ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É

Dancehall megastar Aidonia, fresh from a sold-out show in UBS Arena in New York recently, delivered a compelling performance last Saturday to a packed Sabina Park in Kingston as he reminisced on 20 years of being a musical powerhouse.

Running on stage in full black with the number 20 at the back of his shirt, he pelted hits from his 'rude bwoy' catalogue such as Banga and Badman Salute. And there was no slowing down of the 4th Genna boss, as he had the ladies getting into a frenzy with tunes such as Tip Pon Yuh Toe. At one point, he paused for a moment on stage and was clearly filled with emotions.

"I'm thankful for the support of my fans, big up to all who came out and my loyal sponsors, special thanks to all my co-workers (artistes)," he said after the show. He promised his fans in the wider Caribbean that he and his team will come to their shores to continue this musical journey.

Several persons paid tribute to Aidonia. Kemar Highcon, who is a close associate, said that his colleague's achievement is a testament of his talent and craft that afford him such longevity in the industry. Stephanie Lyew, who is a PR account executive, said the 4th Genna boss was "an artiste for the people, for the ladies and for the dancehall culture".

"I'm proud of Aidonia and I have been watching his growth as a journalist and publicist for many years. I feel honoured to be among the crowd watching history unfold in front of my eyes," she said. Kerry Brown, a patron from Clarendon, said she was happy to witness Aidonia celebrate 20 years in music.

"Twenty years, wow, it takes hard work, guts and sticktoitiveness to reach this level in the dancehall genre, especially this Jamaican crowd who is so difficult to please," she said.

Earlier in the night, artistes such as Valiant, Jahshii, Kraft and RajahWild delivered high tempo performances. The ladies were also well represented with Vanessa Bling delivering hits such as Independent Ladies, One Man, Him Love Me, and the massive collaboration with Vybz Kartel, Badman Alone. Ding Dong and the Ravers dance crew lit up the stage with a high-octane performance, moving to dance tunes such as Zip It Up, Stir Fry, and Badman Forward. Veteran artiste Capleton burned a fire in Sabina Park and had the thousands in attendance jumping to his fiery performance.

Prior to the live performances, there was a musical offering by various DJs.