Jazz in the Gardens Returns, Bringing a Fresh Wave of Grooves and Good Vibes to the Block with Iconic Artists!

March 11th – 12th, 2024

The Jazz in the Gardens Music Fest in Miami Gardens presented an outstanding lineup of R&B, hip-hop, gospel, and afrobeats artists, marking the kickoff to Spring Break in vibrant South Florida. Hosted at the Hard Rock Stadium, the festival unfolded over two days, featuring continuous music from both established and emerging talents.

On Saturday March 9th, The DJ ‘s set the tone as they got the crowd warmed up to the start of an epic weekend of Music. She, J. Hercules, DJ Tight, DJ Bo Weezy and DJ Nasty all from the 305 warmed the crowd up and got everyone out of their chairs to start the festival. The signing of the Black National Anthem got the largely African American crowd positively charged and ready for 20 hours of artistry.

Tink and Omarion both delivered fan-favorite sets to kick off this two-day festival. But, DJ Nasty really set the tone as he got all the local Miami crowd going with an epic “Welcome to Miami” set that featured appearances from Rick Ross, Trina and the Mayor of Miami, none other than Trick Daddy Dollars. Jazz in the Gardens then introduced to many the amazing sound of Junkanoo with the artist Sweet Emily. She’s currently the top female Junkanoo Artist in The Bahamas.

The high energy performances continued as Jaheim seduced the ladies with classic R&B ballads while Kirk Franklin brought the spirit with his gospel performance. The Iconic DJ Kid Capri brought that up north New York flare to Miami as hundreds of New Yorkers that traveled were pleased to experience their genre of music. But the day was to get even more memorable. Grammy Winner, actress and musician Fantasia blessed us for 20 plus minutes. She really gave her fans the full Fantasia experience. It was so amazing that the promotional team (Black Promoters Collective) who did an amazing job of putting this festival together had to turn her microphone off to keep the constant flow of artists to the stage. Keep in mind this is still Saturday night and we still have four acts to go. In comes Jasmine Sullivan who brought her powerful vocals to the stage. She has one of the most soulful R&B voices in the game today and her live show highlighted why she’s considered such a talent.  The sounds of Afrobeat’s took over the venue next as some of the genre’s biggest stars such as Davido and Pheelz brought high-energy performances. The concert gave fans in the city a taste of the vibrant music coming out of Nigeria, Ghana and beyond. At 12:30 AM Summer Walker had the huge task of keeping the energy going with a crowd that had partied for approximately 8 hours. She owned the stage as her fans sang along with her hugely popular album Over It. From the moment she walked out, the audience was transfixed by her raw emotion, beauty, wardrobe and vocal prowess. As she went for her first wardrobe change, a surprised artist some will know him as Joe Crack the Don or some might know him as Fat Joe gave us a few of his classic hits. He thanked her for allowing him to cater to the Miami Festival’s crowd. Though she performed with a full band, Summer kept the arrangements intimate, letting her vulnerable lyrics and sultry vocals take center stage. She proved herself to be one of R&B’s most compelling storytellers.

Sunday featured a strong grown and sexy lineup of R&B and hip-hop artists like Babyface who brought down the house Sunday afternoon with his legendary R&B/soul sounds. For over an hour, the multi-Grammy winning singer/songwriter/producer treated fans to an array of hit songs from his storied career and others such as Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown and Toni Braxton. Mr. October London is definitely the Rebirth of Marvin. His old-soul sound and songwriting talents which have smooth, heartfelt vocals recall R&B giants of the past like Sam Cooke and especially Marvin Gaye. Marsha Ambrosius brought her trademark neo-soul sound to Miami Gardens. The British songstress treated fans to songs from across her impressive catalog. With her rich, smoky vocals on full display, Tamia, such a beautiful lady by the way, ran through fan-favorites from her expansive catalog. She opened with “Stranger in My House” and had the place singing along to hits like “So Into You” and “Leave It On the Floor.” Now let’s talk about the one and only Scarface. Scarface has long been hailed as one of hip-hop’s great lyricists for his gritty narratives and smooth flows. Live, he captivates just as much through his engaging stage presence and stories between songs.

The Jazz in the Gardens crowd definitely loved Jeezy. After over 15 years in the game, he has lost none of his performing abilities. With his authentic street narratives and high-energy charisma, he proved why he’s one of the premier live hip-hop acts today. It was a memorable night for this trap icon. DJ Cassidy had one of the most fun sets of the weekend with his “Pass the Mic Liv” segment. DJ Cassidy passed the mic to an all-star lineup of hip hop icons featuring Uncle Luke, Too $hort, Lil Kim and T.I. This intriguing lineup of hip-hop artists from different eras was classic and will probably never be seen again. Uncle Luke is considered a pioneer from the Miami bass scene in the 1980s known for risqué hits. Too Short rose to fame in the Bay Area in the same era with his raw lyrics. Little Kim broke barriers as a female rapper in the 1990s with her bold persona. T.I. had major commercial success in the 2000s out of Atlanta with his crime narratives. Each of these MCs brought their own distinct styles shaping hip-hop in their times. It made for an energetic throwback show celebrating their hits and influences across generations. Fans of rap music from the 80s through 2000s definitely enjoyed seeing this lineup that pushed boundaries in the genre during their eras. Their live performances gave the audiences a chance to experience the evolution of hip-hop over the decades through artists who left lasting impacts. The weekend was wrapped up perfectly by neo-soul legend Maxwell who had the whole crowd singing along. Whether it was romantic ballads like “This Woman’s Work” or up-tempo numbers like “Lake By the Ocean,” Maxwell owned the stage with his timeless R&B stylings. Over 25 years in, his talents remain unmatched.

With great music, good vibes, great food and beautiful Miami weather, Jazz in the Gardens proved to be an insanely successful festival that music fans won’t want to miss next year. Kudos to the organizers (Black Promoters Collective) for putting together such an epic two-day event.