The Apollo Series continues to fuse musical genres, art forms

The artiste showcase and open stage event The Apollo Series is back on Saturday, May 25, at The Haven, 12 Hillcrest Avenue. This sixth staging of the event, which was first held in January 2018, will feature Reggae artistes Giark and Blvk H3ro as well as the rapper and producer duo Five Steez and Mordecai.

Giark, the son of legendary Reggae producer Bobby Digital, has moved from behind the mixing board into the recording booth and onto the stage as he has been releasing his own music, the most recent single being a track called So Facetious. Blvk H3ro has also been riding a wave since the release of his debut album The Immortal Steppa, which has been carving a lane for him as one of Jamaica’s future rockers. Also on his own wave is Five Steez who recently appeared at the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival in Connecticut as part of The Council and will be performing songs from his new album Love N Art with Mordecai.

One of the most unique features of The Apollo Series is that each headlining act performs twice in what is referred to as ‘rotating sets’. Event host and organiser Simon the Writer says, “The rotating sets allow people to catch the act they came to see. It also allows the acts to make two presentations to the audience.”

The open stage is another signature feature of The Apollo Series. In addition to poets, singers, deejays, rappers and musicians of any kind, the event also accommodates dancers and just about any art form. These individuals are given five minutes each to showcase their talent and the persons usually vary from amateurs performing for the first time to seasoned veterans. “We would love to even have live painting on stage one day,” says Simon the Writer. “For now, we have a lot of artistes and poets that show interest.”

The Apollo Series prides itself on exposing, developing and unearthing Jamaica’s freshest talent. In the past, the event has featured acts such as Koro Fyah, The Council, Lila Ike and Aza Lineage. Gates for The Apollo Series open at 7 p.m. and show time is 8 p.m. Admission is only $500.

The Apollo Series is presented by A.C.T.I.O.N. Jamaica and is sponsored by The Haven, Main Event Entertainment Group and Marketing Plus Communications.