A Journey to Kingston Press Launch. L-R: Don Yute, Spragga Benz, Commissioner Maxwell B. Chambers, Wayne Wonder, Everton Blender, Supa Twitch, Ky-Mani Marley
A Journey to Kingston Press Launch. L-R: Don Yute, Spragga Benz, Commissioner Maxwell B. Chambers, Wayne Wonder, Everton Blender, Supa Twitch, Ky-Mani Marley
MIRAMAR – Most people driving to or from the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica will pass McIntyre Villa, a gritty neighborhood also known as Dunkirk. It is where Spragga Benz is from. It is where he cut his teeth to become one of dancehall music’s top deejays.
Dunkirk is some distance from the Miramar Cultural Center in South Florida where ‘Step Into A Journey to Kingston’, a show celebrating Spragga Benz’ career, takes place on May 30, his 57th birthday.
He is the star attraction, with Wayne Wonder and Agent Sasco, who were also raised in Dunkirk, scheduled to perform. The event will be hosted by Miramar City Commissioner, Maxwell B. Chambers.
Allison Hunt, organizer of ‘Step Into A Journey to Kingston’, told South Florida Caribbean News that fans will get the full Spragga Benz package.
“At its heart is a milestone celebration of Spragga Benz — his birthday, his career, and the brotherhood he has built over more than three decades. The artists joining him are not just performers on a bill; they are colleagues, friends, and brothers who are showing up to celebrate his journey alongside him,” she said. “That spirit of genuine community is what gives this event its soul.”
Known for dancehall anthems like A1 Lover, Wi Nuh Like and Jack it Up, Spragga Benz has collaborated with rappers such as Foxy Brown, Wyclef Jean of The Fugees and singer Kevin Lyttle from St. Vincent and The Grenadines.
His appearance on the remix to Turn me On, Lyttle’s 2003 single, helped it enter Top 10 charts in 16 countries including the United States and United Kingdom.
While he was signed to a major label (Capitol Records) and acted in films like Shottas, Spragga Benz points to the 1990s as a career high point.
Spragga Benz
“The unity we (artists) had… the informal creative collaborations in songwriting and mentorship in stage craft within the industry at the time. Artists supporting fellow artists both in studio and on live shows boosted the growth and global strength of dancehall music,” he said.
The veteran toaster has also experienced grief. In August, 2008, his 17 year-old son, Carlton Grant Jr., was killed in Kingston by police.
Performing Live
Kevin Lyttle, Stephen, Damian, Ky-Mani and Yohan Marley; Everton Blender, Bugle, Pressure, Don Yute and The Red Square Crew will also perform at ‘Step Into A Journey to Kingston’. They will be backed by the Florida Memorial University Orchestra.
Howard Campbell is a Jamaican journalist who has covered major events in that country, the Caribbean and South Florida for over 30 years. He has written for the Jamaica Observer, Gleaner Company and the Caribbean News Agency.
