Back after a two-year absence, the Shaggy and Friends charity show, held to raise funds for the Bustamante Hospital for Children, lived up to the hype yet again on Saturday night on the lawns of Jamaica House with a plethora of high energy performances from international stars and local legends.
One of the highlights of the night was provided by iconic dancehall star, Terror Fabulous, who’s largely been out of the spotlight since the start of the millennium due to illness and personal issues. Donning only a a jeans and Shaggy and Friends promotional t-shirt, the crowd seemed indifferent at first until Terror dropped his smash hit, Jah Works which got them rocking as well as Gangster’s Anthem. He later called on long-time collaborator, Nadine Sutherland for their classic duets, Anything For You and Action, which got one of the largest pops of the night.
Other notable performances from local stars included Beenie Man and Popcaan, who both delivered a slew of their hits and relatively smooth sets while Billboard star, OMI, who was performing on a major Jamaican stage for the first time, was solid singing his platinum hit, Cheerleader as well as Hula Hoop. Bugle, Ding Dong and the man himself, Shaggy also delivered top-level performances, with the latter bringing on his long-time collaborator, Rayvon for part of it, while Ity and Fancy Cat got a welcome surprise when Jamaica’s prime minister, Portia Simpson-Miller walked on stage during their set to a warm reception.
Among the internation stars, former Murder Inc first lady, Ashanti was particularly entertaining, performing What’s Luv, Mesmerise, Rock Wit U and more, while also sharing a moment on stage with Beenie Man as she showed off her wining skills, to the approval of the audience.
Florida-born Jamaican singer, Sean Kingston was also impressive as his hits, Beautiful Girl and 911 had the crowd in a frenzy as he ingratiated himself with his second home. R&B legends, En Vogue showed they were still on the top of their game with their hit, Don’t Waste Your Time.
Virgin Islands-born duo, R City also performed in front an audience that included Olympic gold medalist, Asafa Powell and Karreuche Tran.
To date, the previous five editions of Shaggy and Friends raised over $US 1.6 million dollars for the Bustamante Hospital for Children
