Building Stages for Legends, and a Legacy of Her Own | Ft. CJ Milan - Let's Talk Di Tings

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This week we are talking to Things with founder and
CEO of Reggaefest, CJ Milan. CJ is not just the CEO,
founder and producer. She is a cultural force, a leader,
and the visionary who made history by producing Vibes Cartel's

(00:24):
first US concert in over two decades. The result two
shows both sold out, and she's just getting started as
a woman operating in a male dominated industry. She's redefining
what it truly means to lead, not just logistically but historically.

(00:50):
CJ's work signals to the world that dancehall and reggae
are not fringe genres to be celebrated once a year,
are institutions of global influence, deserving of scale investment and
most importantly respect. This episode is not just about production

(01:12):
or the hype, as we like to say in the Caribbean,
It's about purpose. As a woman in a male dominated industry.
CJ's work is a powerful reminder of what it looks
like to lead with excellence and intention. This conversation is thoughtful, honest,

(01:33):
and at its core, it's really about legacy. CJ isn't
just producing concerts. She's proving that reggae and dancehall music
are profitable, global and deeply relevant, not just culturally but commercially.
This is a story of conviction, timing, and vision. CJ

(01:58):
is not just shift dancehall and reggae culture. She's playing
an integral role in preserving it. If you're listening to
the podcast on Apple Podcast, please remember to rate and
leave a comment below. Also, don't forget to follow us

(02:19):
on Instagram at Let's Talk the Things. Now, grab your tea, coffee,
or a glass of wine and Let's Talk the Things.
Hello everyone, Welcome back to Let's Talk the Things, where
we discuss personal growth, travel, music, beauty and wellness while

(02:41):
encouraging you to live fearlessly and fabulously. I'm your host,
Ash and if this is your first time tuning in,
this podcast focuses on engaging in conversations that pull us
inward so we can show up stronger, clearer, and more
aligned in the world. So this week we are Talking

(03:04):
the Things with a woman who's impact on the cultural
and economic future of reggae and Danstall is one that
I believe will be in the history books. I am
incredibly humble that she chose me and this podcast to
be her first interview since her historic achievement of producing

(03:25):
Vibes Cartel's two sold out shows last month. CEO producer
and the founder of Reggae Best CJ Milan, Hi, CJ.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
How are you amazing? Thank you for having me. Of course, thank.

Speaker 1 (03:39):
You so much for being here. For those of you
that are first time listeners, and also for YOUCJ. We
begin each episode with our listener's favorite segment, and it's
called datna sound safe. I'm gonna read messages or social

(04:02):
media posts that listeners sent in, and if you think
it sounds crazy or a little bit concerning, like you
don't really agree with it, you just say that sounds
safe and explain why. And if you agree, you can
just say you agree or that sounds safe and explain Okay,
sounds good?

Speaker 2 (04:17):
Okay, okay, all right.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
So the first person said, allow people to be who
they truly are and let them show up in the
way they naturally do. Then decide if that is enough
for you.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yes, that sounds safe.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, I think that sounds safe. I think that a
lot of times we can want people to be a
certain way, or want people to show up for us
in a certain way, and then become disappointed when they
don't write real so exactly. So like the ideas, if
we just let people be who they are, then we
can decide, we can have that autonomy to say, you

(04:56):
know what, no hard feelings, but I don't want to
participate this whatever.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yes, yes, be real all the time, all the time, always.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
Yeah, definitely, definitely. Okay, So we say that one sounds yes, good,
all right, So the next one, the person said, unless
he wears diapers, you cannot change him.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
Oh, I think that's a fifty to fifty. It depends
on what you're talking about. That's a fifty. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
So if I had to guess, yeah, I agree. If
I had to guess, I think the person is trying
to say, like, you can't change a man, you can't
change anybody. But you know, because they said him, I'm
assuming that's what.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
It sounds like. She she's going through something. Because I'm
here thinking like business, I'm like, okay, but if there's
a business and i'm taking my mind is going everywhere
right now, you know what I mean?

Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah? But no, why don't you say, well, what are
you thinking? Business wise?

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Well? Well, for instance, sometimes business wise where like since
for my staff, I'm trying to explain something to them
that they need to change. That works for us. It
might work for somebody else, but it doesn't work for me. Like,
for instance, I don't want my DJs talking too much
on a mic, and other people just let them do
what they want. So or if somebody wants to do

(06:21):
my event, I have certain rules that I don't allow,
certain things. I'm kind of a picky promoter, so I'm
more involved and so certain things like you can't even
say nothing on no swearing on the mics, you know,
and some DJs do that, you know that watch out
what you play on you know, your records. Certain things
don't work. And sometimes when I'm I'm kind of a

(06:42):
more hands on type of promoter. So sometimes in the
Reggae Fest dance party, because remember Reggae Fest is the
dance party and it's also concerts and everything else. So
I sometimes have to change DJs that come on board
who work with me. I do change them because I
have a certain vision that they might not see or something.
So yeah, I could change them. But if you in

(07:03):
a relationship and so much cheating on you, girl, I
don't know what to tell you.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
You're not changing. I mean, I'm yes, I agree, and
I love that you put the business aspect on it
because I will stay. Just to go back to your scenario,
that's actually really important because at the end of the day,
you're a brand, right, So if somebody goes to a
concert and maybe they're with their children, maybe they're with
their grandmother or their parents, and they hear maybe you know,

(07:32):
like you said, cursing or just other stuff that you
don't allow.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
They're not going to really blame the DJ.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
They're gonna say, why would CJ put on something like this?
And it's a family show, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (07:42):
So exactly, the only thing I need to worry about
is what type of dance Spikes is doing. That's so
I mean with but my spice, it's just a wild card.
But that's my dance. I mean, it is what it is.
I mean, I'm the one who brought the chairs. I brought,

(08:05):
so I kind of knew what was I knew what
was going to happen, So that one I just said,
it's a past gosh.

Speaker 1 (08:12):
Well, I will you know what I may say because
I did tell you I was at the first show,
and I will say I said it right after she
performed One of the things that I love about Spice
is You're going to get a show regardless, Like for.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
Me, yes you are.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
She's like the Beyonce of reggae and dance hall, Like
she's going to entertain you and put on a show.
She's an amazing performer and I feel like she really
doesn't get enough credit for that.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
So yeah, she's already hitting me up, Hey, I need
to talk to you about the Atlanta show, and I'm like,
she goes, we gotta do something to DJ. We have to.
We have to. Like I'm like, oh my god, I'm like,
what else can we do? You pulled out a couch
last time, you pulled out two chairs, gave them what.
We are not bringing a bed out because I think

(08:58):
that's what she is going and I'm not having that
im her tomorrow, So we are not doing that. If no, no,
that's not safe with Spice. No oh no, I definitely.
I definitely gotta have you. I gotta tell her about
you so you can actually do it. She has to
get on here too, because is so funny. She's the

(09:19):
funniest person in the world.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
I love that she has two sides Grace and I
love both of the sides, but I would love to
have her.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
Oh yeah, yeah, she's she's amazing, you know, she she's
like she's you know, I like about her. Today after
we did the two shows, so on Sunday, she hits
me up like, CJ, I just have to give you
your flowers as a woman where you produce these those
two shows this weekend, which is incredible. She was like,

(09:47):
amazing and that a woman is doing it. She's just
it makes me so happy. She was like that a
woman is doing it.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
Yeah, And I believe that because that's what she exudes
just as a person. Obviously I don't know her personally,
but for what I've seen, she's always uplifting women and
always encouraging women to be their best seller. So that
does not surprise me.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, because it's different out here, especially
for a woman in the industry. About that, yeah yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah. Okay, but but I know, we got another question,
I got another way.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
I know, let's get back we love spice, but let's
get back to that. That's so safe, all right, So
the next question or question hearing me know, the next
person said, I've never been a fan of convincing you either,
see it or you don't. And if you don't see it, no,
you will see it when it's too late.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, it just depends that one's I'm had to go
fifty fifty on that one. I'm going to have to
go fifty to fifty because because I might want to
convince you a little bit and just you know what
I mean, that's that's just me because I'm in hospitality
and we got to sell. So yeah, so that that's
how I look at it. But but I don't No,
she might be having a man problem too, so she's

(11:03):
gonna later So I don't know.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yes, I don't know you from a personal and professional aspect,
because it's true it can apply differently.

Speaker 2 (11:11):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you don't. Yeah, you
don't know what they're girl. They could be talking about.
They're they're working out in the gym and you're not
seeing Dona lost the weight and she's like, I'm gonna
show you about summertime. These clowns are gonna be off
take some Olympic shots and she's gonna look good. I
don't know, so so I don't know.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
Too funny, that's hilarious. Okay, we'll leave that one at
fifty to fifty all right. The next person said, Oh
my god, these are so funny. The next person said,
training obliques is not for everyone. I've been training for
three months and now I'm shaped like an air podcase air.

(11:55):
It's that cat mine is true.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
I don't even know what you say. I don't know.
That don't sound sick, That don't sound you know it
don't sound sick.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
That sounds safe at Stop the obliques immediately, please.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
Because well, the obliques that heard make you. I think
it makes sure you're you winder. It does something to you.
I believe you know what.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
I've recently heard that too, And honestly, I can't say.
I used to think that it's cinged in your waist,
but no, I realized if you don't have that shape,
you just don't have the shape.

Speaker 2 (12:34):
When they're in when they shave like an eye podcast
right now, So I'm sorry. So obviously they're not the
person in the gym. They need to They need to
talk to a trainer and you need to.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
Yes, maybe they're just doing it correctly. Maybe that's why.

Speaker 2 (12:52):
Well, cardio, cardio, cardio, how do you do it? The
cardio on a treadmill? Yeah? Put it up there to
raise it up there till like three four, five, six,
seven eight, and that's going to trim your whole body fat,
lower body.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
So yeah, like the incline or the speed, Yes, the.

Speaker 2 (13:10):
Incline, you don't even have to go fast. It burns
calories once you go like try level one, two, three four,
do it, take it up every couple of weeks or something,
and it burns fat, lower body, stomach. Because you can't
spot train, your whole body loses fat. That's how you
get your shape.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
Oh well, look at that. I will glad to drop that. Done,
so you guys, CEJ is giving us something for free.
I did not know that.

Speaker 2 (13:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's good for burning, especially especially
for for our for our body types. And everything for
works for others don't work for us. But I do
know the incline on the treadmill does work. And even
if you want to take your time with it because
your knees, you don't have to go too fast or whatever,
you will burn that that fat right off. Yeah, Okay,

(13:54):
it's consistency. That's all, just consistency, so she won't look
like an iPod case.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
There we go, because that's all we want We don't
want you to look like an ipodcase.

Speaker 2 (14:03):
Not at all, not at all more.

Speaker 1 (14:08):
The next one, someone said, stop looking to be supported
by people who are incapable of understanding the weight of
your assignment. The load that you've been asked to carry,
may crush them.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
Facts.

Speaker 1 (14:23):
Yeah, that sounds empressive. Yes, yeah, you don't want to
tell people your hopes and dreams and they just give
you the But I don't know, you know, that sounds
kind of I don't know if that can work.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
Oh god, oh you trust me. I've gotten that. You
guys know I've gotten that.

Speaker 1 (14:41):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
People try to discourage me. Oh yeah, people discourage me
from over the years trying to do what I'm doing
now always sure. So what I do is I just
don't talk to people anymore. Is I just keep stuff
to myself and just don't say anything. Because people their
their failures, they try to make yours too, So you
have to be careful. A lot of times people don't

(15:03):
want to see you win either. It can be family members,
it can be friends, so you got to understand it
could be the people you're married to or what have you.
So at the end of the day, you just got
to like kind of gotta be real careful with that.
Sometimes it's good to keep things to yourself as someone
who you trust, because people sometimes and once you see them,
see you doing better than them. So and I'm telling

(15:23):
you guys this before experience from experience that that does happen.
So sometimes you you know, you got to be careful
who you tell things to because you don't want that
negative energy either.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
So absolutely you got.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
To be careful with that. Protect your peace, you know,
So you got to be careful with.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
That, absolutely, And also just going off of what you said,
sometimes people can see that you have a gift, and
when you have a gift, they realize that there's nothing
they can do to stop it. So what they figure
they can do is to discourage you from actually using
your gifts by telling you it's not possible, or just
putting negative thoughts in your head.

Speaker 2 (16:03):
So you're so, yes, a family a family member did
that to me. He always does that, and he actually
did that recently last year over a business something I
was working on. It. I was telling my other cousin, like, man,
every time, every time it's oh, what's up, you know,
what's going on with this? This is my blood and
I'm just like, every time we try to, like say something,

(16:25):
he just tears everybody down, and I you know, and
that's something that's with him, you know what I mean,
that's that's your issue. Yeah, yeah, but yes, I mean yeah,
and sometimes people kind of don't know if they do it.
I don't know, people are where did they do that?
I don't know. I've always been encouraging people to win,
and you got to be careful with that because even

(16:46):
you're a karma that comes back. We're responsible for everything
we put out there. So you got to really be
careful with that. Now not wanting to see people win,
you know, so you have to be very careful with that.
You gotta be real careful with that, you know what
I mean. But it's just it just depends. But you gotta,
you gotta, you gotta watch that karma. You gotta be

(17:07):
careful and every.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
Exactly, and I mean, at the end of the day,
God doesn't sleep, or whatever higher power you believe in
at all, you can't be mean to people or want
the worst for people and think you're going to progress
in life.

Speaker 2 (17:20):
It's going to be life. It's going to be a downfall.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
Absolutely, absolutely, that's put.

Speaker 2 (17:27):
That energy out what you receive, what your energy put
out what you receive.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
Definitely, one hundred percent agree with that one, all right.
And the last one the person said, I used to
believe wellness was green juice and five a M workouts.
Now I know it's boundaries, a calm nervous system, and
being in environments where I can be my full self.

Speaker 2 (17:52):
I agree, Yeah, same, I agree.

Speaker 1 (17:55):
I think that you can work out and do pilates
all you want, but if you're in you know, toxic environments, it.

Speaker 2 (18:01):
Defeats, you know, it really does, it really does.

Speaker 1 (18:05):
Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2 (18:06):
So that person was pretty cool and mellow. That person
just wanted to say something. The other people were.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
They were going through stuff.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
And then and then it's funny because at first I
was like, oh my god, I hope this is a
reggae plus people we started never Oh my gosh, what
do they want to say? Her dress coat? She won't
let us do this. We can't. I was like, oh man,
we can't get refunds if we don't show up. I can't. Yes,

(18:38):
I was like, oh my gosh, here it go.

Speaker 1 (18:40):
I was like, oh my god, no, no, nothing like that.
Just so it's so fun to you know, loosen you off. Yeah,
all right, now we're going to talk the real things. So,
as I mentioned earlier, CJ made history last month by

(19:00):
producing Vibes Cartel's first US concert in over twenty years
at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, and not only did
it sell out in hours, it was also highly anticipated
that a second show was added and that one sold
out as well. So, in the words of Spice, it's
not a small thing, it's a very big moment. So

(19:24):
to me, you know that vision, that's basically your vision
meeting execution, and clearly CJ, it seems like you are
just getting started. But before we talk about that then, now,
I would like us to go back to the beginning,
and I want to ask you, how would you describe
yourself as a child and was there a moment early

(19:46):
in your life where you recognized a spark in you
that would later become the visionary leader you are today?

Speaker 2 (19:54):
No, actually, not business. I was. I was My mom
only had me, and I was. I loved music. I
will say that. So the little toys I used to
get back in the days were like pianos, guitars, like drums,
things like that. Anything to do with music. I really

(20:17):
loved so and but I would draw, I would paint that, Yeah,
I could do that. And I just loved to entertain
like I wanted. I was just I love to, like,
you know, entertain myself because you know, when you're an
only child or whatever in the house, you you know
do that. And yeah, but had plenty of friends and

(20:39):
cousins and stuff like that. We have a big family.
So other than that, I know you, nothing could prepare
me for this because it just kind of happened. I
loved music. I love music, So this just like literally
just happened. I just really loved music. And then if

(21:00):
you want me to speed up to get to it,
if you want me to get to it a little bit, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

Speaker 1 (21:12):
So back to the music really quickly, right, So what
role would you say that reggae and downtown music played
in your life growing up? I know you loved it,
but was there something was it something that you heard
at family gatherings.

Speaker 2 (21:24):
I'm gonna tell you like this, to be honest with you,
I played what my mother listened my family. Actually, it
was a lot of the old stuff that I liked.
Oh r and B. That's what I love, to be
honest with you, even to this day, I remember my
uncle and all of them. They was playing stuff like,
you know, Michael Jackson and stuff like that, and yeah, yeah,

(21:49):
R and B and stuff like that Stephanie Mills is
what my mom was listening to. So, to be honest
with you, that's a lot what I was listening to,
and I still listen to it a lot to this day.
I love R and B, the old stuff, you know
what I mean. That's still good music. I really love that.
And for dance hall, yeah, that was more of like reggae,

(22:10):
like easy like you know, the easy reggae, not as
hardcore dance hall, you know what I mean. But it
was yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah because because because you Because
basically the R and B is just like I love
I love Oh my god, I love Earth Wind and
Fire and bands like that. I really love that. And
the thing about me, I just love a lot of music,

(22:33):
different type of music. I could listen to something from
pop to soul to R and B, maybe even some
soft rock. No country, I don't do that, but no,
just it's not my thing. But I love all music.
Because when you played in like marching band like I did.
I played drums and marching band and I played the saxophone.
So I yeah, I love music. I love music. Nice, yeah, I.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
Love Yeah, I love that. So you were you were
basically exposed to different genres of music. So, oh yes,
a lot in the music business. And like I told you,
I've grown up in it because of my dad, my
whole life. You know, it's really an exclusive circle, i'd
like to say, right, and it's very male dominated. So
as a Caribbean woman, have you ever felt like you

(23:21):
had to earn your place or you know, how did
you really infiltrate especially that reggae and dance hall space
because it's very heavily male dominated.

Speaker 2 (23:31):
Well, okay, so this is how we ended up because
this is this is a story. Okay, we're going to
travel back in time.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
So so being that I love all all the music,
I mean, you got to understand Shaba Rins is what
like Shaba we listened to Super Cat If you're going
like listen to that, because that's you know, like uh
Tya Stevens. So you're going for people that I really liked.
I love nineties dance all too, because I didn't finish

(24:01):
the nineties. It's what I really really loved the two
thousands and stuff, you know what I mean, Because dance
hall has elevated over the years, So you got I'm
listening to everything, But at the end of the day,
I was listening to a little bit of edm as well.
Right now we're talking about two thousand and eight, just
to let you know, I'm in two thousand and eight.
So I'm lisy. Yeah, I'm listening to everything. I'm listening

(24:22):
to everything. You got your Sean Paul's, you got all
your stuff, you know what I mean. But and this
is video music box in New York, I'm sure. And
if you're from New York, you know video music box
and everything you used to hear Shaba was tearing it up,
you know what I mean. So now at the end
of the day, I'm listening to anything because I love music.
So one of my friends was like, Hey, you're gonna
go with me to a rave tonight. I said, a rave.

(24:44):
We're gonna do a rave? Like She's like, yeah, let's
do a rave or whatever. So we went to this
rave and then I said, oh, man, I really like
this because but I said, I love this. This is
a lot of people. It's like two thousand people, it's
on the underground, nobody knows about it. I said, I
want to start doing this too, So I became a
Soul sub promoter for EDM events. But you know me,
I'm always thinking that, like what can I do, what

(25:06):
can I change? What can I add on? So then
we started speeding up. We started doing our own raves.
This is like on the underground, like four or five
thousand people on the underground, no security. Yeah, it was
the underground scene that you only found out about this
event on Facebook. We started doing that until the cops
shut us down. So then we went to Brooklyn. The

(25:27):
Electric Warehouse was the lab. That's when we started putting
a little bit of the dance hall in it because
people were listening to like hip hop, the EDM stuff
mixed up or whatever. But then finally, you know, my
crowd was like, CJ, there's dance hall. Let's just start
adding a little bit of it. And I said, okay,
we'll add a little bit, a little bit of it
whatever here and there. So then all of a sudden,

(25:48):
I'm like, I'm just paying attention. What was going on
Brooklyn wasn't too safe where we were at, and some
of the young women were telling me they were having
troubles on the train. Speed it along. We used bb
Kings for the Epic Party because my business is epically
Epically entertainment, so we did the Epic Party. I also

(26:09):
did a party back in the days in Brooklyn College
College called Project X. That was one of my big
parties in Brooklyn because I was in warehouses and that's
how I got popular because I was doing these big
warehouse parties. I was doing really big warehouse parties, so
to the point the police knew who I was and
all that good stuff. But I said, you know what,
let's get into the city. We got to make it

(26:29):
safe for the young ladies because there's times I put
young ladies in cabs and stuff tax season just to
make sure they got came and stuff like this, and guys,
this is like when Uber was just coming, you know
what I mean, coming out and stuff like that. So
by the time we got there at bb Kings, it
was crazy. We were sold out the first event, like

(26:50):
sold out, it was crazy. I think it was Project
X I put in there, the Epic Party. Then the
owner was like, who is this woman putting in all
these these events like they're so popular. He came to
the vent, he says, hey, I had I had a
cancelation and everything, and could you do a party next weekend.
I was like, the only thing that I know that

(27:11):
could bring out people fast, it's reggae and dance hall.
That's the only genre that I could bring out that's
gonna work. So then he said, okay, okay, let's do it.
So I was like, because I told him, I said, well,
you know the main thing here I'm doing, right, He says, yeah,
you want to You want something for the youth. I
told them the kids of color. Well, because I remember
now it's eighteen plus, I said, I want it for

(27:32):
them because there was nothing for the college kids of color,
nothing at all. They gave you Thursday night at Webster Hall,
but the Fridays and Saturdays they give them to the
Caucasian kids at Webster Hall. So the kids of color
had no place to go, and sometimes they were going
in neighborhoods that weren't the safest for them. Okay, So

(27:54):
my thing was like I got to get these girls
into the city because they were hide weapons to get
home at night on the corners in Times Square. They
would hide things like I'm kidd kid you not. They
were asking us the whole thing so they could get
home safe at night, like any type of like little weapons, mace, whatever,

(28:16):
because they said, hey, when I go home at night,
it is dangerous. So I figured once I got them
in the city, they were gonna be okay, which that
helped a lot. That helped a lot because at the
end of the day, they are looking at our people last.
Everybody's gonna get a venue before our people. Then I
was one of I was talking to one of my djls.
I said, okay, I gotta figure out a name, and

(28:36):
I'm literally this is after our event. I'm like, okay,
a party reggae fest, like reggae fest, right. I said,
that's good. It happened just like that. He says, yeah,
that sounds real good. I said, yeah, reggae fest. We
don't call it reggae fest. So I told the owner.
I said, hey, we're gonna call it the party reggae Fest.
He says, okay, call it whatever you want. I said,
I think that'll work. It happened just like that. So

(28:57):
then we had a week to put on this party.
And the first one we did was like probably five
hundred people. It was everybody loved it. I said, okay,
we did another one. It went to like eight and
then at eight hundred and this is like and then
the next one went twelve fourteen. Then they had to
give me both sides of bad Kings because it was
that big. There's line that I could show you a

(29:17):
video if somebody was Somebody posted on YouTube the longest
line ever for a party, and here goes me. I'm
getting all mad. I'm like, line is bigger than my party.
So I went and it was my party. I was like, oh,
it's my party, you know what I mean. So it
was so then so then Reggae Fest started. Remember it

(29:39):
was eighteen plus at the time, because it literally started
for the youth to have a place to go. So
it was their party. But it got Oh yeah, I
definitely started it for them. I wanted them to go
to a place that'll be safe. Yeah, so it's for them.
So but what happened It got popular and popular. The
twenty one year old were like, what is this event?
They wanted to go, and that's when the numbers went

(30:01):
were too high, Like it was like it was crazy,
and that's when people couldn't get in and it was
getting kind of crazy. So then we started the most no.
I started the mo Fire party at twenty one and
over Reggae Fest. It's a whole mo Fire. I started
that party, so I had it for the twenty one
year old when week could be that. And then that's
how I balanced it out. So I started getting all

(30:23):
these crowds and everything. Then comes one thing that happened.
BB King's ended up going away because of you know
how the price of rental in New York and it
was really high, so they were shut down and everything.
So then we was at different clubs. We was like
Space SOB Stage forty eight, just trying to make it
work for a while. Then we even hit PlayStation theater

(30:46):
at the time in Times Squares, all my numbers were amazing.
It was real good. But the thing that happens with numbers,
it comes the wrong crowd. So when the numbers got
real big, that's when we started we started getting crowds
that were not really what we wanted in there. That's
and something happened one night that made me say, I
said I have to fix something. The party is so big.

(31:08):
Now we're attracting, you know, not a Caribbean crowd. It's
another type of crowd. So then yeah, then I said, okay,
I have to get I had to put a dress
code on. I said, I gotta, I gotta stop to fit.
It has the TEMs, the white teas, I gotta stop sweats.
I had to clean up that crowd. Do you know
once I clean up that crowd, we were home free.
That I said, I would rather make less money than

(31:30):
have something happening.

Speaker 1 (31:31):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
So paramount yeah number one, number one, what energy would
put out we get back? And I didn't want to
be greedy. Was wrong with a lot of promoters where
you know, we can get greedy and see and see
money and don't look at what's important. And that's your crowd.
Now I'm looking at stuff as from my perspective as
a woman, I'm looking at things different than my male counterparts.

(31:55):
Keep that in mind because that might be fine for them,
but it's not fine for me. The way I skipped
Reggae Fest was all over the country. By then I forgot.
I didn't want to first, Uh yeah, okay, back up
a little bit, Okay, So then yeah, so at that
point because I skipped that. The first city we went
to after that, and the same year we went to

(32:16):
d C, we went to Washington, d C. We fedded
into Miami as well. Just to let you know, at
this point, we're in two cities, right, you know, by then,
and I think there's another one. I probably forgot. Oh,
we're in Miami as well. If I didn't say that,
we're in Miami as well, Okay, Miami, Miami and Atlanta.
Did I say Atlanta, Miami, Atlanta, that's the one I split, Yeah,

(32:40):
that one in d So before COVID, we were already
in those four cities, and when COVID came, it just
kind of was like very dark time quiet. I saw
promoters still having event I was scared. I was scared
to do that. I was just like, if I do
that and something happens to somebody, that's gonna be on
my conscience and I'm gonna pay for that later on
in life. So I didn't want to just so happen

(33:02):
to make anybody sick and somebody else get sick. I
didn't want to do that because as a promoter at
that time, it was greed if you were doing events
I'm gonna be honest with you, because if you were
going to put people's life, I know we had to.
I know we had to make money, but I don't
want somebody's death on my hands because I wanted some money.

(33:22):
I didn't think that was going to be good. And
so I literally did do events for I think a
year and three months, four months. But I saw other
people doing it, I did, and I just told my crowd,
we can't do it. And I'm so glad I stupped
to that. We went into Atlanta. That's where we started
back because they opened up or I don't think they closed,

(33:44):
but I didn't feel comfortable going back there until March
for spring break, and then we opened back up. We
didn't open back up. I made changes. I told the
young people, you guys are all twenty one now, no,
but we don't need to do eighteen plus anymore years.
Some of you are twenty at this point, some of
them are twenty eight, twenty seven, whatever, they got married
and stuff. I said, we don't need to do. The
young crowd is good now because now the black kids

(34:06):
are going everywhere, now, you know what I mean. So
now they're able to go everywhere. Because you can we
kind of change the game. Yeah, for sure, so they're
able to go where they need to go. I said,
so let's focus on this twenty one and over crowd
because this, Yeah, it's time. And once we did that,
and after COVID, we just blew up like you would

(34:27):
not believe. I feel it's like God just blessed me
for just doing the right thing.

Speaker 1 (34:32):
I really believe that. As you were talking, I'm just
thinking of where you are now, and obviously we'll get
into that, but I think it's a great example of
what happens when you do the right thing when you
think nobody's watching. It's what I said earlier. You know,
God is never sleeping, and he sees your character and
the choices that you make, and then people will look
at you and say things like, sej you're so lucky,

(34:54):
or how did this happen to you? And it's not luck, it's.

Speaker 2 (34:56):
Really work, and you're that you have for especially being
a woman. Yeah, these men were talking, girl, These these
men were out here talking crazy like I deal with
a lot of stuff. They were brutal. Oh yeah, these
men were brutal from like men. I wanted to listen
to you even at venues, like you want your sound

(35:18):
a certain way, you want your lighting a certain way.
Oh yeah, they didn't like that. Like even from sometime.
Managers were very rude sometimes, like I experienced racism and
stuff like that. That's big time. And then and then promoters,
you know, running their mouths and saying stuff like yeah yeah.

(35:40):
As a woman, you just you would not believe because
what happens. They get so mad and they get jealous
over the numbers. Yeah, because I wasn't doing normal I
wasn't doing small numbers. We were doing big numbers and
and things like that, like you know, and one thing
was really cool with doing this that I don't know

(36:01):
promoters speak about you know, they're gonna speak about this.
But there's so many people who met their wives and
husbands at my events. They come back into Oh my god,
a lot of people told me that. Oh yeah, a
lot of people. A lot of people met their Yeah,
a lot of people over there told me that they
met there. That's where they met their wives their husbands
at my events.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
Oh gosh, man, that's so lovely. You guys here, yeah,
you might or your wife.

Speaker 2 (36:28):
I love It's true because you still got remember you
still got that dance floor. And when you have the
dance people get people. A lot of people are in
sections now and they don't get to mingle with people.
That's true, Yeah, make the mingle anymore. So yeah they have.
But also they met their baby fathers too. So hey,
all these stories are good baby daddy, baby daddy, that's

(36:54):
what you said. Yeah, so I'm gonna tell you that
they're bad. My gosh, No, I love that though, man,
And I will tell you there's so many things I've
learned by being a promoter that you never well, maybe
because I'm a woman. There's things that people have called
me to ask me advice. There's certain things that you
would not believe. Somebody need, people need someone to talk to.

(37:16):
I've had people say, hey, can I talk to you
and they will call me. And I've heard stories that
you will not believe mothers. If your daughters is telling
you something's going on in your home, you need to
believe your daughter. Because there's a lot of stuff that
I have heard over the years as a promoter, and

(37:36):
people confiding in me that sometimes the mothers and I'm
not saying everything, but Caribbean mothers if something's going on
with your child and they're telling you someone's doing something
to them, you should believe them.

Speaker 1 (37:52):
I mean, I'm taken a deep breath because a right,
it was not your welcome. So it was not just
a headline moment, but in my opinion, you could really
see the vision behind it.

Speaker 2 (38:07):
Right.

Speaker 1 (38:07):
So for those listening who may be unfamiliar with what
a huge deal it was to have Vibes Cartel sell
out the Barclay Center two nights in a row, or
maybe for some reason, not familiar with who ViBe's Cartel is,
I just want to give them a little background. So
Vibes Cartel, to me, is not simply a dancehall artist.

(38:29):
He is an electrifying force whose influence transcends geography, time,
and even physical boundaries. So the fact that he sold
out Barclays Center twice after not performing in the US
for over twenty years is more than just a milestone.
I think it is a testament to his commanding presence,

(38:51):
his magnetic appeal, and also his legendary status. So now
that you know who ViBe's Cartel is and you understand
the mad magnitude of what CJ was able to do, CJ,
will you bless us and tell the people, tell me
how you were able to execute this, especially and we
talked about this offline the second night with all of

(39:13):
the guest appearances.

Speaker 2 (39:16):
Well, let's start a little bit back when I will. Okay,
apparently my DJs told me, even back in twenty sixteen,
I said I was gonna get Vice Cartel. Everybody. They
told me that. My my promoter said no, no, they
said it. I could actually forward you the text message
because I said I did, because Jay the Kingdom's DJ

(39:36):
was my DJ from Brigay Fist, one of my early DJs,
so he gets small world, right, So he said, yeah,
do you remember when you said that. Then another one
of my promoters from Warhouse, when I went to Atlanta,
he said the same things as J and he left
the video on video. I mean a voice, not like
I thought you was crazy CJ when you said that. So,
and then someone else yesterday said I said it. So
I said it to a couple of people I just

(39:57):
don't remember. So yeah, yeah, that is that's why I
was telling someone And I said, you gotta whatever you
put out there, be careful what comes out of your mouth,
because you're want to get it, get it. Yeah, so
when he got out. When he got out, my phone
started ringing like crazy, like Cartel is out whatever, and
I was just happy for him. I said, Okay, let

(40:18):
me post this on Reggae Fest. Then it was it
was the Hunger Games. I always say that when someone's
new and everybody's going to be trying to like with
the artists, and I'm like, so I'm sitting there like
watching it, like promoters are going crazy, I'm hearing stuff
and I'm sitting back and I'm like, I asked my guy, hey,
can you find out who's his manager? I asked a

(40:38):
couple of people. Nobody could find out what was going
on with him? Like when I tell you, I was
so upset. I'm like, wait a minute, none of you
people who tell me y'all have connections can get in
touch with Vibes Cartel, because I said, everybody talks like
they're so tough. Now y'all can't do it, And I'm
like really, Then I said, And at this point, I'm
getting frustrated because people were like, CJ, do you know?

(40:58):
And I was like, let me start and attentions will
attention to who he's tagging, what's going on? So I
was watching him. I said, this woman, he said. Then
I was like, this guy's scattered. I said, this guy
scatter us everywhere, like he's always with Cartel. And at
this point I checked when my people getting kid, anybody
get in contact, and he's like no, no, no no.
So then I said, let me just let me just

(41:19):
DM this guy, you know, let me see him. Hey, scatter,
this is CJ Milan of Reggae Fast. I'm interested in
vibes Cartel blah blah blah having him, you know, for
his first US show whatever. He responds to me, he's,
oh my god, CJ. I was like hey, He's like, yeah,
he's just here. Here's my number. Call me. What is

(41:39):
that fast? It happened that fast.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
We got on the phone right yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:44):
Yeah. He's one of my best friends now, isn't that crazy?
We talked ten times a day. We're one of my
best friends now. So it happened like that. And he says, hey,
you got to speak to TJ. So I said, okay,
he said, so. TJ was so busy because he's also
a producer. TJ produced Fever and a whole bunch of
other hits for everybody. My bottle everybody. Yeah, yeah, he's
real good friends with Cartels, so ended up being his manager.

(42:05):
So me and TJ finally got on a call. It
took like two weeks. Then TJ told me, hey, Cartel's
coming back in town. I'm gonna hit you up when
he gets here. And I can hear Cartel's voice in
the background like I could. He was like, no, I
can hear him asking questions. I was like, come on, man,
just talk. I can hear Cartels here. And then TEJ said, Hey, CJ,

(42:27):
is it possible. How soon can you come to Jamaica.
I said three days. I said I have an event
I could come. I could come on Monday or Sunday.
I went on Sunday to meet him on Monday something
like that. So I said I could be there in
three days. Yeah that day.

Speaker 1 (42:41):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (42:42):
Yeah. Yeah, I'm not tell girl. Please are you ready yo?
And then and then the crazy part with people who
I was going there was like, you ain't scared. You
ain't scared, yo.

Speaker 1 (42:56):
Men, men, men are.

Speaker 2 (42:57):
So because his vice Cartel, like you are so. I
was like, no, I'm not nervous, I said, no Cartel, yeah, yeah,
just my assister with me. When women and one of
my best friends. I called my brother. He went with
me as well. I said, yo, three, I said, I'll
meet you over there. We went there, scatter met us
out there. Oh my gosh. But this is the the
and this and what and what was great is even

(43:20):
before that, we the team at Downtound because you know,
he works with Downsound in the teammate that produces some fest.
So I was able to meet Carla Barry and all
these others. Yeah, so they was at Massive Reggae Fest,
Massive because I had Rigga Fest Massive at Barkley Center
last year. So they hung out with me and the
day said we all got along. So I was like, Carla,

(43:41):
I'm coming because we connected like that. So we got there,
met Cartel. I got in that night there it was
raining real hard. We was chilling. So the next day
I met Cartel and man, we just hit it out. Listen.
I went there like it was a business meeting. I
had my laptop because I knew I have one chance

(44:01):
to woodest Man because everybody's going to try to light
But I was the only one they brought out there though,
So that was really cool. Well, I well, they ad well,
they asked me they to bring me out. They asked
me to come. But the fact that I just did
that show with Bbado, Idonia, Elephant Man, mister Vegas. You know,
I had all that that big event by year at
Barthley Center, and so that's when every that was my event.

(44:22):
So everybody made up, like Ding Dong and Elephant Man,
they made up that night. D Ok performed for the
first time in years together the whole group. So there
was a lot of legendary stuff happening on my show.
So Cartels, So when I sat down with him, he says,
he says, I love your show. You know, always do
rightes Cartoil voice like THATJ I love you, you know
what I mean. So so he's like he's like I said,

(44:49):
I said, hey, so I want to show you this
is my vision. This is the show that's white so
you're watching it. And what I did. I wound him
with all his music. So on the editing of that show,
I used only his tracks, like six or seven tracks,
like Fever, like like dumper Truck, like all these other
like songs like his kids, you know what I mean.
I used them all and he watched it with me.

(45:09):
He's like wow. So we were watching He's like, this
is amazing, this is great. And then I showed him
when he was away. I showed him when Reggae Fest
first started. Guess what. Fever was the first recap of
Reggae Fest ever. So I had a videoographer and I
did it to Fever. Isn't that crazy? Yes? Yeah, so

(45:32):
and I say it and then he saw it like
he says, wait, you use it. I said, yeah, this
is your music. And he's looking at it and he
could tell this older the video. But I make sure
we filmed everything back in the days. I documented all
Reggae Fest. So I had it to show him and
he was like, oh my god, you had this. He's like, yeah,
I have. He's like wow. So we was talking and
he said, CJ. Well, and then he told me recently,

(45:54):
he's like, I never thought you was gonna get the visa.
And he's like, I knew you said you was, but
I wasn't sure. CJ. He told me that Barclay's he says,
if you could get the visa, you got the first shows.
That's how it happened, hands down. He says, if you
can do it like you say, now you get the
first shows. Now the next day, I was somewhere else
that rent into Cartel And at this point he's such

(46:15):
an amazing person. He's like, everyone, this is CJ. She's
the one who's gonna get the visa, said everything he was,
I got the videos and everything. He's Likej's like, yeah,
from that point on, like your family. So he's like
my family at this point, like he's like, no, she's
family now. So every time it's like that, and everybody

(46:35):
around him is good people, Like everybody is so amazing,
you know what I mean. So so fast forwarded of
course to be everything's good now Barclay Center. So I
told TJ from the yetgo, we're doing two shows. He's like,
cj' I don't know, let's just do Let's just put
in for one right now, and said, I'm telling you
fun fact. We were posted. We had no idea that

(46:58):
visa was gonna come so quick. I kid you not.
We were preparing had to have this first show at
MetLife Stadium, but the visa. But God is so great
that what happened was we put it in in December on.
I was celebrating my birthday in January twenty sixth and
in Jamaica so I was coming there, so car telling

(47:18):
all of them knew I was coming there. Got the
call on the way to the airport, CJ, the American visa,
the American they approved it in the US. I said
what they said? I said, really they approved the visa.
They said, yeah, it was approved. I'm like, okay. I
called TJ. I said, TJ. But but I said, guys,
if this is the case, we got to have it.
And then we got to go to the embassy like

(47:39):
as student as possible, have the lawyer see how fast.
And she did it the day after my birthday.

Speaker 1 (47:43):
This story so incredible.

Speaker 2 (47:45):
Yeah, oh it's crazy. It was, Yeah, it was crazy.
I was just so happy to be on my way
to Jamaica. We got so then at TJ. I was
calling TJ so many times, said, CJ, why are you
instead of calling me? I said, man, they got approve
in the US. He said what I said, Yes, I said,
so now we gotta go for Jamaican empathy. I say, oh, okay, okay.
So it was like I said, I'm on my way

(48:07):
to the airport right now, I'll see you guys or whatever.
So the night before for the visa was my birthday,
so we do. We all celebrate my birthday. Cartel came out,
Oh my god, it was so amazing, like, yeah, for
my birthday. So this is the night before the embassy. Yeah,
so then and for the embassy was the next day.
I was just sitting in a car, like waiting while

(48:28):
everybody's in there, because it's like this is like when
you say your nerves are going crazy. Your nerves are
going crazy. He told me it was approved in twelve minutes.
Excuse me, twelve minutes. He was approved in twelve minutes. No,
God was working twelve minutes. That Grammy nomination with God too,
because that was a good thing too, because he had it,

(48:50):
you know. So I d visa came so fast. Sure, yes, yes,
And the visa came so fast. It came so fast
that it just changed everything. That Cartail was like CJ
because he was like, I want to do it, and
I said, no, we have to wait for such and such.
But then he had a point. I'm like, that's a
long time to wait till August Labor Day weekend. So
he's and so I called my people. They worked at

(49:12):
Barkley Center. Was able to get the dates, and I said,
hold both of these, I was like, I know, we're
doing two nights. In my heart, and you were I knew.
I know we were doing two nights because Reggae Fest
is so big. We're as far as La London, Toronto,
We're we're in like Orlando, We're in a lot of cities.
Now that I knew. Oh, with Reggae Fest and Vibes

(49:35):
Cartel together, I knew when my email list alone, we
were selling out. I knew on the email list we
were selling out. I told my team Alive Nation, I said, well,
we're going to sell this out. Even though they might
have thought I was crazy. I was like, we're doing
two nights. So I already held two nights, you know,
I already held it. So that day the tickets went
on sale. In the pre sale, we were watching it.

(49:57):
There's a text black, a text message group that me
and the people from a lot of Nation, so I
could see the sales. I was watching this thing and
I was looking at all the people in the queue
and also for this show. I said, I'm selling tickets
at this price. I told him, they's like CJ. That's
all I said. You know what I said, because of
what you know, his offer everything I got to pay
for the production where I wanted. No, we're sticking to

(50:19):
this price, right, So I'm sticking to it. I said,
this man deserves it. And we you know, I mean,
I'm the one who names the price. But the end
of the day, I said, this man is worth it.
He's worth it. I said, he's our Beyonce. I told
him he's our Beyonce. I said he's worth it. And
the amount of production I want to put in this show,
I know I need to do it right to put

(50:40):
in what I want to put in, gotcha, So so
am Yeah, at nine point fifty there was like ten
nine thousand people in a queue for pre sales. Then
it went to ten, then it went to twenty four
by ten then we're watching next thing. You know that
like fifteen minutes was like three thousand soul and that's
a lot, three thousand and fifteen minutes. And that's why

(51:02):
people were blaming me, like, oh, the tickets were Spencer. No,
the eighty dollars tickets sold out in seconds. It sold
out so fast, So it's not me, guys, the cheaper
the tickets they go, they go fast. And they were
like then and then then yeah, and then forty five
minutes we're at We're at twelve thousand and five hundred
tickets sold. And these are records that big artists don't hit.

Speaker 1 (51:22):
This is this was major and that's an important I
need you to say this again because that's an important
fact that those are records that mainstream artists do not hit.
I think that's really yeah fact, yeah, yeah it is.

Speaker 2 (51:35):
And then for even for our people, let's be honest
with our people, don't even really mess with Ticketmaster like that.
A lot of people pick up tickets, They go to
a Jamaican restaurant and pick up a ticket for a show.
So the fact and another thing, yes, and with people
that understand too, it's not only us we put the
ticket at eighty or eighty nine or whatever, ninety nine,
whatever we do. But guess what, There's gonna be a
ticket Master feed, there's gonna be taxes, there's gonna be

(51:57):
a facility fee. So please don't blame us for all
these fees. Like you know what I'm saying, don't don't
blame us for sure. I don't. I don't. I don't
control that, guys, you know what I mean. I don't.
I don't control that. So, so then that that happened,
so we were like, who what a day. So then
I hit up the manager. I said, we're doing the
next shows. I said, let's let's I said, man, we

(52:19):
gotta do this fast, because when it's a buzz, you
gotta move fast. Let's let's just let's just do this.
It's like, you have a time frame up, like forty
eight hours. You want to put the next one on sale. Yeah, yeah,
it's like that, like, yeah, you have to, you have to.
So then the next one, and this one was a
bigger one. I think it was thirty six thousand in
the queue.

Speaker 1 (52:40):
Oh, because the thing happened get tickets the first time.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
So you're going you're going against the scalpers too. Remember
these these computers, these scalpers, they were buying tickets and
reselling them on their own sites, and that's something we
can't even control. Those are computers that they set up
to do that. So but yeah, they're there to buy
the tickets, so they're always they're in there too. So
then tickets went they went fast as well. But I

(53:04):
also told people the second show was going to crawl
to the end, like certain shows crawl to the end.
Like that mean people wait and wait, wait in less
minute that they're gonna buy them, you know what I mean.
There's just certain artists, like an older artist like a
Bounty or Beaanie Man or like Sean Paul, like a
Big Brina. They crawled more because the crowd is older.
That's just how they buy tickets. So then that second

(53:25):
one sold out. And it's funny because Scatter hit me up.
Scatter hit me up that morning of the second one
when I pleased, So he was like, CJ. So people
are talking like they're complaining about the prices because they
think it's us. That's so, I said, what are you
talking about, Scatter? I'm just talking. I said, I already
saw eight thousand tickets in thirty minutes. Just what I said,
what eight thousand and thirty minutes?

Speaker 1 (53:46):
Oh okay, CJ.

Speaker 2 (53:48):
So I said, yeah, man good. It was so funny
because he had the scenario that we weren't going to
be able to move tickets the second day. I said, no,
we're good. Yeah, and I and I felt good and
I was happy for him, of course I feel good,
but I was just happy for him. And when people
were asking me what happened, I was like, it's my
brand with Vice Cartel. It just exploded. Those two together

(54:09):
exploded because guess what those were my codes? Those were
my codes the pre sale of Reggae Fest. Those are
people on my site who know Reggae Fest and who
got emails they brought out those tickets got you, That's
what I was telling them. And then and then and
then the people who got the code from Barkley Center.
You know there was a code from them too. But
I said, yeah, it was the perfect thing. And I'm
gonna tell you since I could have did another show,

(54:31):
I just was too I would I would have been
too tired to do. Plus it's a basketball games, so
we would have had to wait and skip a couple
of days and do our Tuesday, I believe. But at
that point I said, I'm gonna be Vibes Cartels out.
I said, I'm gonna be vised Cartel out. There's no
way I could do it three because Live Nation said
are we doing a third? I said no, no, no, no, no, no,
let's let him rest. Yes, I'm sure because and now

(54:52):
and now we'll speed up. You know, people, I'm gonna
speed up a little bit, so I know you want
to ask you about special guests.

Speaker 1 (54:58):
Right, So the second night, Now, how did all of
that happen? Because, like I said, I went to the
first night, so I told you offline, I was looking.

Speaker 2 (55:06):
I didn't go to. Oh yes, I.

Speaker 1 (55:11):
Like I said, Like I said, I and I told
you this offline, but I'll say it here. I still
think we got an amazing show because it was his
first time coming out, and also it was just so
electrifying to actually see him in the flesh and to
get so much of him. And I love just one
last thing. I loved that like halfway through he was

(55:33):
saying to turn down his vocals because the people paid
their money and he wanted to perform. So even though
he was, you know, losing his voice a little bit,
I just love that he's so cognizant and aware of
his fans and giving them a great show.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
Well what happened was actually he said he couldn't hear himself,
and that's because the monitors. He usually has the ear
pieces in, but he took them out. I believe that
he was listening to the monitors and they should have
turned the monitors up so he could hear himself. But
being in that arena, I got, I got fire going,
and now that stuff going. He's like, oh my god,
he had so much stuff, you know, I had so
much going on. But yeah, the first yeah, the first night.

(56:10):
I like it because it was very intimate with him
and the fans. For the first show, it was electric,
electric fighting and his his voice. You know, when you're
coming from Miami and then you're in New York and
it was still kind of cold. It was it was
working on scattered to their voices were getting kind of
horse Okay, he did so many interviews. I was getting

(56:33):
worried already because he was in interviews every day three
or four and I was getting concerned about that his
voice already because he wasn't arresting it. So I was
already like, oh my god, his voice is gonna be
able to hold up because I'm like, hey, guys, this
is in this arena. He's gonna have to go for
a while. I said, he got to rest that voice.
He gotta stop talking to he gotta rest his voice.

(56:54):
And Cartel is such a lovable charisma everything Cartel. So
he's gonna talk to every body. He's going to stop
and talk to fans. So he at the end of
the show. Me and him was talking in the back
and I heard the horse. I said, oh, I was
listening to it. Yes, CJ. Yeah, I did that. I
was like, oh boy, and I was ignoring it. I

(57:16):
was ignoring it, and I was like, hey, I just
had I said some to say, hey, I got a
surprise for you. I just want you to know now
I'm surprised for you tomorrow. He said, what what I
I should see it and skilly they coming through with Molly.
They're gonna do shaking to the next He's like, what
TJ for? I said yeah, yeah, yeah. He says, oh,
that's going to be amazing. I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I didn't tell him. I wanted him to know. I

(57:36):
didn't tell anybody else. I think TJ. TJ only knew
his manager. I told him already I was going to
do it. I said, I want to switch it up
a little bit to say, Saturday, I want to bring
you know, see it. Have you know she's a little
spark plug or whatever, and then and so yeah, so
we didn't tell anybody. And then on Saturday I got
a call because I didn't go to sleep on Friday

(57:57):
night because my adrenaline was on Friday and not see adrenaline.
Was it over? So TJ SAIDJ, I said what happened
to saying, CJ, we gotta figure something out. His voice
is like done. I said what I said, Oh my gosh,
I said something I think they did. And they tried
everything today. You know, they tried it. They tried and

(58:20):
I said up, but I was jitty force myself. We
both wore and I'm not even performing. It was me
just talking to people and it's raining outside. I remember
it rained all weekend, so yeah, rain, yeah, So we
were dealing with that. So I said, okay, okay. So
he's like, CJ, we got this, We got this, little kim.
People are asking I'm gonna send every CJ. I was like,
oh my god, okay, I said okay. I said okay,

(58:41):
and it was just every I think it was Bouju's
camp who hooked me up with Neil or no, no, no,
that was TJ. But it's a lot of there's a
lot of stuff going on. It's a lot of stuff happening,
and people were telling me people who would come through
and stuff, and that's when we started figuring this out.
And now I came to my show twenty minutes late.

(59:03):
That's how long it took to put that together. I
was supposed to I was supposed to be there at
what two o'clock, and I was still at home at
six thirty because I was trying to fix it. Oh
my god, let's add these people to the list, because
remember this is new. We're getting all these artists in
lists right now. They're coming through. Neo's coming through, Fabulous
is coming through, chem is coming through, everybody's coming through.

(59:25):
And this is all last minute. So I got to
be at home typing this stuff up, and I'm like,
get in their license place numbers, getting everything I need
for the show. So I got there like seven twenty.
It was like Ceejay's not even at the concert. I'm like,
oh my god, guys, you know what I mean, Like,
let's get it going. So I did not know I
put in my stomach. I was a little nervous, little concerned,

(59:45):
you know. I was a little concerned because I didn't
know how much voice was going to be. He had left,
and I was just like the you know, and the
way the show started, I was kind of like the
songs that you know we're starting off with. I'm like, okay,
certain songs were there to protect his voice that I'm
ready to come off to swing and let it right
with them hit And then I realized, okay, yeah, that's
how I am. Let's just hit him. Let's hit him
right now. I knew his voice. We had to take

(01:00:06):
it easy in the beginning a little bit, so we
had we added on the other artists, and then I
was just like, okay, guys, we gotta get this. We
gotta go. And then all of a sudden, then when
we started bringing all these artists out, that's what it
and and everything and he and he was getting and
he was getting I think what was happening. He was
getting better. His voice started getting a little better.

Speaker 1 (01:00:27):
Yeah yeah, so I guess so I didn't see the
full thing.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
Oh yeah, his voice started getting better and stuff like that,
and and it was electrifying in that night as well,
Like like the what I would say the turning point
on that night, and I'm glad it was early is
when they did shake it to the maximician and see
it came out and the crowd lost their mind. I
was like, those screams, it was the screams. It was

(01:00:55):
the screams because I think people they would never thought
she see it was gonna be on that show, so
no one was expecting to see And I think when
you don't, when you when you catch a big surprise,
like they was a little Kim. They were surprised, of course,
Neo everybody. But when she came out and shake it
to the maxis so hot and I believe her her

(01:01:18):
verse is the hottest on that song, it just made everything.
Like when she came out, I just held down the
CEO two jets and I said, I'm going to let
this ride because everybody just let you. Everybody remember I'm
working the CEO two jets and the fire cues. That's me.

Speaker 1 (01:01:35):
God, I had I am.

Speaker 2 (01:01:37):
It has to be perfect so that nobody can do it.
I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna make sure this right.
But when I saw her, when I saw her, I
just kept my fingers down on it till like she
comes around and then it's and then like I'm like
boom and I hit it again, and I was just like,
I mean, I couldn't inspire with her because it was
too many of them on the stage. I don't want
to get cooked extra chrispy, so so so I was

(01:02:00):
like at all at h South at all and because
I was even trying to move scout at one point,
I just got up, get away from I gotta hit
the fire you and away. So yeah, So just to
have that and to see him on stage with the youth,
you know what I'm saying, To just see ride it
out watching him with them that he was right and

(01:02:22):
then and and that scene was so cool to happen
out there with I love that happening. To see him
out there with these artists of every generation from hip hop,
all this stuff like and and to have those hip
hop artists from Brooklyn.

Speaker 1 (01:02:37):
Like was there until you just said it right now? Yes,
he's one of my favorite yeah, so yeah for him
to be yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Yeah, yeah, he's Yeah, it was making me make me
better with Neo that's when they performed, Yes, I forgot,
Oh my god, I got yeah, so sick, you know
what I mean. And remember Neil came out because Miss
Miss and the and Rumping Shop is the same sample
Rumping Shop came from Miss Yeah, so that's that's why.

(01:03:08):
And people kind of didn't catch that's where we were going.
People didn't catch. People didn't catch that. Yeah, yeah, so
so then it's like and now you have all everyone
coming together to make a historical night and hour.

Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
And then was there as well, Yes, she was there
as well.

Speaker 2 (01:03:27):
Yeah, that's when this time she brought off the couch.
She's a couch. This time I said, I had to
remove the chairs. They were going to do the chairs,
and now the chairs are stuck on stage. No one
send it, and and I'm like, get this stage. I'm like,
oh my god, somebody get these had somebody get these chairs.
Since we're not using them, we put them out there
for no reasons. So this is pulled them, pulled them

(01:03:49):
all back, and it just gave everybody. It was so
Brooklyn that that last night it was Brooklyn and I
love and one thing I'm gonna tell you what Cartel
No show was gonna would be the same. The man
has a catalog that is so we're never going to
be able to hear all his music. And to think
about it, their song that I was like, I really
wanted to hear this. I mean that the second night

(01:04:11):
I said, TJ said, Okay, one more song. I said,
what do you mean one my song that? I said, Man, no,
I said, and you have to I was like no,
I said, cause you know what I mean, we have
to hear certain songs, you know what I mean. So
like I said, we have to hear this this, and
he said he was smiling. The TJ started smiling at me.
You know what I mean, because he said, okay, she
you know, yeah, I said, I need to hear Dallar

(01:04:33):
sign before the night's over. He smiled. He says, you
know you're right. I said, yeah, we need to hear
dollar sign because sometimes catalog, his catalog is so that
you can't remember everything. So that's why TJ was smiling
because I think he said, yeah, we should have played yeah,
we And so even when I hit I hit the
confetti button, it was the fact that cartel on don't run.

(01:04:58):
He's such a he's such a showman ship that his
showmanship is like, hey, I'm gonna hold my arms out
and just let this go. So he opened up his
arms and all the confetti's flying. And then when I
did that, I actually kept the CEO two cannons going
at the same time. So you see the CEO two
cannons and the confetti going at the same time, and
Cartel knows to hold his arms out like and it
just made a moment like, yeah, well we're working together

(01:05:24):
on a because we're not rehearsing, we're just we're just.

Speaker 1 (01:05:29):
That doesn't always yeah, it never works, it never works.

Speaker 2 (01:05:35):
But but but you know, he's Capricorn, I'm Aquarius. You know, together,
you know, so yeah, so so we yeah, scattered to
Capricorn calling Capricorn and I'm the Aquarius. Yeah, I mean query,
it's like, hey, guys, you know so so it was
it was literally that was such a moment and his place.

(01:06:02):
I love the outdo myself, Like I got to figure
out how I want to outdo myself. And I think
the only way I would outdo that show is when
I do with stadium. I think I can outdo with stadium.
But he'll probably be there, dudes, who knows, you know
what I mean. But yeah, stadium is where I can
outdo that. But like, at the end of the day,
my main thing was given our people an experience that

(01:06:23):
they hadn't seen before, spending on production that our people deserve,
not cutting corners. If it means less money out of
my pockets, I'm going to do it because one thing
I want people to know is that our community can
throw these great eventures like a major artist. And what
I wanted to do is said, hey, we got vibe Spartel,

(01:06:43):
let's elevate and show that we can do this, even
a black woman producing a show.

Speaker 1 (01:06:48):
Listen, you know what I mean. That's part Let me
stop you right there, because that's going to be my
next fol because it's like y'all read that part right
there is the most important, seriously, because I feel like
there's an unspoken assumption that reggae and dancehall don't quote
unquote move the way other genres do, right, and yet

(01:07:10):
you have single handedly proven that reggae and dancehall artists
and their music are not just viable, but they're profitable.
So what message do you think that this sends, not
just to the entertainment industry, but, like you said, to
the Caribbean community as a whole. Because you know, people
were complaining about the ticket prices, but if you want

(01:07:31):
to put on this kind of show, you have to,
you know, raise prices because it costs money. So what
are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2 (01:07:40):
What my thoughts on it is two things. I think
a lot of times we're so used to being outside
in the park and at a banquet hall that you
don't pay these type of fees, right, and you don't
pay for tickets of these prices because you're in a
certain place. We're in Barclay Center, Okay, Yes, Barkley Center
is one of the top three venues arenas costing venues

(01:08:03):
in the country. It's actually, I think the number one,
it might be the number one arena. It's up there
as an as popularity. It's it's I think it's the
number one as far as money comes in because they're
they're so they're so booked and busy. But if you
got to pay for what you want, how what do

(01:08:23):
we say here? Like you you got to pay to
play a little bit. So if you want the best
it costs, it does these let me tell you something.
Break it down for you. When you get let's say
you know how you would rent a venue. Let's just
start with renting a venue and arena. You're paying six figures.
You know you already know that. Guess what that does
not pay the security. That doesn't pay for your towels,

(01:08:47):
for your artists. It doesn't pay for your stage, It
doesn't pay for your life, It doesn't pay for your speakers,
It doesn't pay for your chairs because you still got
to bring chairs in there, And it doesn't pay for
what we call a union, and that's your stage hands,
the people who put those screens together. That I still
got to pay for everybody working that night. I have
to pay for everybody you see outside. I have to

(01:09:10):
pay for it. People mopping a spill, I'm paying for that.
So everything you see from that soundboard, coming in, from
that fire, from that dose co two jets, for security, everything,
the food in the back, I'm paying for the security
working outside. I'm paying for everything, and I'm paying union fees.
And guess what when I go overtime, I'm paying time

(01:09:32):
and a half. So I'm buying almost a house somewhere
to have a concert. Wow, So you know what I mean.
So they they don't, yeah, because they don't know that.
They're just they're just thinking. And let's not forget I'm
paying the.

Speaker 1 (01:09:47):
Artists right most importantly.

Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
So this stuff adds up, and that's not including my staff,
and that can be another thirty forty people. So at
the end of the day and to one hundred probably
stage hands to build if I could be wrong, but
it's a lot of people to build those stages and
put that stuff up. And guess what they got to eat?
They gotta eat. I gotta pay for their food, their lunch,
and I gotta pay for their dinner and sometimes their breakfast. Yes,

(01:10:13):
so you know they're not realizing. When you see that,
you're like, oh my gosh. That's why some people never do.
They do an arena once and they don't do it
again because it's so much, especially if you want a
prime video. I listen, I'm doing Brooklyn. That's the home
of Dance Hall in Rege in New York. I'm doing Brooklyn.
I'm not nothing. USB arena is great, but maybe I'll

(01:10:36):
be there one day. I'm not sure because I really
love Brooklyn and I'm a fixed sign of Aquarius, so
I want to stay at Barclay, you know what I mean.
One of the owners I know, he's so nice. So
it's just and even when I go there for basketball
games when I didn't know the owners and stuff, they
I've spoken to all of them. They're very nice and
it's a couple. And then there's another gentleman who runs it.

(01:10:57):
And he said next to me one night for a
basketball game court side, is what's your neighbor of the
CJ Milan. It's like, I know, you should I do
my concert here?

Speaker 1 (01:11:06):
Oh yeah you do?

Speaker 2 (01:11:07):
I said, yeah, so so and you know what, I'm like,
they treated me amazing before they knew who I was.
And that's and that's stuff. I love when people treat
me a certain way before they know who I am.
And and yeah, yeah, and I like that. So like
this ahead of security, he's great. Everybody who works in
the front office at Barclay's amazing. If I have a question,

(01:11:28):
these people give me their cell phones, I'll ask them.
If there's a basketball game, I said, hey, guys, I
want to They said, okay, CJ, come this way. You
come through the back, like, oh, gotta go through the front,
you know what I mean. So they they treated me amazing,
and I really And one thing I noticed in this business,
when you're a woman, a black woman, a woman, these
women and these spaces are going to treat you amazing

(01:11:51):
because they know that's not too many. That's not too
many of us. Oh and they know that's not too
many of us. And they also know sometimes we we're
responsible for a lot of stuff. They know how we are.
We're very detail oriented, and stuff like that, you know,
because I remember when I did my first show there,
this woman said, oh, it's another riggage. I said, what
is she talking about? And she's she's there was another

(01:12:14):
there's a no, she's as a show from before. It
wasn't me, And it was just certain things that were
not that they didn't care for what was going on
in this and she didn't know and and I was
upset about it. So one of the guys my Live Nation,
he says, CJ. Just prove her wrong, he said, and
you're want to prove her wrong, And that's what happened.
She I didn't see her at the end of the night,

(01:12:35):
but I saw the other woman. She was like, amazing show.
Oh my god, it was the best. And that wasn't
even a cartel, that was the one from before. So
one thing I will say, and as a woman, you
are going to deal with certain things. People aren't going
to question you, so you have to be sometimes a
little more firmer than you would like to because they
think we don't know what we're talking about. For time,

(01:12:55):
you your male your male counterparts. That's an another thing
with other promoters. Now that's a whole nother story. I
don't know. I personally do not know that many promoters
I'm gonna be. I know it sounds crazy, but I don't.
I'm a type of person who keeps my head down
and I do what I do. It's just just the

(01:13:16):
way I like to work because at the end of
the day, it's just I keep my circle small. And
I think it's very important that if you're in this industry,
is to keep your circle very tight, okay, because even
in your circle, you might have people who don't celebrate
you like you think so so I noticed sometimes the

(01:13:38):
bigger you get people even in your circle can start
you're gonna start looking at them all the kind of
like is certain comments here, and you got to especially
when you have a bunch of men working under you.
So gonta understand I have I have a lot of them.
I have a lot. I have a lot.

Speaker 1 (01:13:56):
Let me let me stop you really quickly, not to
cut you, but in terms of what you've been able
to accomplish, and like you said, as a woman, I
would consider you, you know, one of the major leaders
in this space right And it makes me think of
one of my favorite lecturers at Harvard was this man
named Marshall Gant, and he has a unique way of

(01:14:17):
describing leadership. So he describes it as a form of
public storytelling. Right, So he breaks it down into the
story of self, the story of us, and the story
of no. So in your case, you've clearly lived that
structure from your personal journey to the cultural us you're
representing to this urgent no where dantall is really demanding

(01:14:41):
a new respect. So how do you say those like
three layers your story, your people's story, our people's story,
and this moment intersecting, like, have you really taken a
moment to think like, wow, all of this is coming together?

Speaker 2 (01:14:58):
Well, I would say I'm a piggyback on something that
I didn't because that was all in the moment. I
will say this about dance hall how I feel. I
really believe that dance hall and reggae, in my opinion,
has never got the respect that it deserved. And I
think when the afrobeats came it made it a lot worse.

(01:15:19):
I think people wasn't checking for dance hall anymore. I
and I think even an artist might not have. They
might not have been inspired themselves because they saw it
everything was about all the afrobeat artists. Oh, they're doing stadiums.
They're they're they're doing this, they're doing that. But I
really and it, and it pissed me off. I took
it so personal because I just was like, no, no, no,

(01:15:41):
no no. And that's why I wanted to do the
stadium so bad with Cartel, because I wanted to show them.
You guys forgot you know what I mean. I really
that's the main reason the Stateum I said that, I
got it. I said, it's going to take someone like
him to make people wake up and put some respect
on dance Hall's name, because that's that. That's what's The
next day, I was talking a guy from World Music,

(01:16:01):
a music he called me and I said no. He said,
he said, characters get a quote. I said, yeah, they
better put some respect on dance Hall's name because I
would have to sleep. I said, yeah, that's my quote.
We can see he was laughing. I said, I'm serious.
I said yeah. I said, we showed you and and
and now they are paying attention to it big times.
I can tell because I'm noticing things. But at the

(01:16:23):
end of the day, you have to like this genre.
It's just was running the clubs back in the days
and still is. And guess what, every place they're playing
dance hall in England they're playing they they're playing it
everywhere in Costa Rica, all these islands, everywhere, Like and
where does reggaetne come from? Let's be honest, where does

(01:16:43):
reggaetone come from? You know what I mean? If it
wasn't for that, like that's where that comes from? You know.
So at the end of the day, I think dance
hall is like such a form of expression. It's going
to be sexy, it's going to be like a little
pow pow, a little bit of like love, a little
bit of everything. But I really think now it's making

(01:17:05):
others like really respected, Like wow, look what just happened
at Barclay's. I mean, we was viral for two weeks.
Nobody was I forgot Coachella was going on. Did you
you realize that?

Speaker 1 (01:17:18):
I did not know until must be a week later.
I'm like, waitch happening? I had no clue?

Speaker 2 (01:17:23):
Yeah, they said nobody. People were like nobody was thinking
about it because if you went on social media, especially Instagram,
that's all it was was the concert. And since we
had back to back days, it was like the Friday
and Saturday fighting each other back and that's all you
saw was party reggae fest, but Barclay Center, that's all
you saw on Like, I just saw something yesterday. I'm like,

(01:17:45):
it's not done yet, it's still going strong. I mean you,
I mean you haven't have you noticed that song Shaken
to the Mess? How crazy that song went after a
particle concert. Yes, it's like yo, got they noticed that.

Speaker 1 (01:18:00):
It was everywhere after that.

Speaker 2 (01:18:02):
And now the songs it's now like number one now,
it's even number one in Jamaica. I think I saw
yesterday something it's on number one Spotify for for Caribbean
or something. Yeah, so just that, it's sometimes it takes that.
This is what happens when we're are people are able
to perform and large it just helps our music and
you know, it helps everything. It's you don't see dance

(01:18:25):
hall too much on the major charts like that, but
that's because because we don't have it where we have
these arena shows all the time and people can sit
there and share it and make stuff, you know, make
people want to download.

Speaker 1 (01:18:38):
The song exactly, you know what I mean. Days Yeah, yeah,
so so.

Speaker 2 (01:18:44):
At the end of the day. I just I love
the way uh dance hall is just looking right now,
like I love like everybody is talking about it. I'm
glad that everybody's giving everybody their flowers. Yes, you know
and people yeah so and and I'm proud of all
the artists that you know what I mean that they're
like they're getting there. They're just yeah, they're getting to

(01:19:06):
be getting paid to because they could turn around here
and ask for more money now and they could say
I've deserved this. One thing Elephant Man told me. Elephant
Man told me years ago, like CJ, you know what
I hate is when they want to pay me to
come out and perform with this little bit of money.
See they like, He's like, it's just it's just it's disrespectful,

(01:19:28):
you know, to pay somebody in the amount he said
was solo. I just I was like, what he said,
they want me to go and and perform for that,
I'm like what And and he was saying, you one
of the first ones who paid me good he said
that years ago. Yeah, and and and he said he
just didn't want to go back to that. You know,

(01:19:49):
it wasn't worth it anymore to come from Jamaica to
fly into New York and do a show for some
little bit of money, you know what I mean. So now,
so now I am noticing that because I see how
much you know, people are making. Artists are making more now.
Dantall artists are making more now than they ever have. Yeah,
they yeah, they have because I know everybody's pricing and
you will not believe this COVID helped them. I'm gonna

(01:20:10):
tell you that something about COVID switched it. I don't
know what happened, but it's like I mean, the promoters
don't like it either. Tho, I'm gonna tell you that
to be honest with you. And I mean so one
thing people got to understand too. Sometimes our ticket prices
are up there because we do have a budget with
the artists. We have to pay all every artist on
a show, you know what I mean. So so keep

(01:20:32):
so keep that in mind too. But I said, Dantall
has a bright future cuz I'm gonna tell you I
got stuff already planned for next year too, Like I mean,
Labor Day, Labor Day weekend. Tell your listeners just a
buckle up, because Labor Day weekend. I'm not playing any
games Friday. The only thing I'm saying is Friday Saturday.
I got Barkley Center for Friday and Saturday Labor Day.

(01:20:53):
I'm not dropping. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not dropping.
I'm not dropping the show until after my Bounty Killer
show on July fifth. That's just where you as show
and fifteen years. So my lineup is so oh like
it's so that I gotta wait. I just gotta wait.
I just, I just It's gonna be a lot. It's

(01:21:13):
gonna be a lot for Dancehall to digest. It's gonna
be one of those moments. They're gonna be like, oh
my god, lord, I love this promoter. The promoters are
going to be so sick of me. Promoters are gonna
be sick of me when they see this. They're like,
oh here she go, Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1 (01:21:27):
But I love that.

Speaker 2 (01:21:28):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:21:28):
I think this is really the year of dance Hall.
And it is said you have upcoming shows in Atlanta, Baltimore, Brooklyn.
So what is expect because these are all going to
be different shows. I know, the Atlanta and Baltimore show
is Vibes Cartel, right, and then Brooklyn is Bounty Killer

(01:21:48):
and will be Vibes Cartel again or is it just
Reggie Fast or you're not well.

Speaker 2 (01:21:54):
Well well well well for for for Bounty Killer that's
on July. Yeah, July fifth, that's happened. I can't really
say what's happened on those two shows because I have
to wait for it to be announced. I mean, I
might tell you afterwards, but but she's like yeah, yeah, yeah,
you know. But but I will say this. I'm going

(01:22:16):
to like it's going to be one of the weekends
that everybody's gonna be talking about when I dropped these two.
I'm gonna drop this Saturday Night. I'm dropping this Saturday
Night event first and let that rock out for like
a week or two, and then I'm gonna drop off
the Friday and everything. Yeah, I just this is is

(01:22:38):
going to be the Reggae Fest weekend. It's just like
you know, I usually do it a lot. I mean
I usually do it earlier. I like to, but since
I have Bounty I kind of have to wait a
little bit because I'm gonna get past that because I
want to kind of warn promoters before they try to
do something that weekend. I try to do that because

(01:22:59):
I don't want people spending and they're like, Lord, have mercy.
What did she just drop? Because it's like that. It's
one of these things where you you might want to
fall back a little bit.

Speaker 1 (01:23:11):
Yeah, just relax if I want to, just hold your seat.

Speaker 2 (01:23:14):
And I will say that for the Saturday, for the
Saturday night, the headliner will not be announced until he
gets on stage. I Am not announcing the headliner until
he gets on stage. That's never been done before.

Speaker 1 (01:23:27):
Oh my gosh, this is.

Speaker 2 (01:23:32):
With that being said, my lineup must be really strong
without the headliner for me to do something like that. Okay,
so that means my lineup is strong to say that.
So you're gonna on the strength of the lineup, You're
gonna buy tickets. The headline is just icing on the cake. Geez,

(01:23:53):
I ran out. I ran that by this manager. He's like,
I don't know, I don't know. C J. I said, no,
we doing this, he and we don't have to be
announced and said no, we just just show up. I
got this. They were like okay, they said, okay, that's
what you want to do.

Speaker 1 (01:24:09):
You're doing innovative things in this space because stuff like
this doesn't you have to.

Speaker 2 (01:24:15):
You you you have to I love what I do.
I love to see the people's smiles on their faces.
I even get the concert recorded. Barkley Center records the
whole show for me and I haven't even watched it yet.
Like I get to see it from the front of
the stage. They recorded for me, so I get to
sit back, and I sit back and I'll watch it
one day and just like, yeah, I spend that. You

(01:24:39):
could spend money to have them do that. They they'll
record it. You gotta pay for it, yeah, because a
lot of people don't want to pay those those fees
that haven't done. But this is history, and this is
something I could look at back years ago to just say,
you know what I built, or even if I want
to do a documentary, I had that food, you know
what I mean. I have footage from every concert I
have ever done. I have that from two thousand and fifteen.

(01:25:02):
I said everything that is amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:25:05):
Honestly, I'm just so before we transition to our final segment,
I've been allowing my guests to ask me one question
this season because the guests don't get to ask anything. So,
is there anything that you'd like to ask me?

Speaker 2 (01:25:22):
How would that? Harvard being a Caribbean woman.

Speaker 1 (01:25:25):
Oh, I love that question. I absolutely loved it. And
I will say I think a lot of my experience
because I did my master's there. I think that made
a difference because I was dealing with persons that had already,
you know, worked a little bit, or they were just
more into their adult life. So they came there with
the same goal, like they wanted to learn, wanted to

(01:25:47):
learn about different cultures, about different ways of thinking, and
I just I love learning. So I loved the space
of being around different persons where I could show up
as myself. I wasn't brought up to show up in
spaces like even at Ivy League school and change the
way I speak, So the same way you hear me
speaking now is the same way I would speak in class.

(01:26:09):
And I love that they were so interested to know
where I'm from, and when I said Jamaica, like they
were so excited to learn more about it. And what
really did it for me? And part of the reason
why I even started this podcast is because it gave
them another perspective of Jamaica. Because when people ask me
about Jamaica, I talk about all the gamuts of Jamaica,

(01:26:29):
the rural areas, you know, uptown, downtown, education, Like you know,
how you can live in the poorest part of Jamaica,
but your school uniform is going to be clean and pressed.
Like we don't play when it comes to education or
when it comes to God. You know, just things I
could tell them about my culture just by showing up
in those spaces as myself, you know what I mean.

(01:26:51):
I didn't have to wear a flag or I didn't
have to scream I was Jamaica, but I didn't change
the way that I spoke, and I think a lot
of persons respect did that, And to me, it was
just a reminder that even though we're living in America,
and even though you know, we're in spaces where we
might feel like we have to assimilate or conform, people
appreciate when you show up as who you are because

(01:27:13):
there's already so many people in the world that are similar.
Why wouldn't you want to be who you are and
stand out, you know? So I loved it As a
Caribbean woman. I loved that I got to learn so much.
I think I got to learn so much about myself.
And like I said to you offline, you know, when
I did the project about violence against women in the

(01:27:35):
Caribbean diaspora. That really opened my eyes to a lot
of things, you know, that I didn't even know. And
so that's why this space means so much to me,
because I love that people can just listen and can
find inspiration from women like you that you know, have
a Jamaican background and have been able to really just

(01:27:56):
be so successful and not out of greed, but also
having character and out of having empathy for people, and
out of just wanting to achieve your goals and doing
so in a manner that doesn't put down other people.
I think it's very important for people to.

Speaker 2 (01:28:11):
Hear that, Yeah, I hear you. Yeah, because I was
impressed by that. I was like, okay, I was reading
you know, yeah, I said, she'll get an interview.

Speaker 1 (01:28:25):
I'm so honored that you chose me. But thank you.
I really do appreciate that because for me, you know,
it's it's just inspiring. I love seeing women win and
be ambitious, and then when you're of Caribbean descent at that,
it's just to me, it just makes me want to
do more, and you know, it's encouraging, you know, and
especially talking to you and getting to know you and

(01:28:46):
to hear and feel like you can feel people's energy
that you're a good person. That just makes it the
icing on the cake. Because you meet some people I'm
sure you know, you know we've been in this bit
around this business, and you're you actually wish you didn't
meet them because they end up not being a very
nice person.

Speaker 2 (01:29:01):
You know. Let me tell you, you know, I let
me tell you. I even this year I made I
made that mistake and letting somebody get close, and I
was just like, wow, you have no idea why, Like
it's been a long time since I let someone come around.
And they were like not for me, like really like

(01:29:22):
not despising me as a promoter, like just like like jealousy.
And I'm like, what, I thought it was good? And
and then you find out like this person almost wants
to be you. That's why I just tell people you
got to really be Also, I got I got a
big shout out to my American side too, because I'm
half in half let everybody yeah, yeah, I think that.

(01:29:45):
That's why I say yes, wait, wait wait, I'll say
you know what I'm saying, because that's my little my
other have to always tell people I'm honest. Yeah, yeah,
and and but at the end of the day, it's
just like you you just gotta be careful with your energy.
And I really believe what you put out there, you

(01:30:06):
really get it back. And for anybody who's really trying,
I would say, just don't give up. You're gonna go
through these storms. You're going to go through them in
every aspect of your life, you know what I mean.
Because I lost my mother. She passed, it'd be three
years in a month, So one thing I know, yeah, yeah,

(01:30:29):
but you know what, I'm able. This is the first
Mother's Day that I'm able to celebrate her like, this
is the this is the one where I'm just like, oh,
no more tears. I'm happy. I'm like, man, she would
be proud of me right now and stuff like that,
and she'll be like, oh, oh really you're doing this,
you know what I mean. But this is all the
stuff that I knew I would do eventually, but I

(01:30:51):
didn't know it was going to be this big. I
had no idea that God was going to bless me
like this. And one thing I think it's very important
it is us to have faith. Because a lot of
people stopped talking about God and man, he's here, guys,
he is here because let me tell you, I was
in a I was in a down when my mom passed.

(01:31:11):
It was not it was something that came very fast.
She got sick, but you know, and it was very fast,
and I lost my mom and I my life. I
didn't even know if I wanted to be around anymore
because that was my best friend. And let me tell
you who got it through. And my dad passed already,
so I'm thinking by I lost both of my parents early.
So so my thing is like I just say, hey,

(01:31:32):
I still got God. That's my father. I still have him.
And and that's what kept me going because one day
I said, man, I still got God. I gotta get
it together. I got to pull through. Yeah, I gotta
pull through. Because when you're yeah, because you at a
certain agent, you're the one who's lost your parents. You
don't know you you nobody. You know, your your friend's

(01:31:54):
parents are still here, your mom, friend's moms are still here.
There's things that no one can understand that so you
have to go through a lot of stuff, especially the
only child like my dad, he had my brother and sister,
you know, or what have you, but to still to
still be that strong and you have to fight for
it and then you're gonna be okay. And I'm gonna
tell you, I didn't know it was gonna be okay,
but that reggaefest, being in different cities, traveling so much.

(01:32:17):
That kept me going a lot because I was so
busy that I had to just you know, when I
had nothing to do for the weekends. Oh, the brief
would come. But at the end of the day, you
just believe in that and prayer and just believe in
God to get you where you're gonna be. And I'm
telling you, I'm a I'm definitely a product of Him
blessing me and just saying, hey, you hang in there,

(01:32:38):
and I got you. Yep. I really believe in you.
Gotta listen to him. Just that that feeling that we
get sometimes guys in your stomach, in your head. Usually
that's kind of talking to you. So you gotta pay
attention to that. If you feel like something's not for you,
leave it alone.

Speaker 1 (01:32:54):
Oh my gosh, in tears right now, God, Jesus, but
you're so.

Speaker 2 (01:33:04):
Please, please, but please, if it's not for you, do
not You'll know it. Trust the people around you, Be
careful your energy. Just really really have a relationship with God,
because I'm telling you, He's the reason why I am
where I am. I'm not perfect. I'm going to make mistakes,

(01:33:27):
but at the end of the day, I know my
heart and I'm a good person and I will give
people my last and you ask anybody in my life,
I'm the most giving person. I want people around me
to be blessed. You can't take this stuff with you
when you go treat people a certain way. But again,
like i said, have a relationship with God, because I'm

(01:33:48):
telling you, there's times I had to just pray on
something and I had to pray on it and say
I'll give it to you and I move on from
it and let him handle it. And he does. And
that's how I know he's He's working everything, because there's
no way like I just say God, I really, hey,
say what you want to say. God. Even when I
went down to uh to Jamaica for the cartel, I

(01:34:09):
prayed on that. I did. I prayed on that and
I said, I hope I get this, like like it
was a job interview, because it was a job interview.
When I went there to meet him it was so so.
And then and don't fear no men, don't fear nobody
you you you can't do that. And just when you
think when I guarantee you, just when you think you

(01:34:30):
at your breaking point, I promise you, just pray on
it and you're gonna be okay. And I always think
that there's other people got things going on a lot
worse than you. There's some people who ain't gonna eat tonight.
There's some people unfortunately has lost like they're they're burying somebody.
You you don't know why you're here, but while you're
on this planet, just do right by others, like for real.

(01:34:53):
And also even it no matter how much money you have,
just be humble, please, because that stuff can really change
real quick.

Speaker 1 (01:35:01):
I know that.

Speaker 2 (01:35:02):
I know that. And and and and then if people
don't like you, you like yourself, yep, you know. So
we just really got to just make sure we take
care of us our mental health. If you need to
talk to somebody, have somebody who you can trust, and
don't trust everybody with everything, you know. And I'm just
telling you. And and this is just stuff that I learned,

(01:35:22):
because guys, I learned a lot being a woman in
this industry. It is something else because they don't. They don't.
They don't like us out here, you know what I mean.
So you gotta understand it. You gotta really, you know,
be in too much yourself and love and loved yourself,
and and like I said again for the fifth time,

(01:35:43):
have a good relationship with God because he can take
care of everything that you think you can't. I promise
you that. I promise you that.

Speaker 1 (01:35:51):
Oh gosh, that's so beautifully said. I didn't come here
to cry.

Speaker 2 (01:35:54):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:35:58):
Why you crying because you know why? Because I feel
like that's something that needs to be reiterated. And the
reason that I'm saying reiterated because somehow on this podcast,
like every episode, we end up saying something along those lines,
and it's obviously not planned, like you're just saying what

(01:36:18):
you want to say. You had no clue what questions
I was going to ask you. It just happens. And
I feel that, you know, people have said it to me.
But I also feel like God is very much in
this podcast because people come on here and say things
that I feel that people really need to hear, you know,
myself included, Like sometimes you just need that reminder, and

(01:36:39):
so I just feel like, I just hope I should
say that somebody heard what you just blessed us with
and feels just good about that, you know, or feels
empowered or doesn't feel as sad as maybe they felt
before they started listening to this episode. You know, your
words are just very powerful. So yeah, that's why I'm
a little bit more but still a bad gal, just

(01:37:01):
saying just saying no, that was beautifully said.

Speaker 2 (01:37:09):
Let me tell you something. One thing I noticed when
you people people like, let's just say for the party
side of Reggae Fest, when when when people you have
no idea what people are going through in their life
when they step in your event. You don't know where
what they're pushing through, what they're going through, you know,

(01:37:30):
So just understand that that person might be trying to
get past something, you know. So yeah, you you don't
know that, you know. So that's why I'm saying, you know,
people just just peep and those people stay with you.
There's so many people who over the years told me,
this girl was like, oh, I remember you back in
the days I was in college and I only had

(01:37:51):
ten dollars to get into your party, and they price
went up a little bit more, and you came upstairs
and you made sure they got into the party. I
was like, what I was like, cause I really don't
remember a lot of stuff. Yeah, you did that, and
I was and they remember that. And then she still
will be coming into Reggae Fest and she's grown now
and married, and she'll be, you know, popping her bottle
in another city or something, you know what I mean. So, yeah,

(01:38:13):
you just don't know how you touch people. That's why
I say, And I really think that's why Reggae Fest
keeps selling out around the country. And that goes back
to my mom always told me, you you better treat
people right. She always say, Cassandra, always treat people right,
you know what I mean, Always do that, treat them right.
So you you know, it's just the way it's supposed
to be, because, believe it or not, a lot of

(01:38:34):
times we are a reflection of our parents. It could
be bad or good. It just depends on who your
parents are, so you know what I mean. But she
just always taught me treat people right because this person
might not have yes a little you know. When I
was younger, I asked her, my mom about you know
certain somebody we knew, and how the kids stay their
clothes was you know, a certain way you know? And

(01:38:55):
she's like, oh, maybe you know because sometimes when the
parents don't have certain things, you know. I said, okay,
because this is something that's you know, a little word.
I asked, you know, because you like that. And then
I said, well, mom, can I give them this? She
goes and you go ahead, do you want? So that's
how I was so like, like I said, we are
reflection and I'm glad she just raised me to be
that type of person, to just she raised me and

(01:39:19):
she didn't even know what she was raising me for.
And I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't know
if I'm supposed to do reggae fast for another reason,
I don't know that. I don't know why God has
blessed me with this power over a lot of people.
Because my email list is over one hundred and some thousand,
that's a lot of people I can reach. So I
don't know why. But I'm just here to do what

(01:39:39):
I was supposed to do and I'm gonna try to
do it as best as I can. I'm not perfect,
but like I said, because I made mistakes too. But
but when I do, I say, I'm sorry. Some people
can't do that, you know, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah,
And then and then, like I said, I'm having events
with an amazing artist. Vibes is so cool, his personality

(01:39:59):
is amazing. Then I could joke with him, I could
face up to him. No, seriously, we match up really
well together. And and if you guys ever meet him
or something like that, this man out of him and Spice,
I think I would have to say Elephant Man. No,
he's another one. By the way, I managed Elephant Man,
by the way, artists. Yeah, he jumped on board. He's

(01:40:22):
like c J. Yes, it's hard. Yeah, he's a different
type of character. He's the funniest he's the funniest guy
in the world. But he's comfortable with me. He respects me,
he respects so yeah. But yeah, yeah, yeah. But like
I said, I'm here for the long ride. Uh, I'm not.
I'm not not trying to sell reggae fast, not now,
because you know, you know, I've been asked already. But

(01:40:44):
I love what I do and I'm I'm keeping it
for the culture.

Speaker 1 (01:40:50):
For our last segment, I'm going to another one. Okay,
last segment. I didn't realize we would talk so much,
but this was amazing, Like, I'm just so yes, I'm
so inspired by you. But anyway, I'll get to that
in the end. So for our last segment, I'm going
to ask you seven rapid fire questions, so you answer

(01:41:10):
very quick. First thing that comes to me, Okay, no, no,
it's gonna be fun. Of course, you know my statu
it's gonna be fun.

Speaker 2 (01:41:21):
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:41:21):
So the first question, what is a song that you
can play that reminds you who you are, like gives
you that empowerment.

Speaker 2 (01:41:29):
Feel don't don't don't I think it's September.

Speaker 1 (01:41:32):
September.

Speaker 2 (01:41:33):
It is September. Okay, it is September. I didn't think
it was I didn't. I didn't think it was.

Speaker 1 (01:41:38):
September there, but now that I'm just thinking about okay, so.

Speaker 2 (01:41:43):
Good, good, Yeah, September by earth Wind and five.

Speaker 1 (01:41:46):
Okay, perfect, love that all right. If you were not
in the entertainment space, what do you think you'd be
doing right now as a career.

Speaker 2 (01:41:57):
A comedian or would be yes, yes, yes, I have
a whole other side. Yeah. My staff would say that.

Speaker 1 (01:42:07):
Oh my gosh, brilliant.

Speaker 2 (01:42:09):
I love that.

Speaker 1 (01:42:10):
I'm sure people wouldn't expect that.

Speaker 2 (01:42:11):
I love that.

Speaker 1 (01:42:12):
All right? One artist deceased or alive? Would you drop
would you drop everything to produce a show for which artists?
Oh my gosh, CJ. If you make that happen, I
will have to be in the front row. Yes, that
would be did it quickly like you already already had

(01:42:33):
that in your dreams.

Speaker 2 (01:42:36):
That's a bucket match.

Speaker 1 (01:42:39):
From your mouth to God's ears. It's gonna happen. I
heard it here first, is all right? Next question, what's
your favorite thing to do when you're completely like off
the grid, like on vacation away from work. What's your
favorite thing to do?

Speaker 2 (01:42:56):
Watch HDTV?

Speaker 1 (01:42:58):
Really do you like doing?

Speaker 2 (01:43:00):
I love to watch. I like to watch. I like
to watch people fits their home. Gonna gives me ideas, Yeah,
I love I love. I love to watch that because
I think I'm for my next home. I'm going to
build it from Yeah, I think I'm gonna go in
there and and build something amazing. That's why I watch
it all the time, because it gives me ideas and

(01:43:22):
things like that. Second runner up is I like to
watch just just to sit back and watch TV because
I don't get to do it that often because I'm
so busy, So I like to just watch a Netflix
movie or something, because I don't really get to watch
TV because I'm literally working twenty four seven as an entrepreneur.

Speaker 1 (01:43:44):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that you don't get any days off.
That makes perfect sense.

Speaker 2 (01:43:47):
Yeah, always working.

Speaker 1 (01:43:49):
Second to last question, what is your favorite Jamaican food?

Speaker 2 (01:43:56):
Ox tail? I didn't wait gonna saying that.

Speaker 1 (01:44:00):
You said it quick too.

Speaker 2 (01:44:01):
I had it last night. Okay, let me.

Speaker 1 (01:44:04):
Ask you the key question though. Are you an oxtail
and white rice person or oxtail and rice and peace
and people? Okay, yes, CJ. Because I don't know how
people do the white rice. No judgment, but yeah, I
don't care. Has to be and peace.

Speaker 2 (01:44:20):
Yeah, I'm gonna be honest with you. I eat it
like twice a week, twice, maybe three times, maybe three times.
Oh my gosh, well, well this is a this is
the crazy thing after rag. This is the weird. My
team don't understand it. The day after each reggae festive
from home, I have to eat oxtail is weird. I
don't know why I have to have a tail every
day after event. I don't know why it's I have

(01:44:43):
to have it. I mean if I'm home, if I'm
traveling because we're in a different but I have to
have oxtail. We sometimes I'll do it too, depends which
city we're in, but I have to have oxtail. I
don't know, it's just I don't know why nothing else
with our tail. Yeah, it's weird.

Speaker 1 (01:44:59):
We I love that. Okay. Final question, when everything is
quiet and there's no shows and no crowd and all
of that, what are you most proud of when you
look in the mirror.

Speaker 2 (01:45:13):
On my bank account?

Speaker 1 (01:45:14):
You know what, CJ, I'm serious. I can't marriage. I
thought you were this d.

Speaker 2 (01:45:37):
You know what.

Speaker 1 (01:45:38):
You just have to talk to things. You know, it's
called let's talk the thing. So you have to be honest, you.

Speaker 3 (01:45:43):
Go honest, like I got me crying right now, sus
because Yeah, because because I work hard, and and the
thing about it.

Speaker 2 (01:45:58):
Like I'm just like man like an and the thing
about it, I can I can always say if anything
ever happened, I can take care of my whole big family. Yeah,
different generations and anything. If anything happens on this Yeah,
if anything happened on this earth, because there's so much
going on and stuff and this you got forbid the
second COVID or something. I know my family is good
because I can take care of everybody and that and that,

(01:46:19):
and that makes me feel happy that my family doesn't
have to work, want for nothing. And that's like my
mother's brother's fourteen brothers and sisters, big family. Like yeah, yeah,
so yeah, my grandpa and grandma they was getting on.
I say, they was not playing vains. Your American side, oh,

(01:46:39):
don't even get me start with that one. But we
can do that the American side. You really want to
go there? Okay, you want to go there? Seven? Okay,
don't it don't sound safe. It's gonna make my mom's
side of the family look like what my grandfather. Oh
my god, seven and seven and seven over here, let's
go to the Jamaican So okay, let let's get it. No, no, no, okay,

(01:47:04):
I will tell you my dad's family. Okay. I'm just
my dad's side matched to fourteen and his father over.

Speaker 1 (01:47:11):
There had a whole lord with a.

Speaker 2 (01:47:14):
Whole another group of the mom I'm like, yeah, so
he did. They won? Yes, Oh my gosh, yeah, you
I'm like, oh, you think that's something. No, that's listen,
it's not bad. It's not it's not bad. It's elephant man.
Because he's in the thirties. He got he's in the thirties, thirty.
So yeah, so it's not bad like that. It's not bad.

(01:47:35):
It's nowhere near that. CJ.

Speaker 1 (01:47:42):
This time I have to give you my little speech.
I'm going to keep it together though. All right, all right,
Sadly this concludes the episode. But CJ, I hope you
recognize that you are an inspiration for so many women,
particularly Caribbean women myself, and and you're not just producing concerts.

(01:48:03):
You're producing what I would like to think of as
cultural clarity. You know, you're showing up in the world
that you're showing the world sorry that behind every ridden,
every baseline, every pull up, is an economy, a legacy,
and a future worth investing in. I think that you're
proving that women, especially Caribbean women, in the dance hall

(01:48:27):
and reggae space, don't have to ask to be in
the space. They can own the stage, the vision, and
most importantly, the business behind it. So I want to
thank you for not waiting for permission and for reminding
us that the future of dancehall and reggae music isn't

(01:48:48):
something we need to hope for. It's something that we build,
and you are building it show by show. You You're welcome.
And is there anything that you would like to share
with our audience or anything you know you'd like to
say before we go?

Speaker 2 (01:49:09):
Sure, I'm just gonna run down what we have coming
up on the concert For the concerts, not really the
dance parties because they are fine, But for the concerts,
We've got Vibe Cartel coming, Vibees Cartel coming up June
sixth in Atlanta at State Farm Arena. That's looking amazing.
Then on July fifth, we have the legendary bouncy Killer,

(01:49:36):
you know what I mean, the Godfather, the Warlord. Then
we have July twenty sixth, we got the World Boss
back again and he is there at CF It's called
CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, July twenty sixth, like I said,
And then and then Reggae Fest Massive weekend Friday August

(01:49:59):
twenty nine and Saturday August thirtieth. I believe that is
the date, and that's a weekend you do not want
to miss. And I think that I think I'm in
like that there might be a couple other more concients
coming up, but I'm not even going to go there yet.
But right now, that's what we have going on right.

Speaker 1 (01:50:18):
Now, Okay, perfect, perfect, Well you guys heard it here.
Make sure you put those dates aside. We don't know
what's going to happen, but we're all on pins and
needles to see And I want to thank you so
much again for coming CJ. I had an amazing time
talking with you.

Speaker 2 (01:50:34):
Thank you for having me, Thank you for having me.
Ash

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Building Stages for Legends, and a Legacy of Her Own | Ft. CJ Milan

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Building Stages for Legends, and a Legacy of Her Own | Ft. CJ Milan