Jamaican reggae and dancehall star Charly Black is in Kenya this weekend, bringing the sound of Jamaica to Nairobi.
His visit is a big moment for local reggae and dancehall fans, who have long followed his music from across the Caribbean and Latin America.
Charly Black was born Desmond Mendez on April 6, 1980, in Rio Bueno, Trelawny, Jamaica.
He grew up in the Jamaican countryside, where music was part of everyday life and where he began singing at a very young age.
Before he became known around the world, he worked as a selector, the person who chooses and plays records for a sound system.
He first worked with Warlord International and later joined the well-known Bass Odyssey Sound System. That experience taught him how to read a crowd, control energy, and understand rhythm.
Charly Black started recording music as a teenager. In 2004, he released his first single, “Woman It’s You,” under the stage name Tony Mentol.
He later adopted the name Charly Black and continued releasing songs that mixed romance, party energy, and classic Jamaican dancehall style.
His major breakthrough came with “Gyal You a Party Animal,” first recorded in 2014.
The song spread far beyond Jamaica and became a major international hit in 2016, especially across Latin America.
It helped introduce Charly Black to new audiences and made him one of Jamaica’s recognizable dancehall voices.
Charly Black’s success did not stop with one song. He has continued to release music and collaborate with other artists.
His 2016 song with Jencarlos, “Pa Que Me Invitan,” won an ASCAP Latin Music Award, showing how strongly his music connected with Latin audiences.
He has also released albums including Rio Bueno in 2021 and No Excuses in 2023. These projects reflect his roots in Trelawny while showing how his sound has grown over time.
For Kenyan fans, Charly Black’s presence is more than a visit by a famous artist, but a connection between Kenya’s strong reggae culture and Jamaica, the birthplace of reggae and dancehall.
His journey, from singing as a child in Rio Bueno, to working behind the decks, to becoming an international star is inspirational.
He is set for a series of concerts in Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret.