Organisers of the Sashi Live treated music lovers to some stellar performances from international and local artistes as thousands flocked to Plantation Cove in St Ann.

Despite an hours-long delay, legendary American rapper Jadakiss, one of the international headliners, came and delivered a spectacular performance that kept patrons moving with hits such as ‘D-Block‘, ‘Knock Yourself Out‘, and ‘By Your Side‘.

‘Miss Independent‘ hitmaker, Ne-Yo, also delivered a stunning performance as he showed off his dance moves and vocal range.

While some fans were anticipating witnessing American singer Keyshia Cole and American rapper Busta Rhymes perform live in Jamaica, who announced late Saturday evening that they would no longer be performing at the event due to unforeseen circumstances, local acts such as Bounty Killer, Denyque, Valiant, and Tifa stepped in and delivered to patrons.

Younger artistes such as Skeng, Bayka, Najeeri, Kraff, and Rajah Wild kept the crowd pumped with dancehall hits.

Delano Seiveright, senior advisor and strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, who was also in attendance at last night’s event, said shows such as Sashi drive visitor arrivals to the island.

“Events like Sashi and Mocha Fest, [Reggae] Sumfest, Carnival in Jamaica, Dream Weekend—all these events are very important to bring visitors to the country. I have been here all night. I have come across visitors from Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Canada, the United States, the Cayman Islands and so on. That is what it is about, it’s to bring people into Jamaica, who would spend their money, enjoy themselves, enjoy their vacation for a week or two, come to some of these events, and partake,” he said.

He further noted that international headliners such as Ne-Yo and Jadakiss bring celebrity influence and drive Jamaica as an appealing destination.

“This week has been absolutely phenomenal because we are pretty much in the Memorial Weekend celebration, which is a major US holiday, and those folks, as you know, are vacationing. We had a robust weekend but before that, so we are pretty much four to five per cent ahead of where we were last year, which was a robust year too, so we are very happy about the impact and the turnout so far,” Seiveright shared.

He said the challenges experienced by Sashi during last night’s event will serve as valuable lessons for improvement going forward.