You ever wonder how some parties buss ... and then some parties make? You ever wonder what are the ingredients that go in a party to make that party ... a best party? One that you wish wouldn’t end... Or you ever wonder how it is that year after year, promoters like B2B Ent could take a simple word like “Shine” and turn it into a must-attend carnival event in not one – but two of the biggest US Carnivals of d year? Well read on my friends ... we are about to tell you how!

Well it's Mr. Benz from d TJJ family here once again coming to you from Downtown Washington DC on a lovely Sunday afternoon ready to give you d recipe of the best breakfast ... and possibly d best overall fete for DC Carnival 2009 (we still waiting to get word from the team over at Indigo). With cameras and waists ready, we were off to The Lux Lounge down on New York Avenue for the 2009 installment of SHINE DC ... a fete known to leave you both satisfied and wanting more at the same time. But first, before my review, let me give you the recipe dat ah talking about:

- Start with 5, yes 5 of the best DJ’s around
- Mix in 4 types of best food (we used fry bake, coconut bake, saltfish and accra)
- Have on hand, 3 dance floors to party on .... each one on a different level
- Slowly blend in 2 handsome TJJ photographers to capture every moment
- And top off with 1 Wassi female MC to tear it up on the mic!!!!

Photos By Neil B. & Franz J.
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When all this is done, in any order, throw in the following: several hundred well dressed sexy looking ready-to-party ladies, bottles and bottles of premium drinks and a fully stocked bar and then top generously with hit after hit and style after style!

Yes my fellow Carnival babies .... this was what SHINE II: D Ultimate Breakfast Fete was like! The party this year started around 12 noon and by the time TJJ arrived on the scene, we wondered if we were there too early. On the first floor, was free food. Now, SHINE is supposed to be a breakfast party, but you know how us West Indian folk do it ... it don’t matter what time of the day it is, if yuh hungry and the food tasting good – we eating! But after taking a quick sample of the delicacies, I tell myself, “Dis cyar be all d people in this party dread?” ... and as if he was reading my mind, DC's Trini Mike say, “Yo, TJJ ... allyuh went upstairs yet?”

Upstairs? No problem man... away we went. And bam! I knew it .... SHINE once again did it. Party ram out fuh so and in full swing. And when I say ram, I mean RAM. Fuss is people dancing and posing fuh pictures, JoyJuice get cramp in his hand ... all kinda ting ... calling for medic! After more than an hour of wining and jamming and enjoying the sweaty behavior, as if he was just looking and laughing at us, Trini Mike come and say “Yo, TJJ ... don’t forget to go upstairs eh!” But wait, there is another upstairs? The short answer: YES! So on to yet another floor and bam ... dis floor ram out too! Oh lord is pressure in this dance. So here we are, 3 full floors of jamishness. All ram out and all wining and grooving non-stop. This is niceness. The party was advertised to end at 6pm, but who yuh fooling ... is minutes past 8pm and d party still in full swing!

We had weself a ball ... and after a full weekend of partying and wining, SHINE was definitely the fete to hit up on Sunday! Nuff big-ups to Back to Basics Ent & East Coast Caribbean Events, and to the management and staff of The Lux Lounge for treating the TJJ crew right up as always. Not to mention the masters of the 1’s and 2’s who kept the party moving and the styles flowing minute after minute (Eternal Vibes, Sounds4Life, Natural Freaks, Back 2 Basics and others) and d one and only Giselle d’Wassi one for non-stop entertainment. As for me, I done know that as long as I in DC for Carnival in 2010, 2011 or 2012 .... I going to this party again ... come snow, sleet, rain or SHINE!

Is ah love.

Mr. Benz out!

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Related Galleries
Shine DC (2008)
DC Carnival 2009 Coverage