DJ Outkast at work in the People’s Republic of China. Photo contributed
St. Maarten News – DJ Outkast returned to St. Maarten earlier this month following his performances at the Caribbean Music Festival in the Chinese capital of Beijing. The DJ was included in a diverse group of musicians selected from the Caribbean to represent their country at the Latin America and Caribbean Music Festival. Other nations represented included Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
The free festival staged at the Rose Bud, 798 Art Zone in the Chinese capital was organized to promote cultural cooperation and create opportunities for enhanced exchanges between China and the Caribbean.
Performers included Jamaica’s award-winning reggae singer Everton Blender, Grenadian soca performer Mr. Killa, Trinidadian soca diva Lil Bitts, Barbadian Billboard-charting artist Rupee and 11 other bands from 15 Caribbean and Latin countries, offering fans multiple reggae, soca, rock and folk music performances.
The festival took place from April 30 until May 3. There were also performances at various venues throughout Beijing including the Beihang University and Modernsky Lab. According to Caribbean Entertainment (CE), the artist booking agency that provided the festival’s featured performers, “the music festival provided not only opportunities for cultural exchange but a stage for our artists to showcase their amazing talent to a virtually untapped market.” Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador to China Chandradath Singh said, “China has a big appetite for foreign acts in a big way.”
DJ Outkast speechless after performance in Beijing
