June 8, 2007 — The Rock de Tempo concert Saturday will offer great music with a message against violence, said network founder Frederick Morton Jr., at a press conference Friday night at UVI's Reichold Center for the Arts.
Rock de Tempo brings headlining artists Shaggy, Maxi Priest, Rayvon and Shurwayne Winchester, along with popular local artists, including Pressure and Cool Sessions Brass, to the Lionel Roberts Stadium Saturday night. The concert is a special promotion for Tempo’s “Badness Outta Style” campaign, which aims to shed light on rising crime in the Caribbean.
“Badness Outta Style” was inspired by lyrics in a song by Trinidadian artist Mr. King, “Boderline." The campaign specifically lends itself to organizations committed to HIV/AIDS awareness, violence awareness and prevention, creative-arts education and disaster preparedness and relief.
“We want to present our culture, and anything that is going to cause a disturbance, like violence, we are going to stomp it out,” Morton said.
Artists from around the Caribbean will perform, along with Tempo VJs and the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra in what Morton promises to be “an extraordinary event.” At the press conference, Tempo presented a $5,000 check to the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra for its efforts in targeting at-risk youths between ages 10 and 18.
“We are here in the Rock City to rock de Tempo," Morton said, speaking as part of a panel with Tempo VJ Jeanille Bonterre, artists Shurwayne Winchester and Pressure from St. Thomas, V.I. Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson, UVI economics professor S.B. Jones-Hendrickson, Tempo head Tanya Pope, Innovative President Jennifer Matarengas-King and American Airlines official Chuck Piertroforte.
The 24-hour Caribbean-based music channel has escalated many artists to regional fame because of music-video features in which, Winchester said, “people can place a face to a song.”
Tempo means “much more than music,” Pressure said. He praised Tempo for giving him the opportunity “to be seen on TV with the culture of the Caribbean.”
A Tempo Turns One party was held Nov. 4, 2006, on Morton's home island of St. Croix. Jones-Hendrickson conducted a Caricom study on the economic impact of the network’s presence on the island.
“This is something that cannot be measured,” he said. His 80-page report included more than 70 St. Croix businesses. According to the report, Tempo contributed to an estimated 0.02 percent of the territory's gross domestic product for the year 2006. Jones-Hendrickson reported an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the local government and businesses.
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg presented Morton with a plaque on behalf of the 26th Legislature for having, “branded St. Croix” and the Virgin Islands. “You need to be thanked,” Donastorg said. In 2006, a resolution was passed honoring Morton for his contributions to the Virgin Islands.
The network's platform is a more united Caribbean. It claims more than two million viewers, with shows such as “Downtown Island” with VJ’s Empress Jeanille and Anuscha; “Cross Caribbean Countdown,” which promotes Caribbean and International artists alike; and the inspirational “Rise and Shine,” dedicated to the Christian Community.
“We still have a long way to go," Morton said. "We are experiencing a 'multiply effect' right now,” Morton said of Tempo's growing popularity in the Caribbean and abroad. At present, the network can be viewed in 23 islands in the Caribbean and will soon branch out farther, Morton noted. Tempo is owned by Viacom, which has other networks such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET and Spike TV on its roster.
For more information, check out (See gottempo.com.
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