Dancehall from the early 2000s is making a full-circle comeback, and Delano, the visionary behind Kingston 21 Events, is leading the charge. In an exclusive interview with World Music Views, the South Florida promoter broke down the inspiration and vision behind Y2K: World Vibes, the summer dancehall experience set for Sunday, July 20 in Miramar.
Headlining the event is none other than Baby Cham, who dominated the Y2K era with hits from his albums Wow..The Story(2000) and Ghetto Story(2006).
“Cham ruled the 2000s. When you’re curating a museum of memories, you have to go with artists who defined the time,” said Delano. “His team loved the concept—it’s perfect for people who want to relive that experience.”
But this isn’t just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. Delano sees a cultural resurgence happening in South Florida.
“Caribbean music is back in the spotlight. In Miramar—Little Jamaica as we call it—people are hungry for authentic dancehall and reggae,” he said. “The city is behind us, and Broward County’s Cultural Division is supporting the vision.”
Y2K is more than a show—it’s an all-day celebration. The food-inclusive event opens with curated cuisine from 3 to 6 PM before transitioning into full-blown dancehall madness. The event will feature a runway-style stage, allowing artists to connect directly with fans from every corner of the venue.
And Delano isn’t new to the culture. He’s a former member of Sadiki’s crew and was once a regular in music videos for Elephant Man and others before pivoting into event production.
“I started by casting videos. That led to hosting events,” he told WMV. “Music needs a home, and we’re building that—bridging the past with the future.”
See full conversations below:
WMV: Big up yourself, Y2K promoter Delano. How you doing, boss? Welcome to World Music Views.
Delano: Doing good, doing good. Thanks for having me, man.
WMV: So first of all, this lineup has one of dancehall’s biggest acts that people haven’t seen in a while, even though I’m living in Miami—Baby Cham. All your man is secure: Baby Cham! A man that ruled the Y2K era, by the way.
Delano: That’s true. Well, here’s the thing: when you’re curating an event like this—when you want to create a museum of memories—you have to look at who was solid in that time frame. We had to reach out to Cham’s team and they loved the concept, the curation, and what we had in place. They were like, “This is perfect”—for an audience that wants to reminisce, but also live through that experience of good entertainment and solid vibes.
So we had to get the English on board, too.
WMV: And the Miramar area has been having a couple of parties recently. Is there a resurgence of dancehall/reggae interest in South Florida?
Delano: Definitely. Caribbean music as a whole is getting a lot of attention again. You find that dance is one of the key components. And as our name suggests—Kingston 21—you find in Miramar, which they call Little Jamaica, there’s a lot of Caribbean influence.
Because of the entertainment zones there, people are gravitating toward Caribbean music and want to be part of it through these concerts and festivals that are happening all around Broward County.
WMV: And you have the stamp of approval from the city, right?
Delano: Definitely. The Broward County Cultural Division, the city of Miramar, and even surrounding areas—they’re all involved. They love the concept and the direction of Buddha Entertainment.
WMV: So how many people do you think will come? This is central to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, even Boca.
Delano: To be honest, right now we see the numbers moving really quickly. I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but we have a capacity of 5,000 max. We’ll cap it if needed, but we’re watching how ticket sales surge over the next few days.
WMV: You know I got into this ring mostly because of Vybz Kartel. People used to only talk about ’90s dancehall, but now they’re really respecting the 2000s. As someone who grew up in that era, what does that music mean to you?
Delano: It means a lot. During my time in entertainment, that’s when you had Sadiki, Kiyoshi, and I was a former member of Sadiki’s crew. They had a movement going—being done, crews and so forth. So I lived through that. I can definitely relate to reminiscing and now creating that atmosphere for people who loved that era.
It’s about not living too far in the past, but embracing where the new millennium started—that’s where the new surge of dancehall comes in.
WMV: Wait—so you just skipped over something big. You used to be part of Sadiki’s crew, boss! How did you come into the entertainment business, and how did you end up as a promoter?
Delano: (Laughs) It’s funny—back in the day, when artists like Elephant Man were doing the dancehall thing heavy, they used to ask us to come in the videos as dancers. Eventually, I was like, “Why don’t I cast the video myself?”
So I transitioned from dancing in videos to wanting to be part of the production side. That evolved into creating our own events. We went from the street dances to building real platforms.
That became my first business: casting videos. Once we were in it, we moved into hosting events that people love—curated experiences. These events are like museums. Just like art lives in a museum, music needs somewhere to live, and that’s what we’re building—bridging the past with the next generation.
WMV: What’s the name of your organization now?
Delano: Kingston 21 Events.
WMV: Named after Miramar?
Delano: Sort of. The idea behind Kingston 21 is this: Florida and New York are like uptown Jamaica. Kingston has 20 postal zones, and we’re calling ourselves the 21st postal zone for Jamaica. That’s the vibe.
WMV: So what can people expect? Launch sections, premium bottles, bottle chasers, VIP? Break it down for us.
Delano: Yeah, so basically:
•General admission for people who just want to vibe.
•Then we have VIP packages on the upper deck, with two main sections:
•The A-Team and
•The Alliance, which is a nod to dancehall history.
•We also have a launch section with table packages starting at $400, and launch packages at $800.
•The upper-level boxes run from $1,300 and up.
And of course, the entertainment runs through the whole venue. We’re building a runway-style stage so the artist can interact directly with the crowd—split the room and walk through the amphitheater.
WMV: What’s general admission starting at?
Delano: Just $30, because we want to grow with this crowd. That price won’t last long, though—it’ll increase soon.
WMV: Well, World Music Views will be there. We’re ready for the vibes. We’re pulling up to see Baby Cham mash up the place.
Delano: Yeah man! And Khalip is in the lineup too. We just saw him shell down at Sandz in New York. He’s good!
WMV: We’re expecting the same energy! That DJ lineup too—it’s serious. The 2K Mixed Masters, Willie Chin from Black Chiney, Khalip, HMD Sound, DJ Timmy, International Bulls, and Niko—that’s an all-star team!
Delano: Straight fire.
WMV: If people want concierge or bottle service, what number do they call?
Delano: 954-552-0723 — that’s the direct line.
WMV: Final thing—it’s a food-inclusive event, right? So what should people wear?
Delano: It’s a summer setting—dress comfortably. Eat from 3 PM to 6 PM, then we go straight into the dancing heart of the event. So bring your dancing shoes—it’s all about enjoying the best of the 2000s. Comfortable and stylish, that’s the code.
