Pepsi brings best of the '90s to Fiction

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

If there is anything that can bring people from varied backgrounds to mix, mingle and to party, it's the music of the 1990s.

Last Saturday, Pepsi hosted the Best of the '90s at the Fiction nightclub in Marketplace. With an admission of just $1,000, the venue was teeming with patrons who revelled to the sounds of Dilly T, Mixmaster Marvin and Stone Love's very own Billy Slaughter.

From before midnight, when the Gleaner team got to the venue, there was a steady flow of patrons inside the lounge as the bass of Fiesta by R. Kelly rang throughout the entire marketplace venue. The hip hop song, interestingly, was setting the tone for what was to ironically be a hardcore dancehall soiree.

an abundance of hits

The deejay gave the patrons an abundance of hits as he transitioned from hip hop to reggae and then to dancehall. While some patrons were mesmerised by the music, there were others who were at ease, just chilling, drinking the wide array of liquor offerings, but still bobbing to the sounds of the '90s that bellowed from the speakers.

Scrub and JaRule's Every Little Thing That We Do were two of the hip hop/R&B songs that went over well with the dancing patrons.

As the crowd on the dance floor thickened, an increasing number of persons ventured to the smoking lounge to catch up with old friends.

The dancing took a toll on many patrons and quite a few could be seen resting.

The music slowly transitioned from hip hop to reggae without missing a beat. The patrons were still entertained.

This segment was filled with a number of Buju Banton's hits, such as Not An Easy Road, which had some patrons singing along to the chorus with hands raised in the air.

Luciano's Lord Give Me Strength, Garnet silk's Love Is The Answer, Marcia Griffiths'sFire Burning, Buju's Browning, a Jamaican anthem that had the patrons rocking, and Garnet Silk's Nothing Can Divide Us were just some of the favourites that were played.

It was now minutes to 2 a.m. and the deejay, at different points in the night, dedicated songs to all the ladies in the club, one of which was Buju's Love Black Woman.

Couples clung to each other as Billy Slaughter from Stone Love played hit after hit, Forever Young and others.

After 2 a.m., the once-empty dance floor was packed with patrons, most of whom were awaiting the beloved dancehall segment.

Screams, cheers, and applause rang out as Slaughter drew for more of Buju's hits, asking for the patrons to raise their lighters in the air. The dancehall segment had arrived and all hell broke loose. Had it not been for a law mandating the club to close by 4 a.m., the party would still be going on now.