DAY ONE- JAZZ IN THE GARDENS 2024
Jaheim came on stage and delivered vocally despite appearing to have technical sound difficulties. The R&B crooner belted out his hits “Put That woman First, Anything and Finding My Way Back.” It was clear that he had all of the women’s attention and support, while we sang along and waved our hands to his sensual voice and timeless lyrics.
Fantasia hit the stage in true Diva fashion adorned in a black bodysuit with peek-a-boo black leather pants. Fantasia is a big talent in her own right and knows how to work a stage like nobody’s business. She sang her heart out to “Truth Is, Lose to Win and Free Yourself.” The crowd went wild when she took her shoes off! Everyone knows that it’s about to go down when the shoes come off. She did not disappoint!! I loved her performance.
Kirk Franklin brought the energy and praise to JITG stage. The festival patrons were on their feet during his entire performance. We sang along with him to “Stomp, Smile and Silver & Gold.” Kirk announced that this was his first time at this festival, and I’m betting it won’t be his last. This was one of my favorite performances of the two day festival.
Davido traveled all the way from Nigeria to bring us his biggest hits. He sang “Fall, Unavailable, & Sensational.” We were grateful for his journey and his musical talents. Davido is on the rise in the afro beats genre and I’m here for it.
Jazmine Sullivan once again proved that she belongs in this musical era. Her voice is both soulful and melodic. It was a treat to hear her sing her hits “Bust Your Windows, Pick Up Your Feelings and On It (featuring Ari Lennox).” This grammy award winning artist can hold her own when it comes to this music thang.
DJ Kid Capri did not come to play when he touched the turntables! His mixing skills are unmatched and he had the crowd motivated to have a good time. He mentioned that he has new album dropping soon and he became emotional talking about it. I know that it will be a banger!
Pheelz is a Nigerian born record producer who has taken the bull by the horns in this afro beats arena. He is energetic and engaging in his stage presence. Pheelz performed his hits “Finesse and JELO.” Be on the lookout for more jams from this young man. No one hit wonders over there!
Summer Walker was the epitome of R&B princess. She is beautiful, talented and grammy nominated, a triple threat! Summer looked breathtaking in a white sequined dress. It was no surprise that her performance would mesmerize the crowd and captivate her audience. She sang “Girls Need Love, No Love & Body.”
DAY TWO- JAZZ IN THE GARDENS 2024
Babyface has earned countless accolades for his singing, songwriting and producing, during the course of his career. From my perspective, he is definitely deemed as “legendary.” I must say that it was truly a pleasure to witness his performance at JITG on Sunday. He sang some of his greatest hits that included “ Whip Appeal, When Will I See You Again, Every time I Close My Eyes”, and some that he has written for other artists such as Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton to name a few. Babyface’s extensive catalogue is staggering and bursting with chart-topping, award winning musical eargasms. He mentioned that he would be turning 65 years old this year, but I don’t see any signs of him slowing down anytime soon.
October London gave a passionate performance as he sang “Distant Lover, Mulholland Drive and Back to Your Place.” This young man exudes sex appeal and is definitely in his grown man phase with this album. It’s no doubt in my mind that he is destined to be one of the great ones. October paid homage to Jazzy Pha and Snoop Dog for giving him his big break and signing him with Death Row Records.
Tamia graced the stage looking radiant in a beautiful, flowy romper dress with makeup beat to the Gods. She is just as talented as she is beautiful. Tamia serenaded us with some of her most popular hits. She sang “Can’t Get Enough”, while the background singers and the crowd did the line dance created for this song. Tamia also performed “I’m So Into You and Stranger In My House.”
Scarface touched the stage in true “OG” fashion in blue jeans and a navy blue t-shirt. He spit bars to the likes of “Smile, On My Block, Mind Playing Tricks On Me and F*ck Faces.” Who knew that Scarface played the guitar? Now we all do! He paid homage to Bushwick Bill, who died in June 2019.
Marcia Ambrosius has the makings of a musical icon with her sultry and jazz-like vocals. She can hang with the best of the female R&B singers and hold her own. I was blown away by her ability to charm and seduce the crowd at the same time with her engaging performance. She sang “Butterflies” which she wrote for the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Also, she sang “Say Yes and Far Away.”
Jeezy the Snowman stole the show!!! He has hits on top of hits in his repertoire that had the crowd on its feet and reciting every word! We jammed to “Standing Ovation, Trap or Die, Dem Boyz and Go Crazy”, just to name a few. It was incredible the way he had everyone dancing and rapping along with him and his DJ. It’s no wonder why he is dubbed “the Snowman”, because he is certainly one of the coldest rappers in the game.
DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic Live was EPIC!! We were groovin’ to dope hits from some of the most incredible artists known to man. The suspense was killing me to see who DJ Cassidy was bringing on stage. Finally, Uncle Luke came on stage and performed Pop That P*ssy, I wanna Rock & It’s Your Birthday.” Up next was Too Short with “Big Booty Hoes, Blow the Whistle and Shake That Monkey.” Lil Kim made her way to the stage to perform “Crush on You, Lighters Up and Magic Stick.” Last but not least, T.I. performed “Whatever Like, What You Know and Live Your Life.” This segment was electric and energetic!
