News Americas, KINGSTON, Jamaica, Sun. April 12, 2015: Reggae singer Chronixx says he is prepared to be judged for his reference to US President Barack Obama as a “waste man.”
The ‘Here Comes Trouble’ singer faced a social media backlash even as the country’s Youth and Culture Minister Lisa Hanna weighed in on his Instagram on April 9th regarding the US criminal record of Jamaican National Hero Marcus Garvey.
The outspoken reggae artiste criticized the fact that Jamaicans were glorifying a ‘waste man’ while Garvey, who he says “paved a peaceful and safe path for the US President to address us,” still has a criminal record in the US.
The singer also referred to the black race as a “race of good for nothings”, adding “that’s why black faces don’t mean anything to Rasta anymore.”
But a day later, on April 10th, Chronixx deleted his earlier post.
Instead he posted: “Evolution time now. After all the talk…judge and you shall be judged my elders say. I don’t mind the judgement of my Human family. I expect to be judged and told when I’m wrong…that’s actually a very healthy thing for me.
“Now for you….remember the words of the Likkle one from Spanish town said. The media will take it from here, twist it in the best interest of their “story”. And the struggle continues. Let jah be praised in all things. I read all the comments and now I see who is who! Love. May the teachings of our beloved Marcus Garvey forever take root in our hearts. May the leaders of today take counsel in his divine teachings. May the leaders of tomorrow reap the fruits of his timeless works.”
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has since said that she spoke to President Obama about having Garvey’s criminal record expunged.
Garvey was a Pan African giant and leader of the Harlem Renaissance who was born in St. Ann, Jamaica. In 1922, he was convicted on a mail fraud charge in the US in connection with some of business and organizational activities in which he was involved; his sentence was later commuted by President Coolidge and he was deported back to Jamaica.
