Former calypso king chastises entertainers for bad vibes

By Sheria Brathwaite

Senator and former Calypso Monarch John King is deeply concerned that the development of the local entertainment industry is being hindered by people pulling down each other.

He said that over the years, a number of artists have been belittling and diminishing the worth of fellow performers in the name of entertainment and he hoped the latest dispute between veteran entertainer Peter Ram and iWeb and Khiomal would be the end of this type of behaviour.

“There’s a fine line between entertainment and devaluing people. We’re in the Season of Emancipation now and I’ve been talking about emancipating yourselves mentally from some of the things that we do to each other,” King said in an interview with Barbados TODAY.

“One of the things that we as black people do a lot is devalue each other as part of entertainment. Many years ago, this very same discussion came up over an incident with Kid Site and the Mighty Gabby, so this is nothing new. I am hoping that, however, it is resolved that people will learn from this because we’ve been talking about it for many, many years.

“So I’m hoping that this particular incident, regardless of how it plays out, would be a wakeup call for the artistic community, but also for the wider community, for the parents, for would-be parents and others to begin the process of changing how we view entertainment and pay special attention to the things we say about ourselves and about others.”

Two Fridays ago, Peter Ram, real name Peter Wiggins, sang some controversial lyrics while performing at a Soca Junction and found himself in legal trouble as a result. Ian iWeb Webster and Khiomal Nurse, whose names were mentioned during Ram’s performance, are suing him for defamation.

King said that several veteran artists, including himself, were concerned about the direction in which the island’s entertainment industry was heading and he was “deeply saddened that in 2023 we are dealing with this”.

“People have feelings. Sometimes we act as if we are still slaves, expected to take the beatings, take all the rough treatment and everything without responding, and we’re not. We are free and are free to express ourselves but you also have to do it with respect for the other person,” he said as he urged the upcoming artists to take a stand against devaluing one another.

“I also wish that the artistic community and those persons who are coming up and wanting to be a part of the entertainment fraternity would take a stand and decide to produce music or produce artistic works that are a bit more positive. It’s not to say that everything has to be happy-go-lucky. We live in a world where art reflects the world and the world reflects art but we just have to find that balance.

“Concentrate on making good music and keep pushing the Barbadian brand further. I think that is what I would challenge everybody to do. There was a generation before mine who took it [local music] to one place. My generation took it and tried to carry it to another place and these guys have to carry it to much higher heights,” King urged.

Despite the Peter Ram controversy, King does not expect any impact on the Crop Over Festival.

“I don’t think this will have any impact on the festival at all. Too many people have been waiting for this [Crop Over] to revel and have a really good time, so I wouldn’t say that this will dampen anything at all. I think the guys will get past this,” he said.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb