Marlon Griffith, once a popular nightlife entertainer, is preparing to make a comeback to the local entertainment scene after an almost 10-year hiatus.
Griffith, known as “Entertainer Marlon,” said it was the rapid change in the nightlife culture that forced him to take a step back from the business.
Griffith noted that he became interested in the entertainment scene and playing music at the age of 16. As he got older, he worked with popular sound systems, like, “Inner City”, “Rockers” and “Sonic Boom”. It was through his work with “Sonic Boom” that “Entertainer Marlon” was born.
He said he was eventually given the opportunity to become a featured entertainer at “The Edge Lounge,” where “Ladies Night” on Wednesdays was birthed and became a popular feature. He noted that subsequently he went on to host a number of popular events, which included “Bosses Wear Horses,” which was an event aimed at persons who loved the Polo brand and the “AX Armani Exchange,” which was an event aimed at lovers of the Armani Exchange brand.
“The entertainment arena would have started to evolve and how the entertainment environment was getting, it wasn’t my understanding or vibes about entertainment,” Griffith said, explaining one of the reasons why he decided to step back from the scene.
He noted that during that time he noticed that the nightlife became overly influenced by the Jamaican dancehall culture. This continued during his hiatus and he noted that he witnessed the Guyana nightlife become very vulgar.
Griffith stated that lyrics which popular dancehall artistes would sing and the chants used by popular DJs at shows and parties became vulgar and created “unrest” at the events, which he believes influence attendees to behave in a disorderly and uncouth manner. “It has gotten too lawless. There is no decorum when it comes to entertainment now. The kind of music the DJs play, the lyrics, the chants… it creates so much unrest,” Griffith said.
According to Griffith, he feels like it is now the right time to make a return to the entertainment scene in Guyana and put his knowledge and years of experience to good use. He added that persons who have attended events that he hosted during his prime frequently enquire about when he would return and bring quality entertainment back to the local entertainment scene. As a result, his intention is to bring good, clean and fun events to Guyanese patrons.
Griffith will be making his official return with a new event, called the “Jerk Reggae Jam,” which is billed for November 26th at The Jerk Bar, located at the corners of South Road and Cummings Street, Georgetown. He noted that the event will feature prerecorded live concerts of reggae stars, like Richie Spice, Anthony B, Popcaan and Koffee. He noted that his aim with the event is to show an appreciation for reggae music, which he calls music with meaning and not have a DJ on the microphone talking over the music. “Reggae is a genre of music that everybody loves, even the kids would sing along,” he said.
Griffith added that the event is aimed at persons who have an appreciation for Reggae Music and would like to relax after a hard day’s work while enjoying the feel of live concerts. “The whole idea is to bring a different kind of vibe to a bar setting. It’s for you to come out after a hard day’s work and free your mind while listening to some reggae music,” he explained.
He went on to say that he and the team working on the event hope to make it a monthly event in hopes of reigniting Guyanese patrons love for the reggae genre and also to possibly open the avenue for the hosting of more reggae concerts in Guyana.
