Ever since this whole Gaza/Empire infighting has started, two songs have been playing in my head -Michael Jackson′s Man In The Mirror and Bounty Killer′s Seek the Devil (That′s why them life so miserable.)

It′s so instructive that no sooner than the Gully/Gaza ceasefire was announced, the Gaza adherents started getting at each other′s throats and reports of beatings and money issues started to surface. And then the exodus from the camp began -- Lisa Hype, Gaza Kim and now Blak Ryno. Interestingly, in all scenarios, Kartel′s PR machinery has done its best to make the Teacha look -- not lily white -- but bleached-out white. Kartel, they shout, knows absolutely nothing about any of the questionable practices that allegedly take place on the Gaza. Kartel knew nothing of the picture with Lisa Hype that was posted on the Internet and felt sorry for what she was going through; Kartel has never ordered the beating of any member of the Portmore Empire, including Gaza Kim and Kartel, naturally, knows nothing about Blak Ryno′s house being shot up. And in fact, that particular release went further to state that anybody who does Ryno anything would be answerable to Kartel himself.

1/2

And, who are we to even suggest that this is not so?

However, the truth is that there are many persons who are just not buying the reports. A casual glance at the comments section on dancehall-inspired websites tell at sorry tale about Kartel, the Gaza and the Portmore Empire. There is some sympathy for Blak Ryno, although his recent stint in the courts where his landlord dropped a case against him, allegedly out of fear, has provided quite a lot of fodder for Internet junkies. They question Ryno′s talent and his ability to further his career outside of the Empire. Jahvinci, some argue, would have a much better chance of making it solo and right now the question isn′t if Jahvinci is going to ditch the Portmore Empire, but when. And the odds, they say, are that such a release distancing Kartel from anything negative in that scenario is already written and waiting to be tweaked and sent out.

Web readers clearly don′t like to think that they are being taken for fools and have been calling out the writers of the releases and also Kartel himself. They have some really cute things to say about one web site owner, whose name rhymes with ′fraud′.

What is evident in all of this is that there is a credibility issue at stake and secondly, the Empire seems to be crumbling. Kartel′s talent as an artiste, however, has never been questioned and perhaps it would be better if he focuses on that and leave all political aspiration alone.

Singjay Jah Vinci has seemingly made a musical statement affirming his commitment to the Gaza camp with the song Gaza.

The song, which was leaked online yesterday, was produced by Don Corleon and is scheduled to be officially released today. Gaza seems to address the rumours surrounding Jah Vinci, that he wants to leave the Portmore Empire. Jah Vinci, who′s real name is André Kirk Rhoden, has been with the Portmore Empire since 2008 and rose to popularity with the song Weh Dem Ago alongside Vybz Kartel.

Prior to the exit of Blak Ryno from the Portmore Empire last week, rumours had been circulating for months that Jah Vinci has not been happy as a member of the Empire. Rumours had also circulated that he and Ryno had both been beaten on the Gaza, rumours which both have denied.

Now in his song, Gaza, Jah Vinci says, "Dem come wid rumour/run dem away/teacha a mi dadda/ Gaza mi sey/hypocrite and parasite a so dem name/waan fi stop mi pon mi walk of fame/a so dem lame/ Gaza mi sey, mi nuh shame/yesterday, tomorrow, today/ just tell di pagan go weh/a Gaza mi sey."

He continues, "Dem come wid a bagga lie/waan see mi die/but yuh cyaan see mi leave Empire/and a di more dem call mi name/a di more career rise higher/from dem born mi know dem a liar/mi nah tun Judas betray di messiah."

In the song, Jah Vinci urges all who wants to leave the Empire to leave because as one artiste departs "another star is born". At the end of the song he says, "all who a ask if mi aggo lef di Gaza, no."

′Dem come wid a bagga

lie waan see mi die,

but yuh cyaan see mi

leave Empire,

and a di more dem

call mi name,

a di more career rise

higher, from dem born

mi know dem a liar,

mi nah tun Judas

betray di messiah.′

ENTERTAINER Blak Ryno is now counting his losses after his apartment was torched early Wednesday morning.

Police confirmed that the contents of Ryno′s apartment at 1 Winchester Court along Winchester Avenue, close to the intersection with Ruthven Road, were destroyed in the blaze, which began shortly after 1 o′clock yesterday morning.

"It was terrible. I heard a commotion and saw smoke taking over the place," one frightened resident told the Observer.

"It is unfortunate that the other tenants can′t live in peace because of these deejays who fight and quarrel over everything," the tenant said.

Police from the St Andrew Central division are investigating the blaze at the premises, for which Blak Ryno pays $60,000 monthly to rent the one-bedroom apartment, much higher than the $35,000 that most other tenants pay to live at apartments of the same size.

As things are heating up on the Gaza between Vybz Kartel and his former protégé Blak Ryno, ex-Portmore Empire member Lisa Hyper has recorded Call to Addi, urging an end to the dispute.

Having been excommunicated from the Empire late last year, shortly after a picture showing the artistein compromising circumstanceswas released, Lisa Hyper is remembering better days in her song, Call to Addi.

In the song, which was voiced on Tuesday night, Hyper pretends to make a call to her former ′daddy′ Vybz Kartel saying, "Nuffy, yuh know sey mi a call Addi yuh know, cause me nuh like wha gwaan yuh know and mi nah go stay aside and watch it."

She continues, "Right now mi a call yuh wid tears inna eyes, mi just forward from Guyana but mi get fi realise, Ryno just lef di camp now him and Popcaan a fight, a wha gwaan, every man pon di Gaza get hype? It look like yuh cyaan talk to nuh man nuh more, but hold on/dem figet a you buss di door, whappen to when every man pon di Gaza did poor?"

As the song progresses, Hyper talks about Ryno′s song aimed at Kartel called Mi Lef and Popccan′s song Dem Sell Out. She deejays, "Mi nah lie, mi understand wha Ryno a sey we di artiste nuh get di full respect but Ryno yuh see di disrespect dat yuh talk to di Don yuh shouldn′t mek yuh mout mek."

She also reminds Popcaan and Ryno about the songs they′ve done together, and asks Portmore Empire members Jah Vinci and Shawn Storm to talk some sense into Ryno and Popcaan to help bring back peace within the organisation.

After leaving the Empire, Lisa Hyper remained a staunch Gaza supporter, explaining to her fans that she will always say Gaza for life. During numerous performances, the artiste has continued to big up Kartel and the rest of the Empire crew. In the song she still refers to herself as ′the gaza girl.′

- K.H.

Reggae continues to have a foothold in the African nation of Zimbabwe. In April 1980, that country, then called Rhodesia, gained its independence from Britain and Bob Marley was invited to entertain. Marley′s Zimbabwe was penned for this occasion.

Marley′s presence reportedly caused such a stir that a riot broke out and only he could calm the crowds by staging a second concert.

1/1

Fast forward 30 years and it is another Jamaican Reggae ambassador who stilled a crowd in Zimbabwe.

This time it is Sizzla Kalonji, who on Saturday, came to the rescue of his Zimbabwean fans who were being bashed by riot police and soldiers.

Sizzla, who was performing during the 21st February Movement Gala, reportedly arrived in that country last Thursday afternoon at the invitation of organisers of the event to celebrate President Robert Mugabe′s 86th birthday.

The Zimbabwe Times newspaper reports that wild scenes greeted his appearance on stage at 2:15 am. Ecstatic fans broke a human barricade that was formed by the police to have a closer look at the reggae star on stage.

The report further states that as he performed, police started beating up the fans, apparently to control them, The commotion resulted in a brief stoppage of Sizzla′s performance. He pleaded with the police to stop the beatings.

"Please, security, take it easy," said the musician. "Please stop beating up my fans. All the security please, climb up on the stage."

Agitated fans responded by reportedly throwing missiles at the police and were only restrained after the reggae artiste appealed for calm.

"You know who brought me here?" asked the Jamaican artiste, who did not spend 30 minutes on stage, "It is President Mugabe. So you have got to be at your best behaviour. Set a good example. This is the 21st February Movement. Please do not mess it up."

Deejay Macka Diamond plans to end her conflict with Unicorn at Magnum′s Follow Di Arrow this Saturday, aiming to lyrically ′kill′ her former friend.

The ongoing conflict between Macka Diamond and Unicorn, who collaborated on the track Think Bout Mi, will hopefully be settled at Follow Di Arrow at James Bond Beach. The two deejays ended on a sour note last year when Unicorn made claims to the public that Macka Diamond was "ungrateful".

In a release sent to THE STAR, Unicorn explained the situation between himself and the money goddess saying: "I am the one who wrote so many of Macka′s songs like Hoola Hoop when I go roun′ Big Yard I couldn′t tek fi see mi fren′ look pop dung so, so I write it and put har back ah lead. Then mi write Think ′Bout Mi and put har pon top again and is like she nuh want Unicorn eat no food. Mi have a new song wid Ikaya and she a tell people don′t play it."

small change

He continued: "After Think Bout Mi hit it big, promoter all ah pay her US$5, 000 and US$7,000 and dem money deh, and di agreement wha she come to me wid, is dat she will ask dem fi a certain amount and den pay me outta it. Macka a go look pon me and gimme US$200. How she fi do dat and mos′ a di recent hit song dem wha she have, a me gih har? A Unicorn try wid Macka every time she carbon copy out her career and do remake a people song and go back to di level of Lady Mackerel."

Now Unicorn has released a collaboration with newcomer Ikaya that directly takes shots at Macka Diamond. In the song, Ma Name, Ikaya deejays: "Unicorn yuh gi mi bun a goin gi yuh back hotta, yuh caan park mi up like how yuh park up Macka," while Unicorn replies, "Macka was the past she a old quit tired race horse."

According to Unicorn, Macka has taken offence to the song and has allegedly told and paid selectors not to play the song.

When THE STAR spoke to Macka, however, she said she has not listened to the song nor has she paid anyone to not play the song. She said: "Mi nuh business wid it (the song), me nuh business wid Ikaya either, she a artiste? A Unicorn mi have a problem wid, a him mi a guh kill at Follow Di Arrow."

For Macka, she doesn′t want to clash with any female artistes and advised Ikaya to clash Lisa Hyper instead. According to Macka even if Ikaya walked out on her at Follow Di Arrow she will not clash her and says it would be disrespectful of Ikaya to do so. Macka said: "A man my ting deh, afta mi kill Unicorn mi a look another man fi kill. Yuh have one bagga woman a clash, a di men me want."

She continued: "Unicorn mus′ stop use people and come defend himself, him talk big last year him mus come defend it."

ready to clash

 
Macka Diamond

In the release, Unicorn said he was ready for the clash saying: "So much people in the business try to help her and she turn roun′ and backstab dem: Black-er, KipRich, some odda yute who used to write fi her - even Lady Saw ... So she can come ah Follow Di Arrow come dead like sparrow."

Ikaya has also released a single aimed at Macka called, Kill Off Di Whole A Dem, and she, too, is ready for the veteran deejay saying, "Since ′Granny Macka′ is such a good lyricist, why she can never answer in music?"

"I have respect for my veterans and I have crazy love for people like Lady Saw, Tanya Stephens and others, but Lady Mackerel doesn′t deserve any because she disrespected me when I didn′t say anything to or about her at first. All I can say is look out at Follow Di Arrow this Saturday because this no-name artiste going to kill somebody."

Haitian artiste/producer and philanthropist, Wyclef Jean, has been selected to honour Jamaican reggae star Jimmy Cliff at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month.
Cliff, who is one of this year′s music nominees to the prestigious Hall of Fame, is noted on that organisation′s website of having an album that changed the face of music forever.

"Very few single albums can be said to have changed music forever. Jimmy Cliff′s The Harder They Come is one. The album -- and the movie that spawned it -- introduced reggae to a world-wide audience and changed the image of the genre from cruise ship soundtrack to music of rebellion and inspiration.
"Sitting in Limbo, The Harder They Come, You Can Get It If You Really Want, and Many Rivers to Cross made Jimmy Cliff the first international reggae superstar and created the model that Bob Marley would soon follow. A beautifully gifted singer and a uniquely influential songwriter, Jimmy Cliff has made a profound impact on rock and pop music all over the world for 40 years," the bio on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website reads.
According to an Associated Press release, the presenters were announced Tuesday by the hall, which is based in Cleveland.
Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio is inducting rock group Genesis, while Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees will induct Sweden′s ABBA. Green Day′s Billie Joe Armstrong is set to honour The Stooges and Jackson Browne will induct David Geffen.
The induction ceremony takes place March 15 in New York and will air live on Fuse TV.

A release from the publicist for international deejay Capleton, states that despite once agin being "the target of the gay community and the organisation GLAAD", who are reportedly "putting misinformation in the public about the artiste to further their own agendas", he will continue on the high path with nothing but love in his heart.
According to the publicist, this mission is a direct response to Capleton′s concert and festival bookings in California and Florida this month.
"They have once again used their strong arm tactics to intimidate concert promoters and venue owners. Capleton is very disappointed that his many fans (that cross all races and creeds) have not been able to see him at his scheduled shows in California this past week. He has performed at the same venues and festivals over the past two years with no incident bringing a message of love for all through Reggae music. The barrage of protest from these groups is unwarranted and has been addressed many times in the media in the past. The artiste has a forgiving heart for what has been done to him and will continue on the high path," the release states.
Capleton will continue to spread a positive and spiritual message through music to the four corners of the Earth and continue to stand firm that universal love can unite all mankind.
Capleton will be performing this coming Saturday, February 27 in Miami, Florida at the annual Bob Marley Day / Caribbean Festival 2010 and will be featuring his new song, Haitians, in tribute and support to the earthquake victims on the island of Haiti.