Brooklyn New York experienced a night of pure Caribbean joy and rhythm as the Caribbean Elite Group (CEG), publishers of “Caribbean Elite Magazine”, proudly presented the first-ever Caribbean Music Awards in Brooklyn, hosted at King’s Theatre in Flatbush, by former Fugees frontman Mr. Wyclef Jean this just past August 31!
A lively and vibrant celebration of music, people, and culture from the West Indies.
“I’ve been to the Grammys, MTV Awards, all kinds of awards around the world. This is the only award show I feel so comfortable,” Wyclef told the audience, adding:
“Tonight is a very, very important night as we celebrate the Caribbean region. Tonight is history,” he went on saying. “They steal our culture and they change the name of it. They call it ‘pop.’ Tonight, we’re taking everything back to the Caribbean.”
This exciting appointment has been an unforgettable celebration of Caribbean culture, showcasing the very best and brightest talents in the music industry.
Incarcerated Dancehall King Vybz Kartel won Artist Of The Decade, one of the most sought after awards of the night, a title he won over contenders such as Machel Montano, Beenie Man, Chronixx, Mavado and Bounty Killer. Despite the long incarceration of more than 11 years, Vybz Kartel adds another great achievement to his career and he proudly shared videos of the awards on his IG stories.
Dancehall Queen Spice, who also won the title of Best Female Dancehall artist and was attending the ceremony, looking amazing in her blue glittered dress, thanked God for being alive after her hospital scare of few months ago, took home the prize for Kartel and was very happy about being the one making the announcement and even threw some Gaza signs in the air!
Popcaan won best dancehall video of the year for his duet with Toni-Ann Singh in Next To Me. While Popcaan was not there Toni-Ann shined the whole night and performed at her best.
The event featured also prominent guests like Kabaka Pyramid, Karlie Redd, Konshens, Majah Hype, Massive B, Morgan Heritage, MYA, Serani, Shaneil Muir, Spice, Tony Matterhorn, Tosha Alexander, Vershon.
If you could not attend the event you can still watch it now in full below, it was broadcasted live from Youtube and is it still available for replay. Watch some highlights of the night or the whole show and check the full list of winners and nominees scrolling down.
[Fast forward a bit for the show to begin around 30”]
With blazing live performances from some of top Caribbean artists, heartfelt tributes, The Caribbean Music Awards honored more than 20 incredible artists across a range of genres, including Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Kompa, and Zouk.
The night was brought alive with stage performances by Alison Hinds, Angela Hunte’, Baby Cham, Dexta Daps, Ding Dong, Jada Kingdom, Kranium, Nailah Blackman, Romain Virgo, Rupee, Skinny Fabulous, Teddyson John, Toni-Anne Singh, Wayne Wonder.
Featuring awards for categories such as “Album of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “Producer of the Year,” “Lifetime Achievement,” “Video of the Year,” “People’s Choice,” “Caribbean Music Event of the Year” and many more the event proved to be a night of glamour, excitement, and Caribbean pride to the fullest!
Award recipients were chosen by fans, who had opportunities to vote for their favorite songs, artists, and music videos online, months before the event.
Among the honorees Grammy winner Kabaka Pyramid, who was awarded the 2022 Impact Award and showcase appearances from R&B singer Mya, Majah Hype, DJs Jabba and Bobby Konders, and more performances throughout the night, kept creating great momentums at King’s Theatre with Dancehall artist Ding Dong and his dancers who joined him on stage hypnotizing the audience and Ding Dong bringing home “Dance Song of the Year” for his 2022 anthem, Bounce.
Beres Hammond, who was the Elite Icon Award Honoree, was celebrated by Jamaican top stars Dexta Daps, Kranium, Toni-Ann Singh, and Romain Virgo who performed a medley of Hammond’s hits, in honor of the Reggae lovers’ rock icon. Beres Hammond was also officially honored by the New York City Council for his contributions to the Caribbean community.
Caribbean Music Awards Schedule Honors and Special Guests
Receiving Lifetime Achievement Award: Machel Montano
Receiving Elite Icon Award: Beres Hammond
Social Media Personality Honoree: Crissy
Calypso Honors: David Rudder
Elite Entertainer of the Year: Majah Hype
Kompa Music Honoree: Mikaben
