Prime Minister of Barbados, Hon. Mia Mottley recently issued a strong condemnation of a dancehall riddim megamix that has been uploaded on social media platform Youtube.
The Dwaingerous produced Trojan Riddim which garnered over 62 000 views came under heavy scrutiny for its glorification of death and gun violence amid the nation grappling with gun crime.
Prime Minister Mottley in chastising the artistes and confirming her Government will cease the support from which they have benefitted, reminded them of the burden of responsibility their national acclaim carries. “While there are some who may claim artistic license for artistes, not everyone in our society understands the use of artistic license or sarcasm. We have to understand that some people do not have the maturity to recognize that this is not how we behave in a civilized society,” she said.
The riddim features some of the biggest heavy hitters in Barbados such as Lil Rick, Peter Ram and Lead Pipe.
Prime Minister Mottley called for an immediate apology to which Peter Ram has since stepped forward to offer his sincere and humble apology for his contribution on the riddim.
Meanwhile, Saint Lucian artistes have taken the lead in calling for a cease-fire between warring factions in the wake of two double murders in a span of 24 hours.
Spearheaded by Groovy Soca Monarch The Artiste Sly and artiste producer Veagel, the Stop the Violence campaign #liveupgunsdown calls for every Saint Lucian to choose life and not death. Artistes and creatives have since released a slew of videos endorsing the movement.