Wyclef Jean praises Sashi organiser for show’s ‘positivity’

In the aftermath of the Sashi festival, the live show's host, Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, praised the promoter, Horatio Hamilton, for not 'wallowing' in self-pity due to his unfortunate run-in with the law.

He lauded Hamilton for reviving the festival with a positive plan towards youth and community development.

"A lot of times we talk about the black man going to prison [but] we don't talk about the reform. The idea and story of how Sashi was created, [is one example of] how black men have turned their lives around," said Jean. "[This] growth means to me that [for] every youth within the rural/[inner-city] communities, this should be an example for you to understand that you should go the positive route; negativity's not the route," he told THE STAR.

Hamilton was convicted in the US for conspiracy to traffic in marijuana and was arrested in 2006. He was slapped with a 25-year prison term, with conditions. However, he was released in 2021, after doing 18 years.

In a statement prior to the four-day festival which was held in St Ann last weekend, Hamilton signalled intentions to make Sashi an event that directly targets local creatives, with an aim to expose their talent on a global level. There was an islandwide talent search of creatives such as designers, whose pieces were one of the main attractions for the Sashi Fashion Show which kick-started the festival.

"We want to channel our energy and resources into building a future where young people have opportunities to thrive in the creative industry. It's about redirecting paths and providing alternatives to a life that might lead them astray," the statement further detailed.

With one of the show's main highlights intentionally geared towards putting the young artistes in the spotlight, Jean said that even though international artistes Busta Rhymes and Keyshia Cole did not show, the 'real superstars' presented themselves.

"The true superstars are the locals. So as long as the locals are here, you see Skeng and all di different man dem, they are the stars. So at the end of the day I think that's really the idea," he stated, opining that Ne-Yo and Jadakiss did "exceptionally great".

However, for the Two Wrongs singer, who's known for his undeniable love for Jamaicans, the Sashi experience is more personal for him, as he was at the inaugural staging in 1999.

"If you noticed when I came out I played a historical dubplate [that's still] on iTunes music top 100 charts [Lauryn] Hill's track, Ex-Factor [from her 1998 album] Miseducation. So yeah man, this is very historical [because] when people play it back, they'll be like, 'Oh, this happened when [Sashi] just started'. And again, you know, my thing is always to link the entire Caribbean to remind us of how much we are together more so than apart," he stated. "I'm happy to be in Jamaica. I got mad love for Jamaica, coming from Haiti, we are the Africans." He shared that he loves going into the crowd, feeling the people, as well as hearing and sharing the culture with them.

"I'm from Haiti and I speak Creole and they call me 'Jahasian'," he laughed. "So, patois has always been important to me".

From 'rubbing shoulders' and dropping collaborations with several Jamaican musical heavyweights such as Mavado, Jean said he is "inspired" and set to release his reggae/dancehall "one-drop" album this year, among other projects.