Beenie Man says Summa Sizzle back again next year

Bennie Man’s birthday bash, Summa Sizzle, held Saturday night at the Woodleigh Sports Complex in Clarendon, did what it was supposed to do – it sizzled.

For more than seven hours, reggae, dancehall and pop music filled every nook of the venue, with great live performances coming from all the advertised acts. Among them were Ashanti, Louie Culture, Spragga Benz, Nigy Boy, Shaneil Muir, Sita Lyrical, Silver Cat, Skeng, Jahshii, Capleton, Tommy Lee Sparta, Harry Toddler, Beenie Man – who was also MC and back-up singer – and a slew of up-and-coming acts out of the parish. Ruff Kut was the official backing band.

Ashanti, who was the only non-Jamaican act, told her fans that she was really happy to be in the island, and her outfit shouted that. The first thing one noticed about her barely there short shorts and top were the bright Jamaican colours which matched the outfits of her two dancers.

“Yeah man, goodie have Jamaican inna har … one of her parents dem,” one female fan told another erroneously but confidently. With her DJ hyping up the crowd, urging patrons to “scream louder and clap” so Ashanti could take the stage, she finally arrived on stage at 4:43 a.m., and delivered The Way That I Love You and other hits. For nearly half an hour Ashanti danced and sang her way into hearts. At the end, Beenie Man called her back on stage to publicly thank her for supporting his birthday event.

Performing right before Ashanti, was Jahshii, and he did more than deejay his hits songs. He jumped off the stage and advised Beenie Man not to have a VIP section next year and proceded towards the fence which separated VIP from general and did part of his show there. Jahshii also was in a generous mood. He told the vendors to gather around because he was going to patronise them. They did and were rewarded.

Whether or not Beenie Man will take Jahshii’s advice is left to be seen, but he was adamant that the event will be held next year.

“Yeah man … it nah stop again. Big up mi wife Camille, the mayor, the police, the fans dem, all of di artiste dem, Ruff Kut band, [Entertainment] Minister [Olivia] Grange … everybody who mek this work. But Camille, yuh see she, a she mek it work,” he said.

“Mi happy that people turn out … it never promote in the way that it suppose to promote, but me feel good same way. Mi happy. All the artiste dem come out and perform how dem suppose to perform. Nobody cyaan seh di artiste dem neva work. Mi back at it again next year,” Beenie Man told THE STAR.

The artistes who closed the show had their performances cut owing to time constraints, but Capleton, who performed after Ashanti, had an energy that had fans jumping, waving and singing, at 6 a.m. Sunday, as if they had not spent several hours at the venue.

Harry Toddler told THE STAR that, although he arrived late, he was happy when show-closer Tommy Lee Sparta told him to come on stage “because we a go gang it”.

“I was coming from another event but it was important for me to be here. I really wanted to sing Dance the Angel right in his presence … and I did,” Toddler told THE STAR.

The song name checks Beenie Man.

Tommy Lee Sparta said “Summa Sizzle was crazy”.

“A Beenie Man a keep it so we haffi deh yah fi represent. Big up di whole a di elder dem … Vybz Kartel, Bounty Killer … all of dem. Ready fi next year.”