Durrant Pate/ Contributor

Jamaica’s mega dancehall artistes, Shaggy and Sean Paul, will headline a strongly put together Jamaica hurricane benefit concert set for New York on December 10 at UBS Arena on with all proceeds benefitting hurricane relief efforts. 

Inner Circle, Ky-Mani Marley, KES the Band, and more Jamaican and Caribbean artists will also take the stage at the ‘Jamaica Strong’ event, which is being organised by the Jamaican government in collaboration with American cultural organisations such as Jammins Events, Irie Jam Radio, and Roadblock Radio. The event will raise money for Shaggy’s Make A Difference Foundation, Sean Paul’s preferred charity Food For The Poor, the Irie Jam Radio Foundation, and the Jamaican consulate’s relief efforts.

“This is more than a concert—it’s a movement,” declared George Crooks, one of the organisers, in a statement. “Every ticket purchased directly supports rebuilding lives, homes, and hope in Jamaica.”

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, November 14, via Ticketmaster.

Earlier this month, Shaggy spoke to Rolling Stone about the devastation the island suffered in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa and his efforts to bring aid into Jamaica immediately after the hurricane, including mobilising private planes stocked with food, water, and medical supplies. Sean Paul also matched donations for hurricane relief.

“One thing about Jamaicans, we’re resilient and we’re all gathering,” Shaggy said, noting “even going down yesterday, there were people from the neighbourhood that were clearing the roads for us and helping us to get in. They all helped us to organise in Black River. The community is also assisting us.”

Continuing, the acclaimed “Mr Boombastic” vocalist remarked, “People are homeless. There’s no running water, there’s no electricity, there’s no shelter. They were sleeping on the streets. We came in last night, we gave out water, we gave out food. There are actually bodies trapped in homes that people haven’t been able to clear.”

For his part, Sean Paul has been actively involved in aiding victims of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, personally donating US$50,000 (J$8 million) and partnering with the charity Food For The Poor Jamaica to deliver supplies and encourage further donations. He has also pledged to match all additional donations to the cause up to $50,000 to double the impact of relief efforts. 

He has made personal visits to affected areas, such as the Savanna La Mar Inclusive School in Westmoreland Parish, to help distribute food and essential supplies and through various social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) and interviews with news outlets like the BBC and CNN has been making urgent public appeals to the global community for support, highlighting the “overwhelming” scale of the damage caused by the Category 5 storm on Tuesday, October 28.