Skatta Burrell Addresses Ishawna Backlash Over ‘New Child’ Church Theme Video

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Skatta Burrell has stepped forward to address controversy sparked by Ishawna’s new music video.

The Christian community in Jamaica is once again up in arms at Ishawna, who is accused of “mocking God” and the church in her new music video. The dancehall star knows how to get people riled up, especially as controversy is a feature of dancehall music, and it appears that she has hit the hammer on the head once again. The new song “New Child” features a video showing women at what looks like a church service, mimicking how churches tend to look on a Sunday morning.

On Monday, her producer and manager, Skatta Burrell, hit back at the critics who called out the artist for seemingly “mocking God” because the video concept appeared to be about women in a church service with Ishawna as the pastor.

The music video featured Ishawna on stage in a red dress with a couple of dozen women in church pews acting like they were in a church service. One woman even got up and rolled around in church in the way that videos from actual churches look. Many on social media were up in arms about the video appearing to mock church services where people get the “holy ghost” and sometimes act out.

According to Skatta Burrell, the artist was merely celebrating women.

“Can’t please everyone,” Skatta said in a statement on Instagram. “A few Persons saying that this video [is] disrespecting God. Well Dressed Women coming together in unity celebrating and enjoying an uplifting song that empowers them is now mocking God? That’s not even a real Church.”

He continued, “Some People filled wit resentment in them heart they can’t stand to see others Happy and Being nice to each other. they prefer to see half naked females cat fighting and hating amongst themselves.”

This is not the first time that Ishawna has caught flack for her music. The artist previously received criticism for what some fans felt was disrespect for one of Jamaica’s most iconic women- the erudite Miss Lou after declaring that “[mi] nuh wear tablecloth like Miss Lou,” on Instagram.

Ishawna also faced major backlash after her Ed Sheeran sample of “Shape of You” called “Equal Rights” promoted oral sex for women as recipients. Ishawna drew the ire of many people, including the Christian and Rastafarian communities which condemned her lyrics in the song. Even some dancehall stalwarts like Bounty Killer aired their displeasure at the lyrics and accused the singer of corrupting the youth.

Ishawna, who signed a record deal with New York-based Payday Record last year, has not reacted to the criticisms.

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Dominica, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines chart a course for their dasheen value chain

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

Dasheen was the focus of weeklong discussions among some 50 stakeholders including farmers, exporters, government representatives and regional partner Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).

From February 13-17, 2023, these stakeholders from across the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines engaged in an assessment of the dasheen value chain of each country, facilitated by the Caribbean Value Chain team of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

This weeklong Regional Dasheen Value Chain Working Session is a part of activities under the regional cluster of projects on Promoting Windward Islands Food Production and Trade Corridor through National and Regional Value Chain Development. The workshop sought to identify the challenges along the dasheen value chain and to establish an action plan for increasing the efficiency and profitability of dasheen production.

The three countries discussed the current state of their dasheen sectors, the root causes of its challenges, the steps necessary to remove the vulnerabilities faced by farmers and to ensure secure, fair, and profitable markets for dasheen. Marketing, production, cost of production, mid-supply chain, sustainability, primarily in relation to gender and climate change, were among the topics discussed.

Farmers, regional and international exporters shared the realities on the ground in dasheen production. Mr Lenson Grant, a young dasheen farmer from St Vincent and the Grenadines, shared his challenge of lacking access to a stable market for dasheen and noted that this resulted in inconsistent prices for the product. He highlighted that while he loved planting dasheen, these challenges significantly impacted his earnings.

Mr Nick Bernal, Exporter of Seasons Farm Fresh serving the Caribbean markets in Miami and New York, remarked that while the Caribbean offers high quality dasheen, there is an issue of consistent supply from the region. He added that the future of dasheen production needs to be large-scale to be profitable on the export market and that a coordinated effort in filling this gap would greatly serve the development of a regional dasheen industry.

These sentiments led to discussions on how to alleviate some of the challenges to production, marketing and supply in a holistic and collaborative way that involves all stakeholders at the government, private sector, and farm level. This would ensure a consistent and quality supply of dasheen to adequately supply the local, regional and export markets.

Ms Romuld, FAO International Value Chain Specialist remarked that success of the dasheen value chain was highly dependent on all stakeholders, including farmers, processors, exporters, various government representatives, financial institutions, investment promotion entities among others, having a strong and effective partnership, particularly with the private sector. She emphasized that countries, especially those keen on exporting high potential crops like dasheen, would require strong private sector investment to ensure sustainability.

The working session concluded with a preliminary draft of an Upgrading Strategy that will define the goals for the dasheen sector in each country and identify a path to achieving these goals over the next five years. Over the coming weeks, the countries will establish national value chain teams to deliver a final version of the Strategy for implementation, guided by FAO over the next two years of the project.

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UWI, disgruntled students in talks following protest

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The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

A high level meeting involving administrators at the University of the West Indies, Mona (UWI) and representatives of Chancellor and Mary Seacole halls is now under way.

The meeting comes following a protest last night by disgruntled students from both halls who demonstrated over an incident at a sporting event.

It is being alleged that a student was assaulted by a licensed firearm holder.

The dispute reportedly stemmed from discrepancies with a race.

Details on what transpired after the race remain unclear.

The upset students have called for the removal of an unnamed resident adviser and Dr Nadeen Spence, the Students Services and Development Manager for Mary Seacole Hall.

The police were called in last night and they defused the situation and took the firearm holder into custody.

Another protest by the students was planned for this morning but Chancellor Hall Chairman Shaquille Ramsay told The Gleaner that the students have decided to postpone further demonstrations pending the outcome of today’s meeting.

An earlier meeting reportedly took place with the security apparatus of the university.

While noting that students have a right to protest, campus registrar Dr Donovan Stanbury urged them to allow the talks to take place.

Stanbury also reiterated that the matter is being addressed.

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UN concerned about situation in Suriname following violent protests

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The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

United Nations Secretary General Ant?nio Guterres says he is “concerned” about the violent protests that occurred in Suriname last Friday where more than 100 people were detained after protesters stormed the National Assembly and looted businesses.

Several persons were injured in the protests.

“The Secretary-General stresses that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights that must be respected at all times, but protests must be carried out without resorting to violence,” according to a brief statement issued by St?phane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

“The Secretary-General urges all relevant actors in Suriname to show restraint and engage in inclusive dialogue to address constructively the challenges facing the country,” the statement added.

Over the weekend, the United States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) condemned the attack on Suriname’s parliament with Washington saying while it supports the right to peaceful protest and respect for the rule of law, it “remains committed to helping Suriname strengthen its democratic institutions”.

In a statement issued following its 44th summit in the Bahamas, CARICOM said it reaffirms its support for the democratically-elected government in the Dutch-speaking CARICOM country under the leadership of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi and “strongly condemned the violent attacks on people as well as private and public facilities including the parliament.

“CARICOM stands in solidarity with all law-abiding citizens of Suriname and urges all concerned to make every effort to maintain public safety. All efforts must be made to restore calm as a matter of urgency.”

Santokhi warned that his government would not tolerate any indiscipline after police used teargas to disperse the demonstrators who gathered outside the Parliament building demanding his administration reverse its policies that have led to the removal of subsidies on a number of items, including fuel.

Justice and Police Minister, Kenneth Amoksi, told a news conference on Sunday night that more than 140 people had been arrested for their involvement in the vandalism and looting that occurred last Friday.

He told reporters that the authorities would continue their search for the organisers of the protests as the authorities detained Stephano ‘Pakittow’ Biervliet, the political activist who was among the main organisers.

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One year of war against Ukraine: acting together to ensure international law will prevail

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The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

By Josep Borrell – EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

February 24, 2022 will forever be recalled as the day when Russia started its brutal, unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. This was and remains a case of pure aggression and a clear-cut breach of the UN Charter.

This war is neither ‘just a European issue’, nor is it about the ‘West versus the rest’. It is about the kind of world we all want to live in: no one is safe in a world where the illegal use of force – by a nuclear power and permanent member of the Security Council – would somehow be ‘normalised’. That is why international law must be enforced everywhere to protect everyone from power politics, blackmail and military attack.

One year on, there is a risk that people become inured to the images of war crimes and atrocities that they see – because there are so many; that the words we use start to lose their significance – because we have to repeat them so often; that we get tired and weaken our resolve – because time is passing and the task at hand is hard.

This we cannot do. Because every day, Russia keeps violating the UN charter, creating a dangerous precedent for the whole world with its imperialist policy. Every day, Russia keeps killing innocent Ukrainian women, men and children, raining down its missiles on cities and civilian infrastructure. Every day, Russia keeps spreading lies and fabrications.

For the European Union and our partners, there is no alternative to staying the course of our ‘triple strategy’: supporting Ukraine, putting pressure on Russia to stop its illegal aggression and helping the rest of the world cope with the fallout.

This is what we have been doing for one year now – and successfully so. We have adopted unprecedented sanctions; cut our dependency on Russian fossil fuels; and in close collaboration with key partners reduced by 50% the energy revenues the Kremlin gets to finance its aggression. Working together, we have also mitigated the global ripple effects with food and energy prices declining, partly thanks to our Solidarity Lanes and to the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

It is not enough to say that we want Ukraine to be able to defend itself – it needs the means to do so. So, for the first time ever, the EU has supplied weapons to a country under attack. Indeed, the EU is now the leading provider of military training for Ukrainian personnel so they can defend their country. We are also offering significant macro-financial and humanitarian aid to support the Ukrainian people. And we have decided to respond positively to Ukraine’s request to join the EU. Finally, we are working to ensure accountability for the war crimes that Russia has committed.

Ukraine has shown its remarkable resilience, partly thanks to this support. And Russia has grown more isolated, thanks to global sanctions and the international condemnation by the overwhelming majority of states in the UN General Assembly. Our collective goal is and remains a democratic Ukraine that prevails; pushing out the invader, restoring its full sovereignty and, with that, restoring international legality.

Above all, we want peace in Ukraine, a comprehensive and lasting peace that is in line with the UN Charter and international law. Supporting Ukraine and working for peace go hand in hand

Russia’s actions are a frontal attack on the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and international law. If Russia were to succeed, the repercussions would spread globally, as this aggression is indeed a textbook example of an imperialist mindset. The support of Caribbean countries at the UN and elsewhere is, therefore, crucial.

We need to be clear that Russian actions are responsible for the economic shockwaves being experienced. The EU is working with the region to address economic needs and we have increased our funding, including for the most-affected countries in the Caribbean.

The Russian invasion has underlined the need for both Europe and the Caribbean to avoid excessive dependencies. We have common interests in forging a modern partnership to build more resilient and inclusive economies, to protect our democracies and to strengthen social cohesion. We need to deliver practical progress in our ambitious agenda for cooperation ahead of the EU-CELAC Summit later this year.

History and justice are on the side of Ukraine. But to accelerate history and to achieve justice, we need to amplify our ‘triple strategy’. We know this is a collective task. That is why the EU is counting on all its partners, to act in a spirit of joint responsibility and solidarity: to ensure that aggression fails and international law prevails.

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Dipsey Rapper Cam’ron Thank Fans While Mourning Late Mother

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Rapper Cam’ron shared with the hip-hop community that his mother, Fredericka Giles, passed away.

Giles was 67 at the time but appeared to have been hospitalized due to illness. Cam’ron hinted in a lengthy post honoring his mother and expressing shock at her untimely passing. On Saturday (February 18), the rapper shared that he was speechless with grief at losing his mother, who fought for good health since 2007 when she experienced a stroke at an early age.

“In 2007 my mom had a stroke leaving her partially paralyzed on her left side and a speech impediment, but if you followed her or was her friend on social media you would never know any of that,” Cam’ron wrote. “She was witty, funny, intelligent, sarcastic and outspoken,” the rapper said in the lengthy post.

“People would say ‘cam I know you’re writing ya moms captions’ and I wasn’t. I would see my moms captions and say ‘where are you learning this?’ (Lingo) she’s [sic] tell me “be easy lil homie’ lol. So I’m so sad to inform you guys of her passing,” he reminisced.

Cam’ron shared that his mother’s nickname was Virgie, and she was well-known, where she had a community of people that supported her. The rapper said he had not wanted to speak on her death but wanted to inform her community.

“I wasn’t going to share this because I’m in a lot of pain and Didn’t think it was anyones business,” the Dipset rapper. “But thinking about it, I really wanted to thank you all for making my moms days and nights for the last decade or so. Social media was her go-to for, entertainment, news, general gossip etc. She would send me anything she thought I should know, about me or not, good or bad.”

“She also had friends on here she fight me about,” Cam added about his mom’s presence on social media. “If I had a show anywhere (Boston, cali, texas etc) and she’d say ‘yo my friend is gonna be at the show get him/her in!’ And I’d say ‘mom you don’t know these people’ she’d say ‘yes I do that’s my friend’ (me) ‘you never even met them’ (her) ‘I SAID GET THEM IN!!!’ Lol and I would.”

The Dipset rapper’s mother is also well-known to fans after making a guest appearance on the song “Me, My Moms & Jimmy” on her son’s album, ‘Confessions Of Fire’ released in 1998.

Cam’ron shared that his mother was hospitalized the past week as he recollected their conversations about her missing his birthday post and them spending her last moments together.

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Rotimi In Jamaica For First Time For ‘Lovers & Friends’ With Mya & Bobby V

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Rotimi and Mya have arrived in Jamaica as he prepares for the post-Valentine’s Day concert ‘Lovers and Friends’ event to be held on February 18 at Priory, St. Ann.

Rotimi arrived on Friday through the Sangster International airport, and he shared that he was excited to be in Jamaica after hearing good things about the country for a while now. This is the first time that the singer/actor is setting foot on Jamaican soil.

“I’m so mad at myself for not being here sooner you know cause this would be my first time,” he says before adding, “I heard it’s amazing and the fact that Bob Marley is my favourite artist ever, it’s embarrassing this is my first time.”

The artist said that he was advised to try everything before leaving. “The food, I need to see everything, I’ve been told to see everything that I can,” he said.

The concert will feature a list of celebrities, including American artist Mya and R&B giant Bobby V, while a raft of local acts will complement the night of love.

These artists include Chris Martin, Sizzla, Alaine, J Written, and British Geeza, and hosted by Mc Blazze with Kurt Riley and ZJ Sparks juggling.

Mya also arrived on Friday at Sangster airport, where she was spotted meeting and greeting fans.

The artist revealed that she was happy to be visiting Jamaica, especially as she was celebrating a career milestone- the 25th anniversary of her first single being released. That song, “It’s All About Me,” was released on February 14, 1998.

The artist who previously collaborated with Beenie Man on “Girls Dem Sugar” said she felt “right at home” in Jamaica. She also shared that fans can expect her to perform as well as dance during her set, and she will be bringing slow jams for the lovers in the audience.

The event is being hosted by Good Vibrations Entertainment. Tickets for the event are VIP $20,000 and general admission $10,000.

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Nicki Minaj Arrives Home In Trinidad Ahead Of 2023 Carnival

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Nicki Minaj has arrived in her home country, the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, ahead of Carnival Monday.

The artist was spotted leaving the airport with her hairstylist Tae in tow along with members of her team. On Instagram, she got ahead of the narrative as she confirmed that she was indeed on the island to celebrate Carnival. “They said the Queen of rap just touch down in she home country,” she wrote on Instagram Stories. “Allyuh hear dah or wah,? She asked her fans.

Around midday, Nicki Minaj, dressed in leather pants and an ankle-length coat, was spotted leaving the airport with security and her stylist.

Carnival is celebrated on Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in Trinidad with a barrage of parties, road marches, and colorful and shiny costumes. This is not the first time Minaj is doing Carnival, as she has been traveling to the country over the years and serving inspiring looks to Carnival-goers.

The visit comes ahead of Nicki Minaj joining Machel Montano and Destra Garcia on her first soca record, “Shake The Record.” The song was released on Friday on YouTube and across radio stations and among Carnival deejays.

Minaj is likely to participate in Carnival festivities which include parties on Sunday, a road march with costumes on Monday, and J’Ouvert on Tuesday. The artist’s Trinidad fans shared videos they caught of her, while others reacted with glee on social media.

“Mother has arrived!” one fan wrote.

“Omg girl if only I knew I would of been there,” another said.

Nicki Minaj also shared on her Instagram Stories several throwback videos and photos from her past Carnival appearances, including her last visit in 2020. The rapper shared that even though she appeared gorgeous and happy, she was, in fact, pregnant with her son, Papa Bear, who was born later in September 2020.

“I was preggers — madddd morning sickness,” she wrote.

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Luckie Mazi, Mr Cheeks & Stevey Fresh Link Up On New Song “Sexuation”

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Urban Islandz

Mr.Cheeks of the Lost Boyz link up with Luckie Mazi and Stevey Fresh for a crossover reggae/hip-hop smash hit, “Sexuation.”

Since its release in December, the track has been gaining traction on hip hop and dancehall airwaves internationally. According to producer/artist Stevey Fresh, “Sexuation” is the desire to surpass love in any given relationship between two persons as a passionate result of satisfactory guarantees at any given time and place.”

The single “Sexuation” has an island beat blend with a classic hip/hop sound creating a masterpiece for the listening public. With today’s music being as raunchy as ever, “Sexuation” provides a classy and respectful serene vibe for listeners. The trio produced a Caribbean sound guaranteed to put listeners in the vibe.

Stevey Fresh was born in Belize and is the son of a musician. He immigrated to the United States in 1999 and was introduced to dancehall and rap at an early age.

“As to my audience I would to take you through a journey as I make you dance and understand my cultural music as dancehall and hip hop and rap,” Fresh told Urban Islandz. “I been doing music for some time now did songs and stage performances with great people such as Skinny Gilly — Z Lala — lion — talent- Mantana — and the list goes on . My main focus is to connect with listeners world wide as I manifest my craft.. Music is life and will take you back to that place as you vibe.”

Mr. Cheeks is an American rapper best known for his work with the group Lost Boyz and as a solo artist known for his hit “Lights, Camera, Action!”

Luckie Mazi is a marketing expert/businessman turned music artist. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mazi is best known for his work in production, marketing, and promotion but is now pushing his career as an artist. In 2011, he moved to Las Vegas, NV, to pursue his entrepreneurial career in the entertainment industry.

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CARICOM warned to brace for imported inflation

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Caribbean News Service

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is being warned to prepare for the impact of imported inflation as the ongoing increase in the cost of living which is being fuelled in part by rising petrol prices, among other things, is set to continue unabated, according to Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley.

Mottley, who was addressing the closing press conference of the 44th Regular CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas, on Friday, noted that with an easing of freight costs and other contributory factors to the cost of living, overall, prices have started to fall but the region is not likely to enjoy the full benefits.

“Regrettably, as we know, in our region and perhaps in other parts, when prices rise they hardly ever come back down. In our own country, we have tried to enter into a voluntary compact with the private sector and the labour movement to see the markups being contained and I say markups because the majority of what we use in this region, we do not produce. So we will import inflation because the inflation is coming internationally.”

The region’s annual food import bill hovers at about US$5 billion and Heads of Government of CARICOM have committed to reducing this by 25 per cent by 2025. The implementation of the CARICOM Agri-Food Systems Strategy in the Member States is being touted as an option to help achieve this target, by giving special attention to priority crops and products such as poultry, corn, soya, meat (goat, sheep, beef), rice and niche vegetables which are highly imported products in the region.

Referencing the Barbados Initiative which encourages the inclusion of a natural disaster clause which would stipulate a temporary suspension of interest rate payments on debt owned by a country hit by climate disaster, Mottley called for the provision of additional fiscal space in such an event.

“We need to have better terms of conditions for accessing finance to give us the ability to buy more, do more and to be able to create that space so that we can do for our citizens more. This region is heavily indebted, not because of profligacy or corruption but because we continue to face serious exogenous shocks and also serious problem as it relates to the climate crisis,” she charged.

“Every time a hurricane or storm or flood hits, invariably it’s the governments that are carrying the costs of trying to restore people to stability. To build the houses, to deal with the infrastructure, to protect coastal defences and all of these things that eat into the space that you would normally have to provide access to education, health and to be able to subsidise and promote some level of buffer between the citizens and the increasing cost of living,” she added.

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