Shaking off all the bad energy and disappointments stemming from last year’s cancelled event, Supreme Promotions director and Sting promoter, Tahheer ‘Fatman’ Laing. said that with new strategies and better organisation, the show is coming back to reclaim its place.
“We have a lot a things coming in the pipeline now, not gonna disclose everything yet but just know seh a lot of the faces you see in the past will be returning this year – big names,” he said, adding that the show will be staged on its usual date, December 26 at its usual venue, Jamworld in Portmore, St Catherine.
“Also, the theme for this year will be ‘Two Mega Shows, One Night.’ So, I’m structuring it differently where there will be two separate shows on one stage, one night. With the earlier session coming down to 2 a.m., you’ll have the reggae giants dem coming out, then wi switch it to dancehall,” Laing told THE STAR in an exclusive interview. He promised bigger acts, including an international R&B or Afrobeat megastar joining the line-up.
Sting was cancelled last year just hours ahead of the event, when the main production company that was hired to cover the sound and stage, Clearsound Production Services Group, withdrew its services over what was reported as “unresolved financial issues and hazardous conditions, as well as logistical challenges”. After returning to the drawing board, Laing said he’s ready to bring back Sting to its “glory days”.
“I realise what Sting is lacking and it’s not really any fault of the brand, but it’s just a change in times. Sting is a clash-oriented event, everybody came there looking forward to the clash, but it was always lyrical, and after that, everybody a friend. But now, it start get physical more than lyrical and nobody really sees what value it can add to their careers,” said Laing.
“But most a di artistes since COVID, is social media buss dem. Suh dat cause some a dem fi lack creativity in being a clash artiste where a man can just go on pon stage and just build lyrics on the spot. Due to this lack of creativity, dis sometimes results in di whole bad vibes and animosity on stage because a man start clash wid him egos and not wid lyrical punches.”
“Everybody who clash at Sting always have a good outcome, whether yuh win or lose, yuh buss. But nowadays, in addition to the lack of creativity, di man dem meter too short – dem fuse too easy fi fly or dem a run outta fuse too easily,” he added.
However, with prior plans to remove clashes from the show, gearing towards a “softer Sting”, Laing said he is open to allowing clashes this year.
“But the artistes dem affi know seh mi a guh out deh so not with boxing gloves, but with lyrics. Man dem fi guh write some songs, practise unu delivery and den unu come, and if unu waah tek on an artiste, unu tek him on,” he said. “Nuff people tell mi fi leave di clash alone and guh straight stage show, but based on weh di show a come from, I cannot completely just throw it away; if there’s room for it – sure, I’ll do it.”
“Yuh really need di clash inna dancehall for it to really be dancehall, suh if wi ago upkeep di ting, mek wi upkeep di ting di right way,” he added.
Laing has also abandoned his previous three-night festival idea for Sting 2024 and expressed confidence that the disappointment from last year won’t affect this year’s outcome.
“Sting neva fail to entertain the patrons over the years and Sting is a spontaneous show, so even when wi put out wi artiste line-up, it’s always more than what we advertise. With the theme of two mega shows and a one-night vibes, just know seh a di top a di top artiste dem wi a come wid,” he said. When asked if he really believes Sting can make a comeback, he quickly replied:
“Of course, Sting a Sting enuh, Sting cyaah dead. If Sting dead, di culture ago dead too.”
