Jodeci & Babyface Reminded Us Why Black Music Will Never Die

It was a windy but beautiful night in Curaçao, the air smelled like the ocean and champagne. Music legends Jodeci and Babyface were about to hit the stage at the Soul Beach Music Festival, making the audience of music lovers antsy. Food vendors lined the perimeter of the outdoor complex as fans rushed through the entrance, excited for a night of eargasmic nostalgia. Folks were dressed up in their best outfits of the weekend. The night sky was clear and the stars shone bright, aligning perfectly to give the concert an aura made for memories.

The DJ was getting the crowd hyped; a crowd that knew every word to every song that ever mattered. The sing-alongs traveled through the wind like a bird gracefully gliding through the sky. It was contagiously beautiful, but it was just the beginning of a night I will never forget.

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Before Jodeci hit the stage, host and comedian Chris Spencer set the tone for the night. On his way to the stage, he walked past our table, belting out “Baby won’t you just stay…” at the top of his lungs, making our table and the table next to ours erupt in laughter as he grinned and kept it moving towards the stage. From that moment on, the energy never left the arena. 

When Jodeci hit the stage, the crowd rushed forward, putting their phones to the side to fully embrace the moment. The group first tested the audience with some song trivia, running through some of their greatest hits as the crowd sang every word. In the middle of the set, K-Ci put the mic down and began singing acapella. His voice echoed across the entire arena like an opera singer commanding the crowd, even making entrance security double-take at the power of his vocals.

The R&B legend then took a second to speak candidly, thanking the fans for their constant support throughout Jodeci’s 30-plus years of performing. Then, as if he were speaking to close friends sitting around his kitchen table, or a beloved and trusted congregation, K-Ci spoke intimately about his battle recovering from a stroke, expressing his faith and trust in God that he was able to be there with them to share this moment.

“God is good all the time,” he shouted to the audience. “All the time God is good,” they shouted back in unison.

Afterward, it was right back to the hits, as thousands sang songs like “Come & Talk To Me” and “Forever My Lady.” The night could have been complete right then and there, but there was much more soul to be experienced.

Babyface hit the stage in a shimmering gold suit that completely matched the vibe of the night. Amazingly, at 68 years old, he looked younger than ever, like he co-starred in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

“My name is Babyface, not Babybody,” he joked with the audience after breaking out in a few dance steps with his backup dancers.

His voice was smooth as silk as he glided back and forth on the stage, driving the audience wild with every step.  Couples began holding each other and didn’t let go for his entire set. 

After getting the crowd warmed up, Babyface told a story about a basement party from his childhood when he finally got the courage to talk to a girl he’d been crushing on all summer, reminding the audience of their first loves. 

Midway through his performance, he ran through his catalog of hits he wrote for other artists and it was jaw-dropping—a masterclass in songwriting. From artists like Bobby Brown, TLC, and Boyz II Men, to Mary J. Blige and Toni Braxton, it felt like Babyface had written every single hit song from my childhood.

But it was the songs he penned for Whitney Houston that brought the audience to tears. The crowd became overwhelmed with emotion as he flashed Whitney’s beautiful face on the big screen and sang her hit song “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” from the Waiting To Exhale movie soundtrack.

After the Whitney tribute, he ended his set and the audience began to cheer his name. “Babyface, Babyface!” As the crowd slowly began to leave, thinking his performance was over, the legend surprised the folks who decided to stay by walking back out with a red bedazzled acoustic guitar for an impromptu session of “When Can I See You Again” that brought the flowing tears back to an overstimulated crowd who just couldn’t get enough Babyface.

The legacy of Black music surrounded by Curaçao’s beauty and history is something every Black music lover deserves to experience at least once in their lifetime. But once you experience one Soul Beach Music Festival, you’ll never want to miss another. It’s so much more than a festival; it’s our culture, our way of life—Black joy wrapped up in the music that made us who we are. 

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