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Inaugural Football Is Freedom fundraising match between Jamaica and Costa Rica takes place Sunday, October 24th at 5pm in Fort Lauderdale’s DRV PNK Stadium
On Sunday, October 24th, Cedella Marley’s Football Is Freedom kicks off with a pre-game party full of food, fun and entertainment. Musical entertainment from official match DJ GQ (iHeart, Tuff Gong Radio) and special guests Casely (Rude Bwoy Summer, Annabella) and Costa Rica’s own Byron Salas (ADN, Media Noche) will set the vibe for the International Friendly showdown between the Reggae Girlz (Jamaica) and La Sele (Costa Rica).
Born Gary Hardie in Miami, GQ aka “Mister Let Em Know” was raised in Jamaica by Cuban/Chinese Jamaican parents. He’s served as tour DJ for some of the biggest names in music including Akon, DMX, Mr. Vegas, Kevin Lyttle, and Skip Marley. GQ dropped his first album “Is It You?” On October 9th 2020, which charted #1 on the iTunes Reggae charts in its first 2 hours, and #10 on the Billboard Reggae charts in its second week. He continues to perform internationally throughout the year while holding South Florida night club residencies weekly. DJ GQ was the first Top40 Mixer on Y100 and is currently on Y100 Miami (iHeart) weekly. He also does shows on Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio (SirusXM), and Remix Top 30 with Hollywood Hamilton in 150 cities (currently one of the biggest syndicated shows in the US, iHeart/Premiere Networks).
Casely, a Miami-based son of Trinidadian and Panamanian parents, was previously signed by Epic Records before forming his own Casely Music label (distributed by Tuff Gong Intl) in 2018. The multi-instrumentalist and Berklee College alum is recognized for his suave vocals on collaborations with Pitbull, Flo Rida , Red Rat and Braveboy (Rude Bwoy Summer) as well as his solo music (Annabella). Casely’s new album “The Mutt – A Palindromic Album” is available now to stream on all platforms.
At just 23 years of age, Byron Ramset Salas Carillo, artistically known as Byron Salas, is determined to bring Costa Rica to the world stage, representing his country with enormous pride as its first urban music star. This aspiring doctor was forced to abandon his studies to start working full-time to support his family. It was this experience that gave him the strength to start creating and producing his own music. Byron launched his first song “Dile” (“Tell Her”), which was widely received and well-loved by fans and media alike in his native Costa Rica, and ultimately led him to roll out four more songs as an independent artist before relocating to Miami and signing with WKMX Records.
The launch of Football Is Freedom centers around an international friendly fundraising match between the world-cup qualifying national women’s teams of Jamaica and Costa Rica. In addition to helping fund the new initiative, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to each national team. The Reggae Girlz and La Sele both arrive in South Florida October 18th for a week of training and a two-game series. In adherence to FIFA- mandated COVID protocols, the delegations will be housed in protective isolation during the camp. The first match will be a closed-door scrimmage, and the finale will be a fundraising match open to the public. The camp is the result of a combined effort by the Bob Marley Foundation and Rita Marley Foundation.
Football Is Freedom is presented by Cedella Marley Enterprises in association with Black Tower Agency. Other sponsors and partners include Visit Fort Lauderdale, KICS International, Bob Marley Foundation, Carib Brewery, Reggae Girlz Foundation, and Riddims Marketing.
Ticket prices range from $20.00 to $125.00 (all-inclusive VIP) and are available now through Ticketmaster: https://www.ticketmaster.com/football-is-freedom-fort-lauderdale-florida-10-24-2021/event/0D005B41906CAEE0
For vendor/food truck information please contact Riddims Marketing (954) 251-1643.
Further details about the event and the initiative are available in the Football Is Freedom app which can be downloaded in the Google Play and I Tunes stores October 12th.
