By Davina Henry—

Although there appeared to be controversy surrounding the closing performance for this year’s staging of Reggae Sumfest, promoter Johnny Gourzong has confirmed that I-Octane will close Dancehall Night.

Gourzong made the revelation at the launch of the event held at the Countryside Club in Kingston.

“I-Octane is closing Dancehall Night! No ifs, buts or maybes!” said Gourzong.

Speaking to those in attendance, Gourzong boasted of the exposure the festival gives to not just artists but also to Brand Jamaica. A sentiment echoed by Digicel’s sponsorship manager, Tahnida Nunez.

“Sumfest is the greatest reggae show on Earth and it keeps reggae music alive in Jamaica. It is important to the Jamaican people, and because of that it has to matter to Digicel. It is a great platform for the artists. Just like the Sumfest main stage, the Digicel stage gives the amateur, up-and-coming artists a ‘buss’. We love that so we also support Sumfest,” she told The Gleaner.

lineup

Gourzong also announced this year’s line-up.

Dancehall Night features the likes of Bounty Killer, Busy Signal, I-Octane, Mr Vegas, Aidonia, Ninja Man, and Alkaline.

International Night One will feature Wiz Khalifa, Jason DeRulo, Beenie Man, Shuga, and Nature, while International Night Two will feature the likes of Future, Sean Paul, Tessanne Chin, and Freddie McGregor.

He also told The Gleaner they would be paying tribute to an artist and two sound systems this year.

“We are trying to put on a great show, which we have done every year. It’s a musical experience. This year, we will be honoring Freddie McGregor for his 50 years of contribution to the Jamaican music industry. We will also be paying homage to two great dancehall sound systems – Stone Love and Bass Odyssey – on Thursday Night.”

He added that there were other new and exciting features of the festival.

“We are trying to refresh the festival so we will be introducing producer The Wizard with Kat Dahlia on the Saturday night, so that’s something very innovative, we have never done that before. We also have Wiz Khalifa, Jason DeRulo, and Future, three young artists who are very current,” Gourzong told The Gleaner.

In addition to the formalities, there were other highlights at the launch, including clips of previous stagings of Reggae Sumfest.

The launch also featured performances from Chedda, Shuga, Nature, and Ryme Minista.