DJ Khaled, Sharon Burke To Stage ‘Khaled And Friends Concert’ In Jamaica
DJ Khaled revealed yesterday that he will be partnering with Solid Agency’s Sharon Burke, one of Jamaica’s most successful music executives, to stage a ‘Khaled and Friends Concert’ in Jamaica.
On Friday, Khaled posted two video clips of himself and Burke, one of them being chauffeur-driven through the city, and the other of them chilling at his home in Miami, where he stated that the event was not a new idea, but that he and Burke, had been contemplating it from as far back as 2020.
“I am with the legendary Sharon Burke from Jamaica. Everybody know I love Sharon Burke,” he said as Sharon playfully slaps him and reminds him that he loves her “sometimes”.
“She flew all the way from Jamaica to Miami because I told her I want to do something special, but then the pandemic came. Me and Sharon was talking about doing a show together. We still gonna do it. We’re still gonna do a special show. I don’t know when, but we wanna put it together, it’s gonna be Khaled and Friends in Jamaica and it’s gonna be legendary,” he said.
Burke, who formed Solid Agency, an artist management, bookings, and event management company in 1992, has been the mastermind behind the successful staging of some of the most significant dancehall events ever produced in Jamaica, the most recent of which was the legendary VERZUZ clash between Bounty Killer and Beenie Man in 2020.
Sharon was also the engine behind Buju Banton’s Long Walk to Freedom, Reggae Sunsplash 1995, Bounty Killer’s Saddle to the East, Fully Loaded, Re-Loaded, and Overloaded. She was also involved with the Shaggy & Friends Charity Concert in 2009 and Bounty Killer’s It’s a Party.
She has also been behind the development of the careers of some of the most iconic names in Jamaican music, including Shaggy, and has served as booking agent for shows and concert tours for the likes of Freddie McGregor, Admiral Bailey, Barrington Levy, Third World, Bounty Killer, Wayne Marshall, Kiprich, Voicemail, Aidonia, Etana, Tony Matterhorn, Wyclef Jean, I-Wayne, Nanko and Bass Odyssey.
DJ Khaled, on the other hand, has long stated that both dancehall and Jamaica have played a critical role in his music career, as he was enthusiastically supported by the Jamaican dancehall community in the early days of his career, while doing shows regularly in Kingston.
Khaled’s association with Reggae and Dancehall began in the 1990s, when he often visited Jamaica to play at events, particularly the Fully Loaded, Reloaded and Overloaded series of beach parties organised by Solid Agency.
In September last year, Khaled had explained in an episode of The Grammy’s Up Close & Personal, that in the early days of his career as a DJ, he would travel between Miami and Kingston to observe Jamaica’s soundclash culture, which later propelled him “to evolve from a teenage bedroom-turntablist to a popular Miami radio DJ”, who would play Rap and Dancehall mixes.
“I grew up listening to Dancehall, playing Dancehall music with Hip Hop. As a young kid, I used to be in Jamaica, I use to basically live in Miami and Jamaica. I sound clashed, I’ve deejayed in Kingston throughout the whole beginning of my career,” Khaled had said, noting that his popularity quickly grew courtesy of dubplates and specials from Jamaican Dancehall artistes with whom he was friends.
“I blew up, my name got big in Miami and the Caribbean because Khaled was known for playing Hip Hop and Reggae but also known for his special dub plates” he had explained.
Khaled had also said that the treatment and support he got from Jamaican artists was among the reasons he closed out his 12th studio album Khaled Khaled with the track Where You Come From which featured Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Capleton and Barrington Levy.
“All those artistes you saw on my album on that song, my friends that co-signed me in the beginning of my career. They used to give me dubplates and they put their hands around my shoulder saying we love this kid and I never forget where I come from,” he had said.
In another Instagram post today, Khaled revealed that he was in Jamaica and that he was nearly finished with his next album.
“I’m getting close to finishing the album up . so I can focused on the visuals and videos for my album . It’s always so important to me for spiritual vibes for me to be in Jamaica 🇯🇲 . My music I give to the world 🌍 is music that the world can resonate but always give your soul a satisfaction vibe!”
The producer was recently spotted in the studio with Skillibeng.