Last Thursday, the Gardens of the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston hosted the 6th Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards, and as the Jamaica Observer reports, the night wasn't short on entertainment, and decadence. Though the very last awards weren't announced until well after 1:00 AM, performances from the likes of Gramps Morgan, Toots Hibbert, and Timmi Burrell kept the crowd enraptured throughout. There were few surprises when it came to the awards front, with Vybz Kartel taking home the prizes for Recording Artiste of the Year, Song Writer of the Year, and DJ of the Year. Mavado snagged the Male Sinjay of the Year, with Queen Ifrica receiving female honors. And although Sean Paul won International Artiste of the Year honors, it was actually another non-Jamaican sensation, India.Arie, who stole the show.
Shortly after performing onstage, the musician took to the podium to officially receive the vaunted International Friend of Reggae award. A truly humbled Arie said simply, "I look quite Jamaican if I may say so myself."
