“Stone Bwoy’s on the stage, Sean Paul’s over there, Shaggy’s over there, Junior Gong’s over there–all that balanced with talents like Slightly Stoopid and Rebelution…. They’re getting it right year after year”, BLVK H3RO says of the Cali VIbes lineup. The Jamaican sensation played the Boomyard stage Sunday alongside GRAMMY award winner Kabaka Pyramid and Lutan Fyah. He shared his insights into the three-day festival before his set.
Cali Vibes 2024 came and went in the blink of an eye, the drone light show (thanks, Iration) and Wiz Khalifa’s tribute to Kobe Bryant and Mac Miller forever burned into memory. The weekend’s featured headliner, Gwen Stefani, didn’t hesitate to pull out all of the most extra stops for her Saturday night performance, including a gaggle of impeccably coordinated backup dancers, her full band–including original No Doubt trumpet player Stephen Bradley, spectacular stage production, and duets with both her husband, Blake Shelton, and fellow Cali Vibes artist, reggaeton impresario and “Temperature” singer Sean Paul.
Other notable performances included Little Stranger, The Pharcyde, Ice Cube, Rebelution, Ras-1, Inner Circle, Mad Caddies, Artikal Sound System, Tropidelic, and many more.
There are two reasons why Cali Vibes is a great festival. The first and most obvious reason is they bring in the best of current talent and charting artists in the Cali Reggae scene to the lineup. The second and less-obvious reason is that they also incorporate artists who built the Cali Reggae scene into what it currently is–artists who laid the foundation of the scene, whether they’re reggae or not. Ska, roots reggae, gangster rap, underground hip-hop, punk–all of these genres that came together to form what Cali Reggae is today are represented on these stages. The Boomyard, presented by legendary hip-hop label Delicious Vinyl, is a stage dedicated exclusively to roots reggae and Caribbean artists.
From Ice Cube to the Pharcyde to Lutan Fyah to Mad Caddies to, yes, the queen of ska herself, Gwen Stefani, Cali Vibes reaches each and every corner of the Cali Reggae movement.
Story By Allie Adams
Photos By John W. Rouse