** 2024 Commencement Updates **

** 2024 Commencement Updates **

Reggae Artist J Boog Performs at Highlands April 29

photo of J Boog

J Boog
Courtesy Photo

Las Vegas, N.M – Highlands University presents J Boog, a renowned reggae singer and songwriter of Samoan descent, April 29 at 7 p.m. in the John A. Wilson Complex, 1241 9th St.

J Boog’s popularity has soared since his debut album Hear Me Roar in 2007. His 2011 album Backyard Boogie earned him the Best New Entertainer of the Year Award in 2012 at Chicago’s International Reggae and World Music Awards.

Backyard Boogie also topped the Billboard charts in the U.S. and iTunes charts in numerous countries.

J Boog is known for his unique blend of reggae and world music. He tours worldwide in Europe, Africa, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Dubai, and the United States, among other countries.

“Ever since his debut album Hear Me Roar, J. Boog has escalated to be one of the biggest industry names in the reggae scene,” wrote a reviewer for Top Shelf Reggae. “Split between political activism and love ballads, his 2016 album Wash House Ting is all about promoting love and positivity.”

Born Jerry Afemata in Long Beach, California, J Boog is the youngest of eight children in a musical family. His father is a Samoan chief and his parents instilled in him a strong appreciation for his cultural heritage.

Doors open for the J Boog concert at 6 p.m. The opening act is Common Kings, a rock, reggae, and R & B band.

General admission tickets for J Boog are $25. Highlands University students with valid HU IDs are free.

Advance tickets go on sale March 15 and are available at the university’s KEDP radio station ticket office, Studio 103, 901 University Ave., Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Or call 505-454-3238.

The 2016 Arts @ HU initiative is sponsoring the J Boog concert. The ongoing initiative aims to increase the vibrancy of the campus experience for students and is funded through a student fee approved in 2016.