Aug. 29, 2023 By Bill Parry
After making the scene at the Governors Ball festival at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in June and rubbing elbows with LL Cool J during his homecoming Rock the Bells extravaganza at Forest Hills Stadium in August, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards is squeezing in two more concert events before the end of summer.
Richards is bringing back his “Queens Live!” free concert series beginning with “Reggae on the Boardwalk” on Sunday, Sept. 3 at the new Rockaway Beach Amphitheatre and culminating with a community concert headlined by The Lost Boyz on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Springfield Park, as part of the ongoing celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.’
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards with LL Cool J at Forest Hills Stadium in August.Photo courtesy of BP’s office
The event will be a homecoming for The Lost Boyz, formed in 1993 by Freaky Tah, Mr. Cheeks, Pretty Lou and Spigg Nice. The four friends grew up in the South Jamaica area and began rapping together when they were teenagers. The Lost Boyz were significant players in the golden era of East Coast hip-hop, scoring several hits around the time of their 1996 debut. Following a lengthy hiatus, a new iteration of Lost Boyz formed in the late 2010s, resurfacing in 2019 with the new mixtape, Next Generation.
Reggae on the Boardwalk offers a traditional reggae sound-system event in a family-friendly outdoor setting, featuring legendary Jamaican emcees and DJs spinning vinyl records. The tunes are played from a 10-foot-tall sound system, or a wall of speakers — the kind of which constitute an important aspect of Jamaican music history — operated by Chanter “The Timeless Sound.” This weekend’s performances include DJ’s Sir Tommy, WiFiOG, Jah Earl, Baddamon, Amy Wachtel, and Chanter The Timeless Sound with Prezident Carter.
Founded in Coney Island in 2010 by Carter Van Pelt, a WCKR DJ and curator who works for Queens-based VP Records, Reggae on the Boardwalk celebrates the popular Jamaican genre and highlights local performing artists, bringing together multicultural audiences for memorable afternoons of music and dancing. After years of performances in Brooklyn and the Bronx, Reggae on the Boardwalk came to Queens for the first time in 2021.
“I don’t know a better way to cap off summer in Queens than with music and community, which is why I’m thrilled ‘Queens Live!’ is back for our friends and family to enjoy together,” Richards said. “This is a special year, as we not only bring back our beloved Reggae on the Boardwalk, but we also come together to celebrate Queens’ place in hip hop history with the Lost Boyz. Come enjoy great music, great energy and create great memories with us.”
Both of the concerts are free to attend, open to the public and do not require registration in advance.” Queens Live!” is produced in partnership with NYC Parks and the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College.
Sunday’s Reggae on the Boardwalk will take place at the Rockaway Beach Amphitheatre that opened this past spring at Shore Front Parkway and Beach 94th Street. It will include performances by DJ’s Sir Tommy, WiFiOG, Jah Earl, Baddamon, Amy Wachtel, and Chanter The Timeless Sound with Prezident Carter. From 3 to 7 p.m.
The Lost Boyz homecoming concert in Springfield Park at 146th Avenue gets underway at 4 p.m.until 8 p.m. with performances by Dennis Kellman & Glaze the MC, Royal Flush, DJ Von Thugg, and DJ Godfingaz