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VP Records 25th Anniversary Party

At reggae fest, they jammed, crammed

May 11, 2004

The term "Jamaican time" usually connotes a leisurely pace and a disregard for deadlines. Saturday's reggae extravaganza, however, ran on an American clock. With more than a dozen artists packed into just under three hours, introductions were kept short, songs sped by in a blur and some performers appeared on stage for barely a New York minute.

The occasion was the 25th anniversary of VP Records, the reggae label founded in (where else?) Jamaica, Queens, by the mom-and-pop team of Vincent and Patricia Chin. Recently, the label has been at the forefront of hip- hop's new fascination with Caribbean music. Wayne Wonder's "No Letting Go" and Sean Paul's "Get Busy" sparked a mini- craze for the complicated rhythm known as diwali; Paul later sang with Beyonc? on "Baby Boy"; and Lady Saw made an appearance on No Doubt's Grammy-winning song, "Underneath It All."

The celebration had the potential to become an all-night house party. Instead, it felt like a school talent show, with performers hurrying through songs and technicians constantly struggling to correct sound problems. The highbrow ambience of Radio City Music Hall added prestige to the proceedings, but also seemed to dampen the energy.

Morgan Heritage, five offspring of reggae great Denroy Morgan, warmed up the room with sunny, colorful songs, most of them riding an old-fashioned, one-drop rhythm. Newcomer Sasha eased the vibe toward modern dancehall, singing "Dat Sexy Body" in a hot-pink gown that required maintenance to stay on. The raunchy Lady Saw turned in a short, intensely sexual set, gesturing in a way that would make even the most vulgar rapper skip a beat. She sang intently into her mike, threatening women that she'd steal their men, and warning men that she'd "drive them like Jeep."

The first to get the crowd on its feet was Beenie Man, whose five minutes of jittery, crazed dancehall included his latest hit, "Dude." Rik Rok and Shaggy cleared the crowd's palates with two pop numbers, "It Wasn't Me" and "Her Eyes," then gave the stage to Elephant Man. Sporting a bright orange clown wig, Elephant Man bounced around the stage, into the crowd and onto a 7-foot stack of amplifiers, never staying with one song for more than about 45 seconds. Except, that is, for a comedic version of "We Are the World," which he sang almost in its entirety, twisting his face and falling to his knees with mock passion.

T.O.K., a sort of dancehall boy band with four members, put on an energetic show as well, but it lost steam when Wayne Wonder joined in on a low-key version of "No Letting Go."

The last to appear was Beres Hammond, whose songs found the common ground between reggae and Marvin Gaye-style soul. It was a strong, pure- hearted performance, but it ended abruptly. At precisely 10:30 p.m., a black-suited fellow walked up to Hammond in mid-song, whispered in his ear, and led him unceremoniously offstage before the curtain fell.

VP RECORDS 25TH ANNIVERSARY. With Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Beres Hammond, Wayne Wonder and others. Seen Saturday at Radio City Music Hall.