Black Immigrant Daily News

Beenie Man has new management for his career, and they are confident that U.S. fans of the Dancehall star will get a chance to see him perform again “soon.”

St Croix businessman, event promoter, and founder of Ciga Records, Shawn Baptiste, who now also manages Dark Room artist Shane O, said that Beenie Man only has two limitations on his growth. 

“The level of communication with management, that is sorted out, and the fact that he has not been travelling to America,” Baptise told the Star.

“I recognised that he has not been able to travel to the US, which has limited the opportunities,” he said. “Running a business without communication, you end up lose. The communication part was a big downfall because a man with a career like Beenie Man needs a team of persons who not only manage his music, but understand the business, and handle the travel arrangements.”

The Girls Dem Sugar deejay, 50, hasn’t been to the United States for a performance since September 2015, according to checks made by DancehallMag.

The entertainer had been billed for several appearances in the country during 2022, including the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, the LETSGETFR.EE Carnival in Queens, NY, and the House Of Blues in Boston—but he did not show up, or the events were postponed.

Baptiste (more popularly known as Ciga) says his team is pulling out all the stops—which includes involving attorneys—to have thedeejay’s visa restored.

“He’s already out the door and it’s through the roof [at a high level] in getting this sorted soon. I guarantee it, and this is our goal. When I researched everything, it’s really as I said, a no-brainer,” he told the STAR.

“The visa legalities are just a matter of putting the right people, specifically the right attorneys who know what they do … in the right place. US fans will see him soon.”

Beenie is billed for the Afro Nation Music Festival in Miami in May 2023, alongside the Gully Gad Mavado and Nigerian headliners Burna Boy and Wizkid.

When fans on social media raised questions about the legitimacy of his pending performance, Afro Nation reassured that “he’s allowed into the US as of this year.”

Beenie’s travel woes began in 2010 when he was among several Dancehall deejays whose US visas were revoked, the others being Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Aidonia, and Mavado.  The US Embassy did not state the reason for the revocation back then but subsequently reissued Aidonia and Mavado with their visas. 

In July 2011, the Jamaica Gleaner reported that Beenie’s visa was restored, which saw him returning to the US for performances, including the Groovin In The Park concert in New York, which also featured Jimmy Cliff, Beres Hammond, Konshens, Chronixx, and Sanchez. 

He then made an appearance at the BET Awards show in 2013, took the stage with Ashanti in New York in 2014, and performed at several other venues across the country until September 2015, according to online records.

After that, it was back to square one.

In May 2020, there were fresh calls for both Beenie Man and Bounty Killer to be given back their US visas, following the duo’s performance on the VERZUZ show. 

Beenie Man and Shane O announced their new management deals with Ciga last Thursday, according to the Gleaner. The agreements cover the overall management of their careers.

The Girls Dem Sugar deejay, however, clarified that his brother Rohan Smith was still involved with his brand.

“I want to make it clear that my brand is my brand, and with my brother [Rohan Smith] who everyone knows as ‘Blue’ we have MD Entertainment. ‘Cigar’, who is my friend from he was called ‘Cigarette’ is the manager of my career, is not new management,” he said.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Fyah Mumma Queen Ifrica recently added the 2023 Young, Gifted & Black (YGB) Entrepreneurial Awards’ Reggae & Dancehall Music Entertainment Icon Award and Hall of Fame Induction to her list of accolades.

In a release, which was posted on their website, the YGB organization noted that Queen Ifrica, whose given name is Ventrice Morgan, had her accolades bestowed at their 18th annual Black Tie Gala & Fundraiser in Queens, New York on February 22, but that it was officially presented to her in person, last week at the ROK Hotel in Kingston.

“Queen Ifrica’s scheduling only allowed acceptance of her honors virtually that night, however, organizers was able to arrange with the ROK Hotel Kingston by Hilton, a private meet & greet reception today to present in person their prestigious honors…,” the release noted.

Queen Ifrica was also presented with a US Congressional Proclamation from the Honorable Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, a US Senate Resolution from Honorable Senator Kevin Parker & Mayoral Citation from Honorable New York City Mayor Eric L. Adams, the YGB stated.

Queen Ifrica told The Gleaner newspaper that the presentation was a humbling moment in her career.

“This is my legacy. More than anything else, I think it’s about legacy and the fact that I’m being recognised by people who are impacted by my music and by what I do as a public figure. I’m humbled, moreso because it was done of their own accord. I’m just humbled these people saw my name and thought I was deserving of such honours,” she told the publication.

Queen Ifrica’s music career began in 1995 after she shone at a local talent contest in her Montego Bay hometown. 

She became a part of Tony Rebel’s Flames Production in 1998 after the Fresh Vegetable deejay, heard what he regarded as her clean vocals, and saw the unmistakable quality of her performance, during a show in honour of the late Garnett Silk, and asked her to join his team.

In May 2010, following the release of her Montego Bay debut album, Ifrica was the toast of the International Reggae and World Music Awards, which was held in Queens, New York.    

Montego Bay, which was one of the most popular reggae albums of 2009, garnered her four awards: Artiste of the Year, Most Educational Artiste of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Best Female deejay. 

The album tracks included Don’t Sign, Far away, In My Dreams, Lioness on the rise, Montego Bay, Coconut Shell, Yad to the East, calling Africa, Keep it to Yourself, Streets are Bloody, TTPNC and the controversial Daddy, a song about incest.  There were two versions of Daddy on the Montego Bay album, one in English and the other in Spanish.

Among Ifrica’s other hits are Serve and Protect, Times Like These, Far Away, Randy, Below the Waist and Let’s get Silly.

According to a VP Records release in late April 2021, Queen Ifrica, was working on new material in preparation for her forthcoming album for that label.

And in February last year, Ifrica had also revealed that both Nuh Rush Records and Organic Records were among the production houses with which she would be working to produce her upcoming album, which will be her first full-length project since her 2017 Billboard Reggae Albums chart-topping album Climb.

After disappearing from social media in 2020, and seemingly taking a hiatus from public life, Ifrica had resurfaced in April 2021 when she released the track Four Women (a Nina Simone cover version of an original released in 1966 on her Wild Is the Wind album) to mark the anniversary of the 1969 recording of the Jazz icon’s Live from Berkley album.

The track, which was produced by Medication singer, Stephen Marley, was released “in tribute to the legendary an American jazz singer, composer, pianist and arranger, and was part of a seven-track Reggae EP titled Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone, which also featured songs from her compatriots Cedella Marley and Etana.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Valiant is again the subject of a fiery debate in Jamaica, this after a letter to the Editor from a university student was carried in The Gleaner, voicing objection to the Dunce Cheque singer performing at this weekend’s UWI Mona Carnival, on the basis that his songs “promote scamming, violence and drugs”.

The letter from the submitter, who gave her name as “Sarah, a UWI student,” bore the headline “Why is dancehall artiste Valiant at UWI carnival?” and was published on Monday.

“I am writing this letter because I am troubled about recent plans to have Valiant, a dancehall artiste whose songs promotes scamming, violence and drugs, to perform on the University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona carnival 2023.   I am saddened and concerned that my university would choose to partner with an artiste like Valiant, whose songs are not even permitted on Jamaican radio,” Sarah had noted in her letter.

In furthering her case Sarah pointed out that she was confident the UWI “would not readily invite an artiste who glorifies rape or child molestation, which are widespread negative features of our society”, and similarly should shun Valiant.

“We would never justify songs with this type of detestable content with the assertion that “music is just a reflection of life”. What we sing about matters, and what our youth are entertained by matters,” she argued in the letter.

According to the student, the University ought not to hypocritically promote artistes “who glorify antisocial and illegal behaviour like scamming, which destroys real people simply”, simply because they are popular.

She said it was a “glaring contradiction that a university would elevate an artiste who promotes being “dunce” and choosing a life of scamming, as seen in Valiant’s song, Dunce Cheque, and that “inviting Valiant and supporting his music is a line the UWI should not cross” arguing that it goes against the ethos of the institution.

“It is hard to take the work of the University seriously when, in class, we are taught about ethics but events like these are inconsistent with such an ethical standard. A university is a place to discover truth and promote the flourishing of society,” she had asserted.

However, while a few persons supported Sarah’s comments, many Jamaicans rose to the defence of the University and its Guild of Students, which is promoting the Carnival. 

Some sought to remind the author that Carnival was long known for promoting acts of debauchery, while noting that her outrage is selective, and is also an attack on Dancehall.

“Don’t forget the gyrating n carrying on in Soca with same sex to help promote unsolicited ideology of sodom…so hypocritical!!!!” one commenter said, to which another joined in: “Ina di middle a Constant Spring rd a dry hump ina soso g-string wid di 2 batty peg dem outa door”.

“I will never understand the double standard of the Jamaican society, we tend to bash and discriminate against our own dancehall music so much but glorify soca like it’s the best thing since slice bread.  The same ppl who want to turn up their nose on a young lady in her shorts going to a dancehall party is the same one in the skimpiest costume in broad daylight during road march,” another woman said.

Another commenter pointed out that it was ridiculous for anyone to think Valiant would be able to influence university students, already highly educated to be “dunces”.

“unnu so unreal. If you’d listen to his catalogue you’d get a grip. And also isn’t the fact that they are enrolled in the institution and not choosing that route of life proof that they may not be as impressionable as you think?” jadetori rebuked.

Another commenter lustxena ripped into the author whom she accused of being hypocritical, since Carnival was not a virtuous event but one of lewdness and semi-nudity.

“Valiant is an ARTiste. Thus the root word is art. It is the intent for him to display his art which lies in his is lyrical prowess. As a Jamaican, UWI graduate and j’ouvert lover. I don’t recall there being any scientific equation, psychology theory nor legal problem to be solved during Carnival. Further, he is not being hired as a lecturer, is he?  Correct me if I’m wrong, but what I know happens at Carnival is people gyrating to lewd music and enjoying themselves,”  she stated.

“If the scantily clad females and gyrating does not offend your sensibilities I fail to see why the artiste’s song about Dunce cheque offends you so much. The Jamaican in many of us is able to appreciate the ART that he produces and not internalize it as though we are studying for an EXAM. If you don’t have a problem with Carnival you cannot have a problem with Valiant and if you do STAY HOME,” she reprimanded.

Other commenters pointed out that as a university, the UWI is a place where all views contend, and where nobody’s art or speech is shunned.

“Because UWI provides a space for free speech and expression. Also carnival is entertainment. I may not agree with all his lyrics but he is a good performer. I’m not going to bash you for your opinion as we should be having thought provoking dialogue,” brown_sania said.

Another commenter ashikabii, said Valiant’s entire catalogue was not only about nefarious activities and that the Red Hills native has been an advocate for education and youth development.

“He’s an entertainer, not the morality police. They sing about life’s uncomfortable truths but that doesn’t mean you need to follow in their footsteps. Just in the same way these soca artiste aren’t morality police when they sing and perform lewd and provocatively in next to nothing (again it’s entertainment),” she argued.

“As usual, this is just a another attempt to promote divisiveness based on classism (soca provocateur overload is okay for uwi carnival but dancehall, not so much),” she added. 

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Dancehall artist Valiant has seemingly responded to recent criticism of his music, chalking it all up to a case of “bad mind.”

The March 5 release of his song Rasta, which likens his non-confrontational approach to having no “beef and passa” — the way Rastafarians do — struck a nerve with fellow artist Kabaka Pyramid.

The 2023 Grammy award winner, who told the Recording Academy that he hoped this year’s Reggae Grammy nominees would inspire more positivity in Jamaican music, took to Twitter (on March 12) to share his view that the song was offensive and that it made a mockery of the Rastafarian faith.

“When we seh we wah inspire di next generation, dis is NOT what we meant. Rasta a joke ting a Jamaica now apparently. Aright,” he wrote.

On Tuesday, Valiant appeared on Instagram Live to vent his frustrations about seasoned artists in the industry, who are “bad mind” towards their younger counterparts, and he vowed never to become one of them.

“Mi just deh yah ah meds, like mi just grateful fi everything wah gwan and ting but more while yuh siddung and like yuh overthink, you just overthink,” Valiant began.

“Mi hope when mi start achieve some bigger tings and the support still deh deh…mi nuh get badmind fi nuh younger generation or mi heart [doesn’t] get dutty and seh some tings fi try tear dung di Dancehall weh we a try build,” he continued.

On Sunday, Kabaka had also pointed out that despite Valiant’s immense talent, he has had to resort to gimmickry in order to get his big musical break.

“When a man wid actual talent haffi sing bout Dunce an’ Siance fi get anybody attention, dat tell u more bout SOCIETY dan di artist himself,” Kabaka wrote in a comment.

“Unnu need fi check unnu mental health.  Di dj dem weh get him conscious song dem, unnu play dem? Me neva hear bout him, why is that?? A my fault mi neva hear bout him? Look how much conscious artist a try a ting an nah get heard.  An di one artist weh stay conscious right tru an neva run down commercial song unnu a diss ya now. Mi love unnu same way. An me a gwaan shell dem show ya pon tour .”

Instead of responding directly to the criticism, Valiant said he’d take the high road and promote unity in Jamaican music.

“We ah try create unity in a di ting and di ting work bro … we fi positive. You have some people weh you look up to ah try tear down yuh mindset. Dat make you feel like get corrupt,” he said on the Live session.

The St. Mary deejay also urged the young talents coming up in the industry to continue pushing their music despite what others think.

“Mi just hope seh the new generation weh a come up and a do the music just stay focus same way bro, cause the cake big for everybody fi eat a piece a food,” he added.

Valiant, whose real name is Raheem Bowes, rose to prominence in October 2022 after being captured on camera engaging in a conversation at one of his music video shoots, where he glibly uttered the words “kotch e hat, a lie.”

The clip went viral, resulting in many music fans seeking him out after discovering he was a recording artist.  

In December, he took the top five positions on YouTube’s Jamaica Music Charts with the controversial Dunce Cheque, St. Mary, Siance, North Carolina, and C.A.L. (Cut all Losses).

According to Valiant, those songs, which include one or more references to lotto scamming/fraud, MDMA (molly), obeah (spell casting), moderate gunplay, and/or explicit sexual activity, are simply what the masses in the Caribbean want to hear.

However, earlier this week, the artist also became the focus of a letter to the Editor in The Gleaner titled, “Why is dancehall artiste Valiant at UWI carnival?”

The letter, written by a University of the West Indies (UWI) student, was an objection to the deejay performing at the UWI Mona Carnival on the basis that his songs “promote scamming, violence and drugs.”

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Queen of Dancehall Spice is back with her first single of 2023, God A Bless, following a major health scare late last year, and a viral Instagram post earlier this week, in which she appeared to be pregnant.

Given her history of over-the-top marketing stunts, fans who doubted the Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star’s third pregnancy turned out to be right, as she confirmed on Friday, in an Instgram Live Q&A session, that the post was meant to be a symbolic one.

After explaining that she battled sepsis and hernia challenges, Spice shared: “I am honoured to be given a second chance at life. Fast forward to the photo I posted where I appeared pregnant, I never said I was (pregnant). I said God has been good to me and that photo is just me celebrating my second chance at life.”

The new song and music video are a seemingly dramatic retelling of the health scare, directed by BlingBlang.

Notably, the song samples Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 hit, ‘I Will Survive’.

Spice further explained that the stunt was not done to offend anyone.

“So, if it did,” she said, “I apologize. I know there are people who can’t have kids, have had miscarriages. It [the photo] was just done to celebrate my new life.”

The Grammy-nominated singer divulged her inspirations for this latest deeply personal project. 

“I died in October 2022 and God literally gave me a second chance at life, so this pregnancy signifies my rebirth” she told Complex. “The release of this song is called ‘God A Bless Me’ because it’s really a blessing what I overcame and I’m so grateful to God to still be alive.” 

Spice’s last project since her medically-induced hiatus was her Emancipated album, released via the singer’s own label, Spice Official Entertainment. She had expressed via her Instagram page how proud she was of the project, given each track’s potential to be a single.

Her debut album 10 was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

Watch ‘God A Bless’ above.

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