One year after his USA visa and work permit were revoked, David Constantine Brooks, better known in the dancehall world as Mavado, will make his first appearance on US soil at the inaugural “Reggae Rhythm & Blues” concert, which takes place at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens on Labor Day Sunday, September 4, 2011.
Mavado made his entry in the music business with the critically acclaimed album Gangsta for Life, which includes hit singles “Fathers Prayer”, “Cassava Piece Radio”, “Sadness”, “Gully Side”, and “On The Go (Faster Than Bullet)”. In recent months he has been a staple on reggae charts globally, reeking havoc with “Star Boy,” “Stulla,” “Mad Over” and “Delilah” which is currently enjoying multiple spins on urban stations in the USA. He won the 2010 EME award for “Male Singjay of the Year” and is featured alongside some of rap’s biggest stars in the remix of ‘Welcome to My Hood’ by DJ Khaled.
“This performance by Mavado will be extra special, as it will showcase his musical dexterity and the many sides of David Brooks. Mavado is a rare talent and one of the best we have seen in recent years. He has many great songs and that’s the side we are hoping to showcase,” event organiser and CEO of Irie Jam Media, Bobby Clarke explained.
Joining Mavado on stage will be Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, singer Tarrus Riley and soca star Machel Montano. Babyface is of course the successful R&B, pop singer, songwriter, keyboardist, record producer, film producer and entrepreneur who has written and produced songs for some of the biggest names in contemporary music, including Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston and TLC. Braxton’s eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over seven million copies, and earned her a Grammy Award as the year’s best new artist in 1994. As a solo artiste, Babyface has recorded some of the genre’s biggest tracks, including “Tender Love,” “Whip Appeal,” “Give U My Heart,” “For the Cool I You,” “When Can I See You,” “Rock Bottom,” “This Is For The Lover In You,” “Every time I Close My Eye,” “Reason For Breathing,” “Grown & Sexy” and many others.
“Reggae Rhythm & Blues” represents the best of all genres. We have Mavado representing the best of dancehall, we have Babyface representing the best of R&B, Tarrus Riley representing the best of reggae and Machel Mantano representing the best of soca. This event is a dream come through for Caribbean music lovers in the tri-state area” Clarke said.
Clarke disclosed that producing an event of this caliber was something he dreamt of doing for a very long time.
“I have always wanted to produce an event of the kind. It is in my blood. Caribbean folks love and appreciate music that cuts across all genres. With over a millions Caribbean nationals living in the tri-state region, we have the numbers here to make an event of this kind a success. Any support we receive from the African American community will put us over the top” he said.