Warrior King ‘honoured’ to headline Maroon Fest 2024

Reggae singer Warrior King will be a part of Maroon Fest's history as the major headliner for the event's first live concert, during the annual January celebrations in Accompong, St Elizabeth.

"I see a lot of great artistes on the show but it's an honourable feeling to be the headliner. It's for a worthy cause because dem a try [refurbish] the clinic there [and] anything fi do wid blackness and charitable causes which is worthy, I will always make myself available," said Warrior King, who is a native of St Elizabeth.

"You know we have to work together in the industry to make things good fi we and fi other people," the Virtuous Woman singer told THE STAR. He promised fans a "great performance", backed by his Rootz Warrior band.

This year the annual event will be held over two days, January 5 and 6. The concert, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., culminates day two, and Chief of the Accompong Maroons, Richard Currie, outlined that traditional festivities will pave the path for finale.

"[We will be] starting in the morning with the Young Warriors Camouflage Competition then we move on to the Kindah procession [which includes] drumming, dancing, the old town march paying tribute to the ancestors and laying of the wreath at the monument. We will have the civic ceremony at 3 p.m. where we will have some very topical and interesting guest speakers [and] presentation of the Captain Cudjoe Awards of Excellence. Then, it climaxes on the night with the live show which starts at 8 p.m.," he told THE STAR.

Addressing some of the myths surrounding Maroon festivities, Currie would only say that there are some aspects of the celebration that are customary and done only as traditions.

"A lot of it seems taboo and will remain taboo but there are certain aspects of it that only Maroons are allowed to participate in and I will leave it at that," Currie replied with a laugh.

Warrior King praised the selection of the artistes "because of the type of message all of us sing".

"We always deal wid Afrocentricity, upliftment, black power, community and consciousness. All these things are common among all the artistes on the show," said Warrior King.

He is set to release his new album titled, Iniversal Light, in February.

N.W.