Share
From reggae legends like Sizzla and Buju Banton to innovative breakout stars like Lady Lava and dancehall upstarts such as Armanii, the third annual Caribbean Music Awards certainly weren’t lacking in star power and memorable performances.
The Aug. 28 ceremony, which unfolded at Brooklyn’s Kings Theater ahead of a BET telecast on Sept.12, celebrated the biggest artists and buzziest records across Caribbean music over the past year, with over 40 categories honouring genres like reggae, dancehall, soca, zess-steam, konpa, calypso, gospel and R&B.
Shenseea, who tied Masicka as this year’s most-nominated artist, was the night’s biggest winner, with five victories, including dancehall album, song and collaboration of the year.
King of Dancehall Vybz Kartel took home three awards, including male dancehall artist of the year and music event of the year for Freedom Street concert last December.
Lady Lava won the inaugural zess-steam artist of the year award, and Yung Bredda and Armanii took home this year’s impact awards for soca and dancehall, respectively.
Outside of the hardware, this year’s ceremony also featured a slew of performances from acts such as Elephant Man, Full Blown, Lady Lava, Lila Iké, Romain Virgo and more.
Although Spice and Kes were named performers of the year for dancehall and soca, respectively, neither act graced the stage.
For the “Voices of the Caribbean” segment, singer Romain Virgo graced the stage with solid renditions of “Soul Provider” and “Fade Away,” two cuts from his 2015 Lifted LP.
BILLBOARD
