Fans of Bollywood hits and classical Indian music and culture filled the Centre of Excellence as one of chutney music's biggest stars Raymond Ramnarine and his band, Dil E Nadan, headlined the annual post-Carnival concert formerly known as Everybody Loves Raymond and now rebranded as I am the Music Boss.
"It was my idea to change the name and rebrand it in this way," Richard Ramnarine said in a release from Overtime Media. "Just because we have put in the work to make Raymond the biggest chutney music star right now and make our orchestra the number one party band as well. Not many chutney, soca, or artistes from any genre can fill and command an arena like that in this time coming right after the pandemic and the Carnival season also, so it's clear that Raymond is a Music Boss as we say and the fans came out to support and celebrate that, so we give thanks and appreciate their love and support so much. We have much more in store this year, so this was just the beginning..."
[caption id="attachment_1004955" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Guyanese singer Vishale Sukram teams up with Raymond Ramnarine on March 5 at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, during the I am the Music Boss concert. - Overtime Media[/caption]
From as early as 7.30 pm, vehicular traffic clogged the highway and all roads leading to the Macoya venue, as patrons, couples and even entire families assembled with their coolers and snacks and lined up to claim their seats inside the auditorium.
The next six hours were filled with singing, dancing and endless appreciation as the Ramnarine family and friends thrilled the audience which included, former prime minister Basdeo Panday and his wife, Oma.
[caption id="attachment_1004956" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Raymond Ramnarine performs at the I am Music Boss concert Centre of Excellence, Macoya, with Abhijeet Srivastava, left. Srivastava is the 2020 Best Young Artiste at the 12th Mirchi Music Awards in India. - courtesy Overtime Media[/caption]
The concert was produced by Rafi Mohammed (Mastana Bahar).
Special guest appearances from Guyanese singer Vishale Sukram, Randy Recklez from New York, and Abhijeet Srivastava, the 2020 Best Young Artiste at the 12th Mirchi Music Awards in India, added to the excitement, even as the younger generation of Dil E Nadan (namely Raymond's son, Vinesh and Richard's twin boys, Amish and Arvind – who also joined Abhijeet onstage to perform Kesariya) made their respective marks as well.
[caption id="attachment_1004957" align="alignnone" width="684"] Twins Amish and Arvind Ramnarine (in blue), sons of Richard Ramnarine, with Vinesh Ramnarine, son of Raymond Ramnarine. The sons entertained patrons at the I am Music Boss concert, Centre of Excellence, Macoya. - courtesy Overtime Media[/caption]
The Amritam Shakti dance group added its colourful flavour to the presentation as fans enjoyed the sold-out show until 1.30 am.
The eldest Ramnarine brother, Rennie, also made a special appearance onstage, but it was clear to see that Raymond is the music boss!
