KINGSTON, Jamaica — Five years after relocating to Antigua, dancehall artiste Lybran aka Rum Boss has opened a Jamaican restaurant to satisfy the needs of the growing Jamaican community in that country.

“The restaurant is called Reggae Village and it is located in a lovely village called Willikies on the way to Long Beach, just before you reach Devil’s Bridge turn,” Lybran told Observer Online earlier this week.

Beaming with pride, he said it was the right mindset and the drive to survive that made him decide to start a restaurant.

Lybran’s Reggae Village Restaurant in Antigua

“It was a lot of sacrifice and hard work. I had the drive and with the right mindset, nothing could stop me from getting this restaurant off the ground,” he disclosed.

The restaurant primarily targets Jamaicans residing in Antigua but his customers also include residents of Antigua.

“Our food speaks volumes and our support has no limit. We have Jamaicans who are living here and we have Antiguans as well who support us. We’ve even had some celebrities who have dined here, including members of the West Indies cricket team as well as football teams. We also offer catering and that is a big part of our business,” Lybran posited.

During the  Covid-19 pandemic, Lybran had the idea to start up the restaurant, because as he states, “My youngest child was born at the time in Antigua and I had to find a way to provide. I asked God for a way out and he gave me the idea to start a restaurant, which I did later on,” Lybran confided.

Originally from St Thomas, Lybran’s given name is Lamon Morvin Cousins. He recently performed at Antigua’s One Nation Music Festival which took place over two days in early January.

Capleton, Gramps Morgan, Mr Vegas and Masicka were among the performers.

He is grateful to Morgan Heritage member Gramps Morgan who invited him on stage to do an impromptu performance of his song titled Rum Talk Part 3.

“I was surprised when Gramps called and told me that he wanted me to perform with him at the One Nation Music Festival. I recorded a song with him titled Rumnesia, which is included on his 2021 Grammy-nominated album. However, we’ve never performed together before and knowing that this was a big opportunity for me, I agreed immediately. So, I prepared myself to deliver my best, and that’s what I did,” said the deejay.

According to Lybran, his performance stunned a lot of people on the island who didn’t know he was an entertainer.

“I’ve been living in Antigua, and a lot of people don’t know that I am an artiste, because I don’t do a lot of shows here. When I came off stage, several people came to me to express their appreciation for my performance. Some of them also told me that they were surprised when they saw me on stage with Gramps,” said Lybran.