I-OCTANE MAKES FIRST TRIP TO AFRICA

Kingston, JAMAICA:- Reggae and dancehall ambassador, I-Octane, is eagerly anticipating

I-OCTANE

his first trip to the Motherland – Africa – where  he is all set to throw down a spectacular performance at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, Gambia on March 6.

He will be the special guest of T Smallz Suso, the entertainer who is being hailed as Gambia’s finest reggae, hip-hop cum Afro beat artiste. The event, which is   organised by Katato Entertainment, will serve as the official launch of T Smallz’s double EP, The Versatile (Volumes 1 & 2).  Confirming the news to I-Octane’s thousands of excited fans in The Gambia, T Smallz said: “Yes, the deal is finalized, I-Octane is definitely coming.”  He added that it was an honour for him to invite an artiste of international repute such as I-Octane to perform in that West African country and give a big boost to their developing music industry.

The Gambia has been dubbed the ‘Smiling Coast of Africa’ and it is no wonder that the dynamic reggae/dancehall entertainer is all smiles as he prepares musically, mentally and physically for this memorable mission, which has long been in the making. For I-Octane, this will be a mystic journey which will help him reach back and touch the past in a meaningful way and pay homage to the African ancestors, even as he fully embraces the present and the future. He also hinted at the possibility of a collaborative effort between him and an African artiste sometime in the very near future.

“Performing in Africa has been on my bucket list for quite a while,” the L.O.V.E. Y.O.U. singer confessed. “But, as they say, nothing happens before the right time. Team I-Octane is ready and we will be giving a one-of-a-kind performance in The Gambia. They celebrated 50 years of Independence last week – their Golden Jubilee –  so you know the ting turn all the way up Jamaican and Gambian style,” the award winning reggae artiste who reps for telecoms giant Digicel and Busta soft drink declared.

I-Octane and his entourage are expected to arrive in The Gambia on March 5.

Meanwhile, the singjay has been busy in the studio working on a major collaboration with two of dancehall’s biggest and most current stars - Mavado and Alkaline. Produced by Andre "DJ Frass" Gordon, who received much praise for his work on I-Octane’s brilliant sophomore album, My Journey, the explosive single is sure to set the dancehall in a musical spin. Entitled “Above Dem", the song had a whopping premiere on DJ Sunshine's show on Irie FM last Wednesday. And it was definitely loud.