Barbados Beat
Barbados Beat - Issue#30
By Khalil Goodman
Jul 3, 2007, 5:13

It is Crop Over when Controversy is the main headline. But this week all the drama came mostly from outside the soca arena when Mavado got into a 20 man brawl, Peter Ram got into trouble for verbal gay bashing and Rihanna said “some Bajans HATE ME!” 
 

Rihanna Shares Her Pain 

As reported earlier this week at Islandevents Rihanna caused some stir in the Caribbean last Saturday. In an interview with the U.S. based magazine Entertainment Weekly, she stated, when asked if fellow Bajans in the country of her birth were happy for her that "a lot of them hate me but a lot of them love me".

The 19-year-old also told the magazine that it annoyed her when people whom she tried to represent constantly said negative things about her.

"I didn't have to even mention that I'm from Barbados. But I do and people kind of take it for granted. They hate me. They talk . . . about me all the time.”

She added: "They always have something to say about what I'm wearing . . . If I wear a swimsuit to the beach, it's a problem; they put it on the front of the newspaper and call into programmes."

The Call-in radio talk programmes were awash on Sunday with calls after this comment made it into the local press. Many of the callers seemed to agree with the pop princess, noting that Barbadians “don’t support their own.”

However, Rihanna still remains honoured at the Barbados Music Awards sweeping the show in the last two years. 

Mavado and Crew Shares Blows 

On Monday charges were pending against four Jamaicans and three Barbadians who were expected to appear in court Monday, after police responded to a dispute Sunday involving Jamaican reggae artiste Mavado and others.

Around 10 a.m., police were called to the Time Out At The Gap hotel, where a reported 20 to 30 people were involved in a brawl.

In Barbados for a performance on Saturday night, members of the Mavado entourage and people connected to Red Zone Alliance, a Barbadian sound crew, reportedly clashed when a deal over dub plates, apparently fell through.

After the bottles and stones stopped flying, both sides were nursing minor injuries, amid accusations of rock "pelting", belt beating, and blows. Two people from the Mavado camp were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) for medical attention.

Red Zone Alliance member Dwayne "Celebrity Face" Gill told one media house the dispute started when the Movado camp failed to deliver on promised dub plates. 

Peter Ram Shares His Views on Gays 

Barbadian entertainer Peter Ram was made to apologise in St Vincent for using unacceptable language on stage to criticise homosexuals.

On Sunday at the Vincy Mas Soca Monarch contest Ram was a guest performer, where he performed the hit song “I Need A Woman By My Side.” The song quotes Leviticus’ condemnation of “men who lie with men.” Apparently Ram took this further to condemn homosexuals in language which the producer of Vincy Mas, the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC), found offensive.

"We don't condone that type of behaviour at our shows, whether it is local or foreign artistes," CDC chairman Dennis Ambrose is reported to have said and they made Ram apologise for his words.

Neither Peter Ram, who has since returned to Barbados, nor anyone representing his booking agency, Pyramid Entertainment, could be reached for comment. 

Now for Something Sweeter… 

With all of that drama we must finish with something sweeter. Soca Princess Kimberley Inniss brought the tracks from her new EP” Candy,” was one of two acts featured at a “Unplugged At Jumbies.”

Featuring David Kirton and Kimberley Inniss, the first event packed the bar with patrons eager to sing along, dance and enjoy the new vibe.

Kirton performed several songs from his new album “Time for Change” including the title song and “Free To Fly.” However, when he performed “Sugar” and “Green Camouflage” both of which his management noted has received heavy radio play the crowd danced and shouted with delight.

Inniss dropped in for a short spell, to perform three of her new singles “Candy,” “Uh Huh” and “Sweat” as well as last year’s “My Hips.” All of which drew loud applause from the crowd. This week’s artiste is to be J-Co 
 

WeeklyWrap-Up

Speaking of J-Co, the young rapper/singer has entered Crop Over for the first time with a song called “Hot Topic.” Featuring a chutney soca/Hip-Hop beat the song is produced by the award winning “Red Boyz.”

Jamaican dance group L’CADCO was featured along with 11 Barbadian dance group at the first ever First Caribbean Crop Over Dance Circle a new event on the Crop Over Dance calendar. The headliners tent opened…