Sizzla banned on Sting

Although Sizzla Kaljoni didn't throw a bad show in Jamworld, Portmore. Last summer at Garance his hits, riddims galore and a great amount of reality lyrics were more consistent and melodic, whereas his voice – as usual – ranged from high over close to off key to growling and snarling.

The endorsed passage lasted barely 2 minutes. 'Nah support no same sex', Sizzla shouts, whereupon he directly address his critics: 'You say Sizzla sing too much anti-gay lyrics', while he's  just quoting the bible, isn't he? And then the sentence that probably did it: "Burn out the lesbians and the gays in lyrics". 'In lyrics': that was probably his way of justifying himself. "I didn't mean it literally, burning them down in my lyrics." Because: 'Rastaman no support free sex', which he should know, as the officious leader of the nyabinghi. And what about freedom of speech?

Nearly at the end of his set Sizzla does it again: 'Burn batty boy!', and this time it's not 'in lyrics'. Much more important is his goodbye message about the 'ongoing war with colonial leaders and slave masters'. But that message is of course pushed to the side because of all the fuzz around his spiteful anti-gay statements. Together with Supreme Promotions and Downsound Records the organisers of Sting, decide to ban Sizzla, for the next 5 years even. "We repeatedly told Sizzla not to do any hate music and he went up there and did it", says Isaiah Laing of Supreme Promotions. In addition, D'Angel was also put off because of her insulting act against Ninjaman.

This message doesn't indulge any malicious delight. Accepting homosexuality is part of the complete letting go of religious dogmas and prejudice, and expanding love and tolerance to all creatures created by God (might as well involve him too). We can only hope that Sizzla (and Tony Rebel, and Queen Ifrica and many many others) will finally let go of their obsession with the subject. Although I am afraid we can expect similar things on the upcoming Rebel Salute.