Wow Sumfest is upon us again. Described as the greatest Reggae show on earth, But will it live up to its name this year?
We all know about the controversy that is happening behind with some of the artists but the loyal patrons are wondering... Is it worth its money?

First lets look at a little history behind the artists problems. We know have heard the story that at carnival this year Bounty Killer and Beenie Man "cursed" on stage and because of this the main sponsors (C&W, Red Stripe etc etc) have decided that they will withdraw their sponsorship from any event that they are performing at. But did the "Killer" and Beenie Man really deserve this?

Anybody who was at the carnival knew that they in fact never even uttered a badword. Beenie Man sang one of his hits and when he arrived at the point in the song where he would've normally uttered a foul lyric, he pointed the mic to the crowd and the crowd sang the lyric for him. No gay bashing took place for both artists, but yet when it came to time for the media houses to publish reports we heard of the artists saying all manner of evil but yet most people don't even remember such a thing. It was even discussed last week Wednesday on Mutabaruka's Programme on Irie FM. This leads the public to wonder, could their be a greater conspiracy behind this? Could it be that somebody is pulling the strings to get rid of Jamaica's favourite Dj's?

At the same time we also have to look on the other side of the story. Beenie Man had the gall to say "No Beenie Man, No Sumfest." Could it be that these artists have gotten so comfortable in their stardom they believe that without them the show will simply bomb? Utter garbage in my opinion. How can two artists make a show that will last from 9-5? Last year I remember that the highlight of the show wasn't beenie man and bounty killer but it was in fact elephant man who came and simply took the show, other highlights of the show included Wayne Marshall and Vybz Kartel (Who haven't made the line-up this year... I wonder why?)

But to be completely honest, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer do have a special part in the Sumfest show. What will it be like to have sumfest without hearing Bounty Killer enter the stage with his "People Dead!!" entrance, or Beenie Man entertaining the crowd with his ability to pick the right song at just the right moment. Will the crowd walk away this year unable to sleep because of the happenings, or will they walk away feeling like they just wasted a lot of money? The line-up this year is excellent even without a few Dancehall Giants. It Includes Capleton and Sizzla and Elephant man who will most certainly give excellent performances but it does seem a little week without the regulars in the show. Also the International Nights look like they wont disappoint and the rockers night looks like one that any reggae lover will be happy to go to, especially if they like to hear what we have come from.

Whether it is worth the money or not, is up to you to decide.
I for one Plan to enjoy sumfest for all its worth and I hope that it will not bomb and disappoint its patrons.