It is a new dawn.
This is the sentiment of one of Barbados’ main contributors in the entertainment industry.
Justin “DJ Jus Jay” King made this announcement recently as he spoke about the success of major Crop Over Thursday event Lifted on the Beach.
“First of all, I definitely believe a new Crop Over has definitely been building and in the works over the pass five or so years”
The summer sizzler event attracted one of the biggest crowds for the 2024 Crop Over season and party promoter Jus Jay credited this attraction to a new wave on the Crop Over circuit.
“First of all, I definitely believe a new Crop Over has definitely been building and in the works over the pass five or so years. From the music to the new events on the circuit.
I think that everything in collaboration with each other made the turnover massive. From having an incredible year of music amongst all the Soca artiste, to a new vibe to Crop Over coming along between the sound and new events,” said Jus Jay.
DJ Gummer of the Legacy team interacts with the crowd at Lifted Beach.
Since the rebranding and birth of Lifted Beach three years ago, the Boatyard Beach has been the venue of choice, an intelligent choice, thanks to the abundance of space for partying and vending, sea breeze to cool down the summer heat and the picturesque view of the moonlight hitting the sea to accentuate the decorations of the event.
The setting was an accessory to the main attraction, which was the all-star selection of deejays, led by Jus Jay who was accompanied on stage by world renowned deejay Private Ryan.
Their segment included a collection of reggae and dancehall hits, along with a special tribute to Vybz Kartel.This portion of the show also included a special moment as Private Ryan paid credit to Jus Jay and his contributions to the development of Crop Over, especially on the production of what he stated is his favourite 2024 tune, “Bye x2”.
DJ Gunner and Niqo Vybz, also known as the Legacy Team, were in their usual fine form. Their tenure on stage was endless energy, as they played past and present Soca hits to the appreciation of the ecstatic audience.
Another domestic duo maintained the standard set by the Legacy Team, the Raw Gas pair of Sheldon Papp and Chasey the Entertainer continue to be the life of the party with their versatility and crowd engagement.
Other musical engineers who contributed to the event were Trinidadian pair DJ Charlotte and Aaron Fingal, as well as the Canadian-based DJ Champion Crown.
The entertainment line-up is testament to the caliber of the event and Jus Jay said he is proud of the production’s growth, especially within the last three years since they moved to Lifted Beach.
“Overall, I feel really good about the continued growth of Lifted.
As I said earlier, Lifted Beach is just three years old, and our third year as a beach party. We feel really good to be able to make an offering to he Crop Over festival, especially as a heavily tourist-prioritized festival, and be able to highlight one of Barbados’s most beautiful beaches as a part of the Crop Over festivities.
It’s a good feeling, it feels like we are contributing something to the festival that is of value.
We hope to continue to put on great events for our patrons and we hope that they continue to enjoy them as much as we enjoy putting them on,” said Jus Jay.
