WRITTEN BY Miehleketo Maluleke
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Nyiko Baloyi (@Nyiko_EMagFirst on Twitter)
Most people are aware of the party energy surrounding the 16th of December. So in the plethora of things to do and places to go, EMagazine First was at KINGSTON ON 4TH in Melville for what turned out to be an epic and adventurous night.
Brought to you by RIDDIM YUT PRODUCTIONS was the launch of FAYA UMAN’s album titled MUSICAL CHAIRS. As her name suggests, dis UMAN ah blaze up dah place, she ah hot, she mad pun dih microphone, she ah ride deh riddim and make dih crowd move I tell yah. Even “haters” would have been impressed by the “fire” of this “ghetto uman”. She has a stage presence that can make a stiff waist “lose control” and a voice so hypnotic if you love reggae music all you could do was “follow your heart”. Not only can she sing, she can rap too.
On the decks we had DANCEHOLLIC-BIGGY and TANDARING DAWTA who kept the massive in motion dancehall style. The reaction of the crowd made it clear that the selectors were straight murdering it. Not forgetting our MC for the night my man SHEPHARD STULLA keeping things running smoothly as the proceedings proceeded.
Other acts blazing the stage included MOMODREAD performing tracks like “ubuhle bakho” which he says is for the sisters with locks, afro’s and weaves-in other words “fih al dem sistaz” seen. ALCAPONE JJ blessed us with “black and proud” which is self explanatory. We also had EMPRESS DIVINE rocking it with a mixture of reggae and hip-hop, JESSE DAN doing his thing as well. We had JAH LINK who blessed us by performing a track never performed before titled “even if I’m far away” which is a dedication to his daughter. You had to love the array of diversity and styles that was hosted in our own little KINGSTON.
No doubt MUSICAL CHAIRS is a beautiful album and I know because I have it. FAYA UMAN is on a level of her own. You can tell her lyrics are written from the “inhliziyo”. They inspire a “rebellion” that can bring about “liberation” in a confining situation. And her producer BEREKET TAFARI is just too nice on the beats.
In conclusion it turned out to be a very fun filled and memorable 16th of December. Definitely worth the sweat lost on the dance floor and more. The experience for everyone who was there was out of this world. Big up KINGSTON ON 4TH –RIDDIM YUT PRODUCTIONS-FAYA UMAN and all the people who made it what it was. GO OUT AND GET YOURSELF THAT ALBUM YA’LL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
