Bounty Killer Arrested Friday For Worries In The Dance (Reggae Sumfest)
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Artist:
Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, Jamaica is a notorious for inviting warring titans to share the stage and not a year goes by without some clash or altercation. In dancehall, the conflict on stage is often part of the entertainment value and stars will go to great lengths to rile up a competitor. However, in this day and age, the violence offstage is all too real, so promoters and authorities have had to draw a line between entertainment and profanity. The annual concert lasted all through the night Thursday and spirits were still high when Mavado and Bounty Killer took the stage. The 2 deejays (the name for MCs/rappers in Jamaica), both members of the famed "Alliance" dancehall crew, crossed the line at Sumfest last night, not just with the authorities, but with fans as well. Mavado lit the match when he mentioned the deadly Stone Crusher gang during his performance but Bounty Killer added the fuel and ended up burning himself.
Killer shout out respect to the Jamaican gang that's suspected of more than 2 dozen viscious murders, but the crowd wasn't impressed. They'd paid good money to see a show, proceeds of which benefit the widow and children of a man brutally gunned down last year. The audience booed Bounty off the stage, drowning out his attempts at reconciliation with his fans. Bounty switched tactics, yelled a string of patois profanities and stormed off the stage - - into a pair of handcuffs and a night in the slammer. Police arrested the entertainer for excessive profanity, a lesson Bounty might have learned at Sumfest 2001 when he was arrested for "an altercation" at the event.
Yes, it was totally offensive to even mention the thugs who terrorize their own neighbors, but it's also that kind of party. I don't know if there's any mash potatoes at Sumfest, but arrests and in-fighting are par for the course. Besides the Warlord, Snoop Dogg and Ja Rule have also left the concert in bracelets for acts of profanity.
Bounty Killer will appear before the Magistrate court as "Rodney Pryce" on July 31st. He could face 30 days in prison or a fine.
More details, including audience reactions:
Comments (4)
Hmmm...I'll have to look into this Sumfest for next year. A Jamaican holiday is long overdue.
Hmmm. A performer who calls himself Bounty Killer gets arrested. Who'd expect that?
I say they should have released him to the crowd.......that would have been justice
yeah, you don't expect to be treated like a dandy with that name... but, ya know, for Jamaica this is like saying Snoop Dogg was arrested for weed or Busta Rhymes busted for being rough. how much is image/publicity for being a certain persona (encouraged by the record companies who make bank every time there's an incident) and how much is genuine stupidity and arrogance? it's really hard to tell sometimes.
people are responsible for their own actions, no doubt about that. but i also see a system of rewards for this awful behavior.