Why This Year’s Jamrock Cruise Hit Different

The Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise isn't just a party — it's a family reunion on steroids. And for its 10th anniversary voyage, the vibes were destined to be monumental. Hosted by the legendary Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, this year's trip was meant to celebrate a decade of reggae royalty while sailing the Caribbean Sea’s bright turquoise waters, straight to Jamaica. But because of an unforeseen natural disaster, it became something else, too.

As the ship prepared to sail, Hurricane Melissa swept across the Caribbean, forcing a last-minute reroute to Cozumel, Mexico. That shift became the defining tension of the cruise — a powerful mix of joy and celebration layered with concern for the island. But like always, the music — and the spirit of reggae — came through.

Here is a look back at the week, sailing with the legends and the global family that loves them.

Day 1: Setting Sail

The energy on embarkation day was palpable: a mix of disappointment, anxiety and defiant excitement. News quickly spread that due to the hurricane's impact, scheduled headliners Sizzla and Ding Dong would not be making the voyage. Though a serious blow, the spirits remained high. I guess great music can have that effect.

Aboard the ship, the atmosphere immediately settled into something familiar and comforting: a massive, floating backyard cookout. The air was thick with weed smoke, jerk chicken, rum punch and oldies. The musical selection was heavy on deep roots and ’90s dancehall. This 10th-anniversary run felt extra festive.

The Vibe: Generally, the cruise felt like a summertime backyard cookout where all of your cousins and good-looking friends came over. Everybody has on their fly summer clothes and new sneakers. Your parents, aunts and uncles pop in and out to dance with y’all and let you guys dance close. Maybe they let you take a “walk with your cousin,” unobstructed. You know the ones.

I spent the first day linking up with the DJs and artists, running around the decks with DJ Madout. At one point, I met Stephen and Julian Marley and their kids. They were mostly hanging out backstage and catching up with friends and cruisers. They were really laid back. But the standout encounter was with Steelie Bashment. He was backstage, lounging around, listening to the music and chopping it up with some of the performers for the night. For anyone who grew up listening to dancehall or coca on NYC radio during the 2000s, you already know his sets are legendary. I’d even go as far as saying he played a major role in shaping how our generation receives soca and dancehall music — and how we expect those sounds to be mixed. It was dope to see this musical giant casually enjoying the music behind the stage. He was a fan, too.

Between the food, drinks, the music, and um — other stuff — what really made the cruise fire was the global representation. The crowd was mostly Black, but you could see the diversity in the room — different backgrounds, different accents, same rhythm.

Predictably, everything was pretty much on 10 by the heart of the night. Then Super Cat pulled up and brought it to 12. If you didn’t know, here’s the rundown: growing up, Super Cat was a staple at family gatherings; as permanent as summer dominos or spades games at the kitchen table. I still remember my uncle skankin’ over in my grandma’s backyard with a bottle of Heineken, shouting “Don Dada” while grabbing my arm and making me turn up with him. Let’s just say Super Cat lived up to my memories.

Super Cat’s conditioning was as impressive as the music. A lot of his flows are fast-paced, so seeing him running through verses with no backing track without missing a beat was pretty crazy. Super Cat, indeed.

Day 2: Gym OGs, Workout Tips and Musical Legends

I started the day in the gym, a place where I consistently find camaraderie with older Jamaican or Dominican men. It’s always hilarious; we inevitably end up spotting each other and sharing workout tips. I even walked away with a new superset from a man whose name I regretfully forgot. It was cool to see Tarrus Riley and a few other artists getting it in as well. It felt like necessary maintenance when you’re on this particular cruise, which is like, by definition, a week-long cheat day. But even without the gym, I would’ve burned calories turning up. The performers made sure of that.

With performances from Warrior King and a set from the host himself, Day 2 was stacked. But, as usual for the cruise, the electricity was preceded by a measure of reflection. Before kicking off his set, Warrior King shared some sobering news: "I just lost my house while I’m here.” And yet there he was, holding us down. From the moment he jumped into “Can’t Get Me Down,” the crowd took over, singing along to every word. What could’ve felt heavy for everyone turned into something uplifting. Maybe even for Warrior King, too.

Hearing about the fate of his home, every song hit that much more, especially when he performed a love song to his wife, who was there with him on the trip. I LOL’d when he roasted dudes in the crowd looking for “companionship.” If they were looking for baddies, they didn’t have to look far. If they were looking to belong somewhere, they found it.

Later, Damian Marley took the stage, confirming why he is one of my favorite lyricists. If you don’t know, he has more BARS than a lot of your favorite rappers. His pen game is serious, his substance deep and he executed every track I wanted to hear with the poised confidence of a true legend. And then, night fell.

The evening’s theme was an all-white party — a beautiful visual of the entire ship dressed down and dripped out. Imagine one of those parties in the Hamptons, except it’s mostly Black folks. Soundtracking it all were the third-generation Marleys. 

Naturally, Skip and YG have always had hits, so I wasn’t exactly shocked when they tore the stage down. But it was fun tapping in with the younger Marleys, too. I discovered Mystic Marley had a dope song called “Sugar” that gave me amapiano vibes. Her voice was as stylish as it was seductive. Each Marley did a solo set, followed by a medley of Bob Marley’s tracks. There was something uniquely dope about seeing all of that talent coming out of one family. Bob would be proud.

The DJs and performers showed out, too, masterfully controlling and engaging the excited crowd. It was a movie — and this was just Act II.

Day 3: Cozumel, Vespas and Valiant

The shift in itinerary meant waking up in Cozumel, Mexico. I felt like doing a shore excursion, so I linked up with DJ Madout and we hit the road on Vespa scooters. We ended up racing through Cozumel’s city streets and a one-lane highway toward a private beach club, where we met up with some other Jamrock Cruise family. I also managed to sneak in a pleasant massage on the beach before heading back for the night's entertainment.

Of course, the news from Jamaica continued to trickle in, resulting in a complex mix of emotions on board, but the good vibes largely prevailed.

The night called for all black attire, and the crowd looked sharp.

I spent most of the first half of the cruise chilling backstage with the artists and DJs, but for the final stretch, it was time to get back to the heart of the crowd. Of course, it was pretty tightly packed with married couples and people waving flags, bussing blanks and letting off horns. The Bermuda section of the crowd had some of the most elaborate horns I’ve ever seen. We caught a great performance from Valiant before turning our focus to what everyone was anticipating: the sound clash — a live DJ competition packed with energy and crowd-shifting moments.

Day 4: The Clash and SHABBA!!

Point blank: the sound clash was it. Tony Matterhorn won again, but it was really close. Since it was Halloween day, Tony came out in a Darth Vader costume, while some of the other DJs came through with sombreros and ponchos. The showmanship and stage presence of Jamaican artists are second to none — their personalities are always on 10, delivering great jokes and hilarious commentary throughout the battle. The competitors basically used pop culture reference props to roast the competition. Hey, I laughed.

A sound clash is the sort of thing that’s obviously cool. The beats, the speaker systems. The dancing. All that. But it was clear all this was pretty meticulous. The dubplates had custom lyrics that had the entire crowd cracking up. Watching team captains Seani B, Jazzy T and Tony Matterhorn go at it was like seeing the three funniest kids in school clown each other, with each of them remixing songs from major artists into playful diss tracks.

The best part of the night was getting to see Shabba Ranks perform. Shabba’s voice and all-around presence remain powerful. For over 30 years, he’s been killing stages, but he put on a special, once-in-a-lifetime performance on that boat. His catalog is so vast that it’s easy to forget just how many hits you know until he starts playing them. He performed everything from “Ting-A-Ling” to “Caan Dun” and “Dem Bow.” He made jokes about still having the stamina of a 20-year-old, then proved it, hopping around the stage for almost an hour, while performing hit after hit. Shabba was one of the biggest — if not the biggest — dancehall artists of the ’90s, so seeing him in 2025 deliver the same high-energy performance, to no background track felt special. It was another callback to childhood.

Reflecting on the Voyage

The cruise is over now, but the feelings I have about it aren’t. Those are probably here to stay. When I think back on this trip, I’ll remember a lot. Aside from the food and fun, I’ll think about the people. The accents alone were like a pepper pot stew, with huge groups from Great Britain and a large and particularly vocal crew from Bermuda holding it down. Some of us were the same, others were different. But we were all right there. I guess you could say the rhythms connected us.

When I remember this cruise, I’ll think back to block parties and girls in jelly slippers. Of my aunt pulling up on one of the guys at our family parties and hitting them with an intense wine before walking away like nothing happened. You know, the good old days. Needless to say, I was jumping around the whole cruise — for all my aunts, uncles and island folks who couldn’t make it.

Peace,

Trav