About Me
Not often does one get the opportunity to be the lucky recipient of a birthday present from a ‘stranger’. Believe it or not, it is not impossible but highly unlikely. Come June 25, a special birthday treat lies in wait for all those who are born under the zodiac sign of Cancer at 90 Broadway, Newburgh, New York. And yes, believe it, there is no charge for the Cancer born, nor any catch to this musical extravaganza.This yearly event started eight years ago when promoter Urkle Smith decided to host a Birthday Cancer Affair in honor of life, not only for his life but also for the lives of others, especially those who shares his birth sign. He said, ‘I just have to give every Cancer born something to remember because that is the greatest gift, LIFE’, between the flash of a million dollar smile and brightly lit eyes. He was involved in a major car accident recently.This young philanthropist draws from his musical experience, the craft to produce a scintillating show, and promised that this year’s event will be even bigger and better than the previous years. He added that every year brings a different Jamaican flavor so Jamaican in the Tri State area of New York will have their appetite culturally satisfied.Some of the star performers for this year will be Starcade from Poughkeepsie, Cinimax from Jamaica, Color, Steelie from Steelie Bashment, and Young soul, all from different parts of New York. He incorporates artiste from all over, complimented with diverse local sounds in order to add ‘nuff niceness’ to this rare event. Also booked are, Imperial, DJ Kirk, Crazy Jagon Hype, Super Tek, Black Widow, Squeaky Plus, Jubee and Jagga B from Afrique, just to name a few.He attributes the success of this event to his mother, Janet Jerk Stop who now lives in Poughkeepsie, New York. He spoke with pride, that she has been the motivational force behind this show, and that she has been holding birthday parties for him since he was 13, as her way of hosting a family reunion. He feels obligated to continue the tradition only with a little diversity. She is behind the giant size cake with all Cancer names engraved.Born in Claremont, St Ann, Jamaica in June many years ago, Urkle moved to the US when he was 5 years old. He has been in the music business for over 10 years starting at little cookouts until 1997 when Starcade recruited him as their promoter for major shows across New York.Urkle explains that he is inspired by many musical icons such as the founder of popular sound Stone Love, Weepow and Sky juice from Metro Media.
