Dexta Daps Set for Champagne Tour Stop at Newark NJPAC

Dancehall artiste Dexta Daps is due to take his successful Champagne Tour to Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, June 12, with a performance booked for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, widely known as NJPAC.

Ahead of the show, the entertainer gave an uncommon radio interview to Garfield "The Kool One" Vassell on New York-based Roadblock radio. In the conversation, Dexta spoke about how far his career has carried him, from modest early performances to the stage of one of the major venues in the northeastern United States.

Asked what keeps him driven, Dexta said, "It's just little things like what you just mentioned — coming from where I'm coming from with this music; standing up on a crate to perform, to being on a stage at NJPAC. Going into NJPAC and seeing what the venue is like because it's always been a myth to me."

He added, "When the owners tell me that only Beres Hammond performed there as a reggae and dancehall artist, that was a wow moment."

Anthony "ER Guru" Turner, a Jamaican-born entertainment publicist based in New York, told Caribbean Life that Dexta Daps moved into wider public view in 2015 through the dancehall single "7 Eleven" and the Tifa collaboration "Jealous Ova."

For Dexta, the Newark date is another sign of a career that has continued to grow outside Jamaica. He described the Champagne Tour as a special experience centred on the people who have backed him over the years.

"The Champagne Tour is a different vibe," he said. "Every performance is surrounded by the celebration of everybody supporting Dexta Daps for over a decade."

"It's been over 10 years now since I really got through this music business," he added. "It doesn't feel that long, so I have to point that out to the fans and say thank you."

Dexta also used the Roadblock radio appearance to recognise the supporters who have stayed with him from the early stages of his career.

"I just want to say thanks for all the support," he said. "I just want to say thank you so much for always believing in me and my craft. You are the reason why I put this thing together to make sure it sounds so good. I really appreciate my fans."

The interview was carried in the Tri-State area on WCBS 101.1 FM-HD3, WZMX 93.7 FM-HD3 in Hartford, Connecticut, WMXJ 102.7 FM-HD3 in Miami and South Florida, and the newly added WLZL 107.9 FM-HD2 serving Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.