Brysco Excited About Return Of Sting On Boxing Day: “Some Artiste Inna Trouble”
After the uncertainty posed by the pandemic hampered the virtual staging of Sting 2020, the organizers have declared that this year’s staging is guaranteed to be held on Boxing Day, December 26, at its home Jamworld in Portmore, St Catherine, after seven years of absence, an announcement which has excited Code (Ensure) artist Brysco.
Broadcaster and emcee Richie B made the announcement at the end of Reggae Sumfest Concert Night Two.
Hours later, a video emerged of a gleeful Brysco and promoter Isiah Laing chatting backstage, with the Montego Bay-based artist jubilantly rejoicing that the show, which is predicated on clashes, would be back, and would separate the men from the boys, musically speaking.
“A di reincarnation. Because what is Dancehall widout Sting? A dat mi a tell yuh. What is Dancehall without Sting? Some artiste inna trouble enuh,” Brysco happily stated as he pointed into the camera.
“Some artiste inna trouble, becaw Sting come back an oonu haffi prove to di people dem seh oonu yuh bad. Tank yuh faada,” he said as he clasped hands with, and embraced the approving Laing, a big indication that he was likely booked.
In October 2020 Laing and his team had begun an advertising and promotion campaign for a virtual Sting 2020. The Sting organizers had even shared online commercials for the iconic Dancehall event.
At that time, the Sting promoters had also issued a release noting that the live online event would “feature international performers streaming from several countries for the STING audience” from as far away as Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil, Japan, London and New York.
Laing had announced from as far back as January 2020, that the event, dubbed the ‘Greatest One Night Show on Earth’, would make a return that December, possibly at its Jamworld home in Portmore after a five-year hiatus, under the theme ‘Sting Wurl’ A Klash’.
The promoter, who is a retired police officer, had said he had been pondering the resurrection of the show after he aborted it in 2015, due to, among other things, a lack of sponsorship.
He had also explained that he was staging it in response to the constant clamour from Dancehall fans, who have been arguing that Sting would inject life back into the music and separate the musical heavyweights from the weak upcoming artistes who have no stage presence and have been using social media as a clashing platform.
However, due to the surfacing of the COVID-19 pandemic, he later said he and his team began to recalibrate the plans in March, to instead stage a virtual edition of the show, which he said at the time, he had expected to be “the biggest ever”.
Laing had also predicted that the show would be highly entertaining and consist of phenomenal clashes, as has been the case in the past, as the lyrical match-ups between Dancehall artistes over the years, is the essence of the show.
He had also said he had already approached Buju Banton, Spice, Masicka, Dexta Daps, Shenseea, Jada Kingdom and Masicka, as well as members of the Montego Bay outfit the 6IX, while internationally he was looking to host Nigerian Afrobeats singer, Burna Boy.
Among some of the most talked-about musical showdowns at Sting is the Super Cat versus Ninjaman battle back in 1991, which did not get to be completed as fans rained bottles onstage during the performance.
Another clash was Vybz Kartel versus Mavado in 2008 and the infamous Vybz Kartel versus Ninjaman in 2003 in which Kartel and his entourage physically assaulted the Don Gorgon.
However, the most celebrated clash in the history of Sting was the legendary, but peaceful matchup between then arch-rivals Beenie Man and Bounty Killer in 1993. That clash sparked one of the greatest lyrical rivalries in Dancehall history, which spanned many years and which also and propelled both men into household names in Jamaica.