American artiste Chance the Rapper has high hopes to use Jamaica as the next location for his ‘Black Star Line Festival’.

The inaugural festival was held in January 2023, drawing a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators in the Ghanaian capital Accra. Inspired by Jamaica’s national hero Marcus Garvey, the event celebrates Garvey’s Black Star Line that helped link global shipping and tourism opportunities between America, the Caribbean and Africa.

A second staging of the event is due in January 2024.

During an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Monday’s (March 6) The Tonight Show television programme, Chance spoke about the success of the event, sharing that it was the largest concert in Ghana’s history.

“We’re actually thinking about hosting the next one in Kingston, Jamaica,” he explains.

The rapper added that: “We’re still working it out in our heads. And we love the city of Accra and Ghana and West Africa as a whole. We just want to continue to, like, create community in other spaces.”

Jamaica has seen an influx of international artistes who have either visited the island or orchestrated events.

Among those who have visited the island recently are American rapper Cardi B and her husband Offset as well as actress Tracee Ellis Ross. Nigerian singer Burna Boy also included the island in his ‘Love Damini’ tour that saw dancehall artist Popcaan and reggae singer Lila Ike taking the stage.

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