Queen Ifrica to star at Rebel Salute show despite break-up

Rebel Salute founder Tony Rebel is not about to start letting personal feelings get in his way when it comes to the line-up for his now 30-year-old consciousness event, Rebel Salute.

And it is for that reason that when Rebel Salute unfolds at Grizzly's Plantation Cove in St Ann on January 19 and 20, Queen Ifrica will still be starring the show on night two. The reggae star has been intimately connected with the event - and with Tony Rebel himself - for more than two decades, and has been a staple, giving guaranteed great performances. However, since her surprise announcement of their break-up, some have been wondering about her presence at the 2024 staging.

"Queen is a wonderful artiste," Tony Rebel said of the mother of two of his children. "Her artistry is good and she deserves to be on Rebel Salute."

Confirming that they are no longer a couple, he conceded that this year there will be a difference, as there is a signed contractual agreement between them.

"Yes ... Queen is getting paid... and I also have to sign a contract with her. Now that we are not together any more, we do it as a professional business. It wasn't like that before. She is an artiste and deserves to be treated with respect," he added.

Rebel Salute 2024 had its glitzy media launch recently at the Gardens of The Jamaica Pegasus. In recognition of its 30th anniversary, Tony Rebel said that only 30 acts will perform over the two nights, a modest number when compared to previous stagings.

"Because it's our 30th anniversary, I want to go with 30 artistes. So we call it 30 for 30. The people always complain about having artiste [time] onstage too short, so now is the time that artistes will get to perform a longer set to satisfy the audience's need ... or greed. So we doing 15 artistes on Friday and 15 on Saturday," he said.

Third World, Anthony B, Marcia Griffiths, Sanchez, Mikey Spice, Glen Washington, Tony Rebel, Richie Stephens, Tapazuki and Benji Myaz are among the artistes who will take the stage on Friday, January 19.

The following night, Sean Paul will make his Rebel Salute debut alongside artistes such as Capleton, Etana, Peter Metro, Louie Culture, Luciano, Fantan Mojah, Yellowman, Josey Wales, and a dubplate showcase featuring Dynamq versus Sky Juice.