Jayron "Rawkus" Remy of Rawkus Production, started the iHeart concert last year with the hope of bridging the gap between the old and new generation of music and to also give a face and voice to the struggling upcoming artistes of T&T. He has accomplished this goal and is successfully staging the second event at the Napa, on July 11. In a telephone interview with Remy he said a little frustration and a lot of love were the catalysts for the creation of the annual event."I was just so frustrated with the way in which up and coming artistes would be struggling and fighting for a space for their voice to be heard. For them it is literally like fighting for a space in a little whole in the wall for a chance to showcase their talent," said Remy.
The former deejay with Boom Champions 94.1FM said it took him five years to materialise his vision of promoting such an event, mainly because he was not familiar with its set up. However, it was not until the 28-year-old Diego Martin native joined forces with Rapso group 3Canal that he was exposed to the reality of stage production and how to execute an event.With the wherewithal now and the confidence to go forward, Remy used his own finances and staged the first iHeart production on November 30 2013. That production featured his mentors 3Canal, calypso, rock and funk band, Gazette, singers Tim Starr, spoken word performer Keegan Maharaj and singer/poet Muhammed Muwakil.This year he has chosen to feature calypsonian Selvon "Mistah Shak" Noel, who sang the hard-hitting social commentary Bois this Carnival; controversial T&T rapper Richard "Chromatics" Rajkumar; veteran calypsonian Willard "Relator" Harris and youth activist movement the 2 Cents Project.
According to Remy, the concept of mixing the genres is representative of the unified front singers and musicians of T&T must grow accustomed to if we are to take the art form to a greater level. He says the collaboration between the older and new generations of music is to signify harmony and respect among all who contribute to the local music industry."Having an act like Relator on this show is a huge deal for me, because I grew up listening to my father playing his music and he still does to this day. I always found he was so original and could not be duplicated."I remember listening to a song he sang in the 70s called Radio Station where he spoke about the only two radio stations existing at that time, mostly playing foreign music and amazingly that is still a relevant argument today," said Remy.
He added both Noel and Rajkumar will perform with Harris on a rendition of the hit which Noel scripted.Asked what were his plans for the future of iHeart, Remy said he is hoping the project will eventually gain international recognition for the concept upon which it is built. Which is to introduce to the local community and the world, the gems of music who are existing right here in T&T.The event begins at 8pm with a pre-show where patrons will get to meet some of the country's young and unknown talent. Patrons can buy T-shirts and other merchandise in the mini marketplace to support the artistes.Remy said he must give thanks to the people and organisations that have chipped in to help make the concert a reality for the second time. They include Babash Media, Paradigm Entertainment, Blue Waters, Chee Mooke Bakery and NLCB.�2 For ticketing and other event information, call 312-3042 or visit Remy's Facebook page@ Dj Rawkus Remy.