Bronx, New York, is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and member of the Rastafari movement. In 2004, Tarrus released his debut album, Challenges. Mr. Riley has consistently racked up awards for his work. Among his accolades are Best Singer, Male Vocalist, Cultural Artiste, Song of the Year, and Best Song. Some of the awards institutions which have rewarded Riley include the Youth View Awards, The Star People's Choice Awards, EME Awards, and the Reggae Academy awards. In 2009 Riley released his third album Contagious on Cannon Productions. The album was distributed by VP Records. It contained the hits "Start Anew", "Contagious", and "Good Girl Gone Bad" featuring Konshens and Superman, a cover of a Robin Thicke original. 2011 also saw the release of videos for hit singles including "Come Ova" and "Never Leave I". Both songs became hits on Jamaican radio as well as in several Caribbean territories. Mr. Riley has performed on several stages around the world. His performances have drawn credible reviews from the media in the Caribbean, North America, the United States and Europe.
Chronixx, 27, born Jamar Rolando McNaughton was musically nurtured from an early age by his father, dancehall artist Chronicle, and grew up surrounded by the likes of Burro Banton and Gregory Isaacs. His remarkable ascension in the music industry began in the background; harmonizing for artists such as Lutan Fyah and providing production assistance for tracks sung by Popcaan, Konshens and others.
Today, Chronixx is a respected artist in his own right after his career was stimulated by the unfortunate passing of both his blood brother in 2007 and his brother-in-arms, Lil' J.O.E., in 2010. The first EP, Hooked on Chronixx, was released in 2011 and immediately put the budding artist on the radar of music lovers and industry heads alike with 'Start A Fyah,' 'Warrior' and breakout single 'Behind Curtain' standing out as a fan favorites far beyond Jamaican shores.
The Dread & Terrible Project was released in April 2014 — a set comprised of seven tracks plus three dub versions - immediately topping the Billboard (US) and iTunes reggae charts in both UK and Japan. Neither an album nor an EP, the Project includes the widely received ‘Capture Land’ and a short film based on one of its tracks, 'Rastaman Wheel Out' (directed by Ras Kassa), to critical acclaim.
Hit single 'Here Comes Trouble' captured late night American TV presenter Jimmy Fallon’s attention while on vacation in Jamaica. The chance encounter lead to a personal request for the young musician to perform live on Fallon’s TV show in July 2014. A concert held in Central Park the following week was a roadblock affair from the outset, thousands of attendees turned out including Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger celebrating his 71st birthday.
Also performing at Dreamfest 2020 were artists Reema, Pressure Busspipe, Dub Lab and 3GS Band.
