Hosted By Wyclef Jean Live From Flatbush, Brooklyn
Inspired by the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House, Kings Theatre on Flatbush Avenue was the appropriately illustrious setting for the first annual Caribbean Music Awards last Thursday night. Hosted by Wyclef Jean and produced by Caribbean Elite Group and streamed via Tempo Networks, this grand celebration of Caribbean creativity honoring icons and rising stars of reggae, dancehall, soca, and kompa was perfectly timed, coming just before Brooklyn’s Labor Day festivities and near the end of a year that’s been filled with endless celebrations of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary. Boomshots TV was on the scene from the star-studded red carpet throughout the amazing four-hour ceremony. “Family” said Elite Award Winner Beres Hammond, addressing the audience of 3,600 inside the ornate venue and many more tuning into the live stream. “I’m seeing something that’s so beautiful to us—Caribbean people coming together. You don’t see something like this… I’m out of words.” He then called Wyclef to join him onstage. The Haitian-American multi-platinum rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, and producer whose timeless work as a member of the Fugees and as a solo performer brought Caribbean sounds to the mainstream, bowed down at Hammond’s feet in worship. “Can’t manage you,” Beres said with a laugh as Clef stood up. “Thank you for the vision.” Video and Winners List After The Jump…
Caribbean Music Awards Vision
A statement on the Caribbean Music Awards website sets forth the vision of an event curated by Caribbean people for Caribbean people. “Because of the immense talent in the Caribbean diaspora, we thought it imperative to award and spotlight the incredible talent and achievements of the past, celebrate present day contributors, and provide incentives to keep providing exceptional content, staying true to the rich culture… With the launch of an event like this with epic production value on an international scale, the Caribbean voices will be given a stage to spark growth in the creative community. Not only will this be a one-of-a-kind experience, but it will be a catalyst for change. It is now time for the artistes, producers, DJs, everyone involved in the industry to try to advance their own. This event will be a large tribute to the culture, and it will also be a universal call for Caribbean people to rally, come out in their numbers to support and inspire greater development of the region on a whole.”
“This is a very unique award show, and it’s only gonna keep growing,” says Wyclef, who not only hosted the CMAs but worked behind the scenes to manifest the vision. “I was there for the first Source Awards, and I wanna tell y’all something… Everybody is always good to blame. They’ll always say what’s wrong. But we not here for what’s wrong. We here to make what’s wrong right.”
For Cham the award ceremony comes as the culmination of a very successful summer. “We did the 50 concerts with Busta,” says Cham. “Then we did Rock the Bells with Swizz. But this is our roots. This is the Caribbean Music Awards, and it’s ours. You have to be here. Nawmean?”
“As the Queen of Dancehall I always try to represent for the genre, represent for the culture,” says Spice, who appeared at this year’s BET Awards and was nominated for a Grammy last year. “Here at the Caribbean Music Awards, that’s exactly whsat I’m here to do. I could not have missed something like this that is representing us. I’ve been to a lot of awards shows oftentimes that don”t belong to us, but this is for us. So why wouldn’t I be here? I’m excited to see all of my friends, my brother my sister them. I can’t wait to see Twinkle—I tell her when I see here I’m gonna jump and hug her up. And I just saw Baby Cham who plays a big role in my career. And Machel Montano… I always tell people this, no matter which part of the Caribbean you come from, we are still part of the Caribbean.
Performers included Wayne Wonder, Alison Hinds, Jada Kingdom, Dexta Daps, Kranium, Nailah Blackman, Ding Dong, Rupee, Baby Cham, Toni-Ann Singh, Romain Virgo, Angela Hunte, Farmer Nappy, and Skinny Fabulous. The event also featured appearances from Doug E. Fresh, Skeng, Mya, Spice, Morgan Heritage, and Michael Rainey Jr., a Jamaican-American star of the TV show Power who recently obtained full Jamaican citizenship.
The Caribbean Elite Group already has the 2024 awards show in the works. They producers plan to select a new location each year including the Caribbean Islands. “This will help to showcase the unique culture of each island,” they said in a statement, “and give us the opportunity to work collaboratively with many Caribbean brands, creatives, and entertainers.” Here’s to all the future greatness to come.
Caribbean Music Awards 2023
Winners List
Elite icon award: Beres Hammond
Lifetime achievement award: Machel Montano
Elite Calypso Music Award: David Rudder
Humanitarian award: The Buju Banton Foundation
Artist of the decade: Vybz Kartel
Female artist of the year (dancehall): Spice
Male artist of the year (dancehall): Ding Dong
Male artist of the year (reggae): Beres Hammond
Female artist of the year (soca): Patrice Roberts
Male artist of the year (soca): Machel Montano
Album of the year (dancehall): Masicka, 438
Album of the year (reggae): Kabaka Pyramid, The Kalling
EP of the year (dancehall): Alkaline, The Ripple EFFX
Dance song of the year (all genres): Ding Dong, “BOUNCE”
Collaboration of the year (soca): GBM Nutron & DJ Spider, “Down Dey”
Collaboration of the year (dancehall/reggae): Skeng & Nicki Minaj, “Likkle Miss”
Video of the year (dancehall/reggae): Popcaan & Toni-Anne Singh, “Next to Me”
Video of the year (soca): Patrice Roberts, “Mind My Business”
Performer of the year (dancehall): Dexta Daps
Performer of the year (soca): Mr. Killa
Impact award (dancehall): Chronic Law
Impact award (reggae): Kabaka Pyramid
Impact award (soca): Viking Ding Dong
People’s choice award: Kes
Best new artist (dancehall): Valiant
Best new artist (reggae): Samora
Best new artist (soca): Tempa
Kompa band of the year: Klass
Follow Caribbean Music Awards on IG
Subscribe to Boomshots TV
Follow Boomshots on Twitter
Follow Boomshots on Tumblr
