Beenie Man Gives In To Church

Popular dancehall act Moses 'Beenie Man' Davis on Thursday, October 11th agreed in court not to air his controversial music video with the scenes shot at the St Andrew Parish Church cemetery in Half-Way Tree included.  The church had taken out an injunction against the internationally-acclaimed artiste, blocking the airing of the recently shot video with the "blurred" scenes of the age-old cemetery, which is on the church premises.  The church had said that it never gave consent for the shooting of the video, filmed to promote the deejay's new single, Mama's Cry/Gangsta's Prayer, which hits out against the high murder rate in the island.  The video was, however, aired after the injunction was served, but according to handlers for the artiste, the airing was unintentional and was caused by a breakdown of communication with the media house that broadcast the video with the cemetery scene included.  The video has since been pulled and Beenie Man's publicists recently issued an apology to the church from the deejay.

Castro Brown, the promoter of Jah Cure's planned tour of Britain, is still hopeful that the singer will be granted a British visa in order to perform in that country later this month.  Jah Cure, the popular entertainer who came to prominence while in prison on a rape conviction, is scheduled to go on a tour of Britain from October 20 to 22. However, the Daily Mail newspaper's online edition reported earlier this week that Cure, whose real name is Siccature Alcock, has been banned by the British authorities from entering the country because of his prison sentence.  But Brown, whose New Name Music company is putting on the tour, said that Jah Cure has not been banned, but was refused entry on the grounds that he spent more than 12 months in prison.  Brown, however, said he is now in the process of seeking a waiver for the singer. "People saying that Jah Cure is banned from Britain, I want to make them know that Jah Cure is not banned. Jah Cure was refused entry, so there is a good chance that he may still get a waiver to enter the country," Brown has stated.  "The position is, we are trying to secure a work visa for Jah Cure. They didn't approve the first application, so we reapplied in an effort to get a waiver," he said. "Until I issue a press release saying that the tour is off, the tour is on. You must understand that the shows are absolutely sold out."  Brown also promised that if for any reason Jah Cure won't be able to perform in England, the fans who bought tickets will be refunded. "The money is still there, not being touched. They can always go and get back their money," he said.   Obviously boosted by Jah Cure's extraordinary appeal and popularity in England, Brown also said he would reschedule the tour for a later date if necessary.  Earlier this week, Jah Cure's publicist, Alison Young, issued a statement denying the Daily Mail report which said that British Home Office officials are understood to have barred Jah Cure from entry as his presence would not "be conducive to the public good".  "We are aware that there have been circulations on the Internet and other media that Jah Cure has been banned from Britain," Young said. "We would like to advise that the British authorities have communicated no such ban."  Young said that the Rastafarian singer has acquired a work permit for the UK and is now in the process of securing a UK visa, which is a separate application process, but no determination has yet been made on the issue.  "Until such a determination is made, we find it irresponsible that anyone would wish to purvey such erroneous statements."   Jah Cure, who turned 30 on Thursday, October 11, is now celebrating his birthday outside prison for the first time in eight years, having been slapped with a 12-year sentence in 1999. 

The organizers of Heroes Reggae Splash, which was scheduled for the next three days at Richmond Estate in St Ann, have postponed the event due to the rains associated with a weather system over the island.  Most of the island has been pummeled by heavy showers and thunderstorms since Sunday, October 7th but heavy rains began to pelt St Ann continuously since early Wednesday morning, completely saturating the grounds of the sprawling 400-acre property.  According to Charles Campbell of the Richmond Estate Management Team, the event will now be held over two days - October 27 and 28 - instead of the original three-day format and that patrons' comfort was forefront in the organizers' minds.   "The grounds will not dry out in time," Campbell said. "It is an outdoor event, and we have put in place measures to cater for children, so we have decided to postpone Heroes Reggae Splash. We are sticking with the theme Heroes Reggae Splash, and Heritage month ends on October 31."  He said arrangements were being made with the artistes and musicians billed to perform to secure them for the new dates.  "We have already received confirmation from Dean Fraser, Richie Spice, Anthony B and Brigadier Jerry, and we are in the process of contacting all the artistes," Campbell said.

Reggae fans are eagerly awaiting Road International's 25th Anniversary celebration, slated for Chef Orchid, Queens, New York on October 27.  Principals DJ Roy, Stretch and manager Desu have been spearheading plans for the event and have made unrelenting efforts to ensure it's a memorable occasion for everyone. To guarantee the occasion is magical for partygoers, they have invited sound system selectors Rory from Stone Love, Baby Q from Libra Love, DJ Carlton and all past Road International disc jocks, including Tony from TC Connections and DJ Yonnie to take turns on the wheels of steel.  Other invited guests include Carl B from Wake Up Radio, 93.5FM and lots of local and international reggae/dancehall acts have confirmed their appearance at the milestone event.   "This is a big reunion of sorts for our friends and peers from the music industry and may well be the very first time that all Road International jocks - both past and present - will be playing together at the same event," DJ Roy said in a recent interview.  "Part of our mission is to put together an event to reunite our Jamaican nationals, promote our culture and to celebrate the rich heritage of our music. This is one way for us to accomplish this goal," manager Desu explained.  Apart from being a top selector with Road International, Roy's many hats include being an emcee at reggae concerts across the USA, including Irie Jamboree. His prolific career has earned him numerous awards. His prowess on the microphone and his musical mastery as a top selector with Road International, have served as a great training ground for his venture into broadcasting. Today, he has a loyal fan base and is revered as one of Caribbean radio's most prominent, energetic and respected disc jockeys in the USA.