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Wyclef Jean will be presiding over the upcoming Caribbean Music Awards, which will be held in Brooklyn this month.
The organization behind the Caribbean Music Awards, Caribbean Elite Group, made the announcement of that Wyclef Jean would be the host of their awards gala last Thursday (July 27). The awards show will be held in the heart of New York City’s Caribbean community, at Kings Theatre in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In an appearance on NBC’s Today Show, The Carnival artist spoke about getting the opportunity to host the gala and cited the overwhelming success of the Verzuz battle between Bernie Man and Bounty Killa, which took place in Jamaica back in 2020. “[The success of that Verzuz] reminded us how much we love the Caribbean,” he explained. “For me what’s exciting is that Caribbean culture is shared, whether it’s fashion or music.”
A reference was made to a previous hosting gig by the rapper and singer at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden. There, he made his entrance on an elephant and hopes to match that amount of grandeur at this event. “I want the entrance to be grand and very carnival-like,” he said.
The event will see artists receive awards in 26 categories spanning several genres including reggae, soca, zouk and kompa in addition to “Album of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” “Producer of the Year,” and “Video of the Year.” Michel Montano, the lauded soca singer and producer from Trinidad and Tobago, is slated to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award honoring his career, which includes ranking in the top spot on Billboard’s reggae charts with his G.O.A.T. album.
The Caribbean Music Awards will be held Thursday, Aug. 31. For those unable to attend, it will be livestreamed on YouTube beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Tickets are available at the gala’s website.
