First-ever Caribbean Music Awards held at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre
NEW YORK -- The first-ever Caribbean Music Awards were held in Brooklyn on Thursday.
The party started on the red carpet. Grammy Award winner and host Wyclef Jean and his dancers set the stage at Kings Theatre in Flatbush.
"It's a big movement. This is the first time that the Caribbean has decided to embrace each other," Jean said.
"This moment, the Caribbean deserves it. We deserve it," artist Mr. Killa said.
"It's our time now, right? Because the Caribbean like we came from, we've contributed so much, ... Think about that, right? The swag, the food, the fashion, with our dance," Jean said.
Watch Jennifer Bisram's report
The inaugural Caribbean Music Awards brought some of the biggest names in reggae, dancehall, kompa, zouk and soca music under the same roof.
"I'm glad that everybody could really come together and unite 'cause that's really all it's about at the end of the day -- unity," reggae artist Jada Kingdom said.
It was also a reunion for some on the red carpet
"I been to a lot of awards, but this belongs to us," Jamaican musician Spice said.
"The energy is beautiful. The energy is real," singer Mya said.
Fans got a glimpse of the stars before they entered the building for a night of glamour, excitement and Caribbean pride.
In addition to numerous awards, reggae legend Beres Hammond was honored with the Elite Icon Award for his decades-long contributions to enhancing reggae music.
"A lot of people are really excited to see this develop and grow into something even crazy and bigger," Trinidadian artist Kes said.
"No better time to celebrate the culture that we all have from all the different islands, but what we have brought to these shores and how effective we've been as a people, it reverts back home and it sets dreams and goals to all the people," Trinidadian artist Machel Montano said.
This is the perfect precursor to kick off the Labor Day weekend and ahead of the West Indian American Day Parade on Monday. One thing we found at the event -- all the folks there were excited to celebrate fellow artists.