On Friday, February 16, Long Beach will host the 2024 Cali Vibes Festival, which will feature an authentic dancehall vibe with Stonebwoy and Proteje at the Boomyard Stage.
With its special blend of dancehall, reggae, and soca music from the Caribbean and Jamaica, one stage at the Cali Vibes festival is sure to light up the crowd as it returns for another year of incredible performances.
Once again, the Boomyard stage—curated by Leslie Cooney, a veteran A&R representative at Delicious Vinyl—will function as a bustling hub for artistes and fans to mingle.
Cooney, who has played a pivotal role in the development of the Boomyards brand and managing artistes such as Mr. Vegas, has assembled an elite roster that features both well-known and up-and-coming performers.
Along with performances by some of the biggest names in the genre, the Boomyard stage will host DJ sets by KrossFayah, DJ Daneekah, and Mr. Crooks.
Related stories
According to Cooney, “The idea was to create a place to commune and celebrate the records we were putting out. Boomyard became a way to play the records I was putting out by a lot of these young Caribbean acts and to meet up with local DJs and dancers. I made use of my connections with all of my friends, including Shaggy, Protoje, Mr. Vegas, and other well-known musicians who would just walk up to me and sing, and the party quickly gained momentum”.
The Boomyard stage this year will feature DJ sets from DJ Delano of Renaissance Sound, Krossfayah Sound, DJ Daneekah, and Mysta Crooks; Kabaka Pyramid, Lutan Fyah, Ghanaian artiste Stonebwoy; and Delicious Vinyl Island’s own Blvk H3ro and Yaadcore.
Delicious Vinyl Island’s first producer Cooney collaborated with was Jamaican DJ and singer Yaadcore, who plays at Boomyard.
The connection to Jamaican music dates back to the hip-hop-reggae group Born Jamericans, whose debut record, Kids from Foreign, was released on the label in 1994.
As the music industry evolved, Cooney’s priorities shifted to managing artistes like Mr. Vegas and Machel Montano, a soca star from Trinidad, as well as expanding the Boomyard brand.