Christian Council put dent in show – Promoter

Although the two Jamaican artistes who performed at the recent Hairoun Halloween Bash complied with the strict guidelines set down by Commissioner of Police Keith Miller, promoter of the show and head of One Love Promotions Jawanza “Sanga” Fraser is claiming a loss {{more}} and is even considering stepping away from promotions.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday, Fraser attributed the relatively low turn out at the show to the call made by the Association of Evangelical Churches (AEC) for the show, which featured Jamaican dancehall sensations, Tommy Lee and Stylish, to be banned.

The AEC stated that they had deep concerns about the lyrics of Lee’s hit song “Uncle Demon”.

“Tommy Lee came and give the crowd a great performance. I think the Christian Council scene put a big dent in the show. We stand at a loss, but we still thank the fans for coming out,” Fraser said.

Fraser explained that he even provided the lyrics of the Uncle Demon song upon request.

“He (the Commissioner) was saying the song was of concern and he would like to see the lyrics. We gave them to him and Tommy Lee still performed the song at the park…,” he added.

“Everything we do is a fight down. I think I might just finish with this thing, because we are trying to provide entertainment for the young people to enjoy themselves,” he said.

Fraser also believes because he is from Paul’s Avenue, some sponsors are reluctant to jump on board with their shows.

Prior to taking to the stage last Saturday night as the featured artiste at the Hairoun Halloween Bash, Commissioner of Police Keith Miller met for an hour with Tommy Lee and Stacie-Ann ‘Stylish’ Lamoth, their management team and the One Love promoters, local organizers of the show, laying strict ground rules for the artiste’s performance.

A police release said the meeting came on the heels of a press briefing held the day before by Commissioner Miller with promoters of the show and the media. COP Miller took the decision to meet with the stakeholders of the event after calls by some members of the Christian community to cancel the show, as a result of the lyrics used in Tommy Lee’s hit song, ‘Uncle Demon’.

“We are not an organization to ignore,” said Commissioner Miller, while cautioning Tommy Lee, whose real name is Leroy Junior Russell, that artistes, while exploring their creativity, have to be mindful what they publish in the public domain.

“I want to give you an opportunity to perform your show without any interference,” said Miller.

He commended the Christian community for playing its role as one of country’s watchdogs, helping to uphold the society’s spirituality and societal moral values. The COP encouraged the Christian community to continue to be watchful and to work along with the police.

“We listened to the Christian community because of their deep interest in this matter. It put me to be more cautious and to explore the issues raised. I hope the Christian community understands a decision was taken to ensure that the laws of the state are not contravened in any way.

We commend them again and encourage their further vigilance,” said Miller.

Tommy Lee told Commissioner Miller that his controversial song, ‘Uncle Demon’, was taken from a cartoon and he found the phrase quite funny and decided to include it in his song.

“I mean no disrespect to the Christian community,” said Tommy Lee, adding, “me ah go look out to make sure everything is under control.”

The artiste thanked Commissioner Miller for the opportunity to perform in St Vincent and the Grenadines and said he had no problem abiding by the guidelines that had been set by the police.

Commissioner Miller told Tommy Lee that he had heard reports of his arrest in Grenada for the use of cannabis, and again made it clear to him that possession and use of the drug was an offence in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Tommy Lee refuted the claim that he had been charged with the offence, stating that he had wrapped tobacco into a paper and the authorities mistook it for marijuana.

He said the charge against him was dropped after the court discovered that he did not have cannabis in his possession.

Later Saturday night, Commissioner Miller and Deputy Commissioner of Police Michael Charles attended the event.