The Millennium Stage is sponsored by Target and the Fannie Mae Foundation.
The Kennedy Center presents the 2007 Metro World Music Concert featuring: Wyclef Jean; Shaggy; The Ska-Talites; Plunky & Oneness
in conjunction with CARICOM & The Conference on the Caribbean
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
5:30 – 9:00 p.m. on the South Plaza Stage
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents an evening of free concerts by multi-platinum Grammy award-winning, hip-hop sensation Wyclef Jean; reggae recording super-star Shaggy; the legendary Jamaican ska group The Ska-Talites; and the Richmond-based jazz-funk band Plunky & Oneness on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 at 5:30 p.m. This special outdoor event precedes the annual D.C. Caribbean Carnival, and will take place on the Kennedy Center's South Plaza Stage.
With a long reggae resume, the hip-hop, tip top, rap tactician Wyclef Jean established himself as a multi-talented artistic trendsetter. Wyclef lead the Fugees to their 1996 chart-topping album successes with The Score; considered to be the most-influential rap album of all time.
Even after 10 years in the public eye, Grammy Award winner Shaggy continues to release mega-hit albums. Hotshot, his best-selling record topped the charts in the UK, Germany and Australia simultaneously, and the album was certified six-times platinum in the US. Shaggy has sold over 20 million albums, and he plans to release a new album later this year.
The New York Times states that The Ska-Talites are, "essential to the transformation of ska into reggae." The Ska-Talites bring together top musicians and styles of the time fusing boogie-woogie blues, R&B, jazz, mento, calypso, and African rhythms to create the first truly Jamaican music: ska.
One of the most-enduring funk, jazz, and Afro-fusion groups, Plunky & Oneness has been performing for more than 30 years. Led by saxophonist J. Plunky Branch, the group is a combination of exotic smooth grooves, sax, vocals, percussion, and electronics. They have produced and released 20 albums of original avant-garde jazz, funk, soul, fusion, gospel and African music.
The Kennedy Center South Plaza will open at 5:00 p.m. Capacity on the South Plaza is limited. Access is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Lawn chairs welcome. Rain or shine.
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