Red Bull Stratos – freefall from the edge of space

Robert Nesta Marle

Thirty-one years since the death of reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley, another reggae artiste has emerged claiming to be his offspring.

Forty-two-year old Fabian ‘Gong Kid’ Marley, says he is also a son of Bob Marley, which would make him the second sibling following Ziggy Marley, who is forty-four. Both Fabian and Ziggy were born in Trench Town.

According to Fabian Marley during a recent interview with Saudicka Diaram on Dwrap, his mother left Trench Town with him while he was just a child and he does not remember much about his father.

“Mi madda carry mi guh check him, but mi a baby, mi neva know nothing much dem time deh. But after dat, she leave out of the ghetto for some reason sey she wah uplift from the ghetto, suh a so me lose contact as a youth. Getting back contact now a when mi a big youth – because my bredda dem know mi,” he said.

According to Fabian Marley, persons are curious as to where he was over the years and even question the authenticity of his claim.

“Most people marvel and sey, ‘wait deh a wey him did deh?’ But it’s nothing for them to be surprised, because mi fada did sey dem a guh tired fi see him face. Di whol’ world see it and know it because nobody cyah come imitate nuh Marley, from dem look and see, dem know sey a muss di man pickney,” he said.

noticed a transformation

Fabian Marley – Contributed

Fabian Marley also believes that his musical calling was summoned by Bob Marley’s spirit.

“My father spirit nuh leave me. About a month ago, I vision see him at the studio where I was. He was in a full blue suit and he came with a mic in a box, a cordless mic and a brand new guitar, an him sey ‘gwaan duh wey yu a duh mi son’. From that, I notice a transformation in my voice and when I am rehearsing and recording I feel the presence of him,” he said.

The WEEKEND STAR made attempts to get a follow-up comment from Fabian Marley, however, efforts proved futile.

His local manager Neil Walters informed The WEEKEND STAR, however, that Fabian Marley experienced trouble getting his music played because of uncertainty on the part of disc jocks.

“The only thing left to do is to just make the world know that he is Bob Marley’s son. We have had some trouble getting DJs to play his music, because they are not sure if he is real,” he said.

“His song Gong Kid is doing good and it is being distributed by Johnny Wonder, and now everybody is calling him Gong Kid. He has a real reggae vibe and he sounds like his father Bob Marley,” Walters said.

The WEEKEND STAR contacted Bob Marley’s best friend, iconic footballer Allan ‘Skill’ Cole about this new revelation. However, Cole says Bob made no mention about having another son.

“I know the person, but I have never heard him mentioned by Bob before … but anything is possible, I cyah say yes and I cyah say no. I don’t know of that relationship, but anything is possible. All he has to do is a DNA test, simple as that,” Cole said.

In the meantime, Fabian Marley is working on his debut album called Nature’s Valentine and is set for a December release.

Buju Banton

Terri Wright has been called to serve jury duty seven times. But none of the cases compare to the federal drug and gun trial of reggae singer Buju Banton. That one “took the cake,” as she puts it. She still talks to co-workers about the murky back story of the federal snitch, Alex Johnson, and says she couldn’t sleep at nights when deliberating.

This week, New Times revealed that three jury members would have cleared Buju of a questionable gun charge had the jury instructions permitted them to do so.

Contacted on Tuesday evening, Wright, who lives in Tampa, is now the fourth member of the jury to come out against the firearm conviction.

“When we found him guilty on the firearm, I was glad to hear that the judge had threw it out because (Buju) had no knowledge that there was a gun and stuff involved,” Wright was quoted as saying in New Times.

She said that the juror instructions for the firearm charge were “a little confusing” and that as a whole, the jury agreed that Buju was not guilty of that specific count. “I’m still not sure if I fully understand how we got to say OK, guilty, with how it was explained to us. That (instruction) was the confusing one.”

vastly different trial

She says that if either co-defendant, Ian Thomas or James Mack (who both copped plea deals) had testified, the outcome of the trial would likely have been vastly different.

When asked if she thinks justice was served, Wright says, “Yes and no. I went back and forth … That could have been my brother, my husband, my father, somebody that I know. We wanted to be fair.”

Wright says there are many unanswered questions about the case, including how Alex Johnson, the informant, ended up on a first-class flight sitting next to Buju. It’s a fair question given that Johnson isn’t a US citizen, has a lengthy felony record, and can’t return to his homeland, Colombia, as he snitched on numerous coke dealers in the 1990s.

“How did he know Buju was on this flight and to single him out?” she asks. The government and Johnson maintain that it was coincidence. But Wright’s not the only one out there questioning their narrative.

(Source: New Times, Broward Palm Beach)

Buju Banton

Twenty days prior to the resentencing exercise for embattled dancehall/reggae superstar Buju Banton, there seems to exist a glim of hope for the entertainer based on a juror’s alleged revelation, THE WEEKEND STAR has learnt.

Information reaching THE WEEKEND STAR is that a female juror attached to the incarcerated deejay’s drug trial last February may have compromised the eventual outcome of his case.

According to reports, in an exclusive interview with New Times Broward – Palm Beach, Terri Wright, one of the jurors in Banton’s trial, admits to researching aspects of Buju Banton’s case to gauge a greater understanding of the matter before deliberation began.

Further reports are that Wright allegedly cited the Pinkerton rule, a law that the federal government used to slap a gun charge on Banton, despite the fact that he never possessed or had any connection to the firearm.

Although Wright’s intentions were in good faith, New Times cites that researching facts for federal trials constitutes a violation of court orders, and, as a result, could spark a mistrial and possible appeals of a conviction.

Our news team understands that standard jury instructions for federal trials tell jurors, “not to attempt to research any fact, issue or law related to this case, whether by discussion with others, by library or Internet research, or by any other means or source.”

THE WEEKEND STAR has also received reports that past and present attorneys representing the entertainer during his legal woes, David Oscar Markus and Chokwe Lumumba, respectively, have weighed in since news broke of the juror’s pronouncement.

a game-changer

According to reports, both attorneys share the view that the assertion of the juror, if proven to be true, may very well be a game-changer in favour of Banton.

Meanwhile, this latest ‘glim of hope’ comes just weeks before Buju is slated to be resentenced on the gun charge on October 30.

Judge James Moody, who originally dismissed the gun count, has few options but to toss on another five years to the Buju’s decade-long sentence.

That’s because an Atlanta appeal court overturned Moody’s seemingly sound judgement to dismiss the charge.

A new worldwide campaign has also been launched by some diehard supporters of Buju, seeking 50,000 people to write, email or call the White House, home of US President, Barack Obama, before the October 30 resentencing date.

THE WEEKEND STAR understands that Buju’s new campaign is being launched on the basis of what they call an unjust incarceration, alluding to an entrapment by a US government informant.

Nissan makes special edition car for superstar athlete

Nissan has built a one-off special edition gold painted GT-R car finished with real gold interior for the Usain Bolt Foundation,carsguide.com.au has reported.

The car’s interior is said to also be embossed with Bolt’s signature. According to the website carsales.com.au, it is powered by a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 engine. It can accelerate to 100km/h in an eye-watering 2.8 seconds, ranking it among the world’s fastest production cars.

The Olympic 100m and 200m champion sprinter recently became an ambassador for Nissan. As the ‘Director of Excitement’, Bolt will be involved in developing more GT-R models for Nissan beyond the one-off gold vehicle.

He unveiled the gold supercar in front of thousands of adoring Japanese fans yesterday.

The gold GT-R will be auctioned on eBay, with the proceeds being donated to the Usain Bolt Foundation, a charity for youths in Jamaica.

The car may not only become a one-off version, however, as Bolt who already owns one Nissan GT-R, after seeing the gold edition has reportedly asked Nissan to build a personal one for his use in Jamaica.

The multi world record holder possible has a vacant spot in his garage as just days after announcing in June he would become an ambassador for the Nissan GT-R, Bolt crashed his BMW M3 in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew. Bolt had attended a party just before the 5 a.m. crash.

The sprinter was also involved in another accident in 2009 where his BMW car was completely wrecked.

Nissan’s global advertising campaign, centred on Bolt and his GT-R, is titled ‘What if …’ – to which we’re tempted to add the words ‘… I try not to scratch up the GT-R’. That gold might be a bit harder to polish than his Olympic medals.

It was sheer excitement, drama, and eventually humour when a St James woman recently turned up at an engagement party in Mona, St Andrew, with all intentions of stopping the proceedings, thinking her lover was about to propose to another woman.

Information reaching THE WEEKEND STAR is that the jealous woman created quite a scene last Saturday evening when she hurled stones and bottles of urine at a premises where the party was being held, while demanding that her ‘matie’ as well as her boyfriend show themselves and face their judgement.

The woman had somehow received word that her lover had secretly made plans to ‘pop the question to one of his ex-lovers, who resides abroad, but was believed to be in the island on vacation.

The 30-odd-year-old woman would afterwards find out all her ‘huff and puff’ was for nothing, as her lover was only helping a friend with preparations for the party, and the woman she was worried about had left the island two days earlier.

The woman somehow got information that her man was going behind her back and planning to propose to another woman, when in fact he was only helping with the party,” explained Rudy, a 23-year-old woman, who claimed to have witnessed the incident.

THE WEEKEND STAR heard that the jealous woman turned up at the premises off Mona Road sometime around 9 p.m. in a taxi which she chartered from Montego Bay. Realising she could not get beyond the closed gates, she immediately began hurling objects she brought along with her, as well as a string of curse words.

confronted

She soon grabbed the attention of almost 20 other persons who were already inside and when they sought to investigate, the truth was revealed.

“To how di place set up, everybody roun’ a di back a di house, away from di gate and di gate lock. A hear we hear glass a bruk up and when wi look, wi see seh a somebody a fling tings pon di house, all pon di housetop,” another witness explained.

THE WEEKEND STAR was further told that the woman was confronted by her lover who also was already at the party. He was reportedly responsible for the night’s music, and was attending to it when he was alerted that he was being summoned at the gate by his seemingly enraged girlfriend.

The man is said to have braved the situation and confronted his girlfriend, as well as her allegations.

Thanks to the help of others at the party, he was able to prove his case and calm down the woman who simply said “Oh yu lucky” before leaving in the waiting taxi.

During a visit to the community earlier this week, a handful of residents who claimed to hearing of the situation only chose to make fun of it, while sources at the Matilda’s Corner Police Station said they were not aware of it, nor have they seen a formal report.

“Thank God she a nuh police,” one woman said before adding, “a real woman, a smart woman, woulda do some investigation first.”

Vegas – file

It is not certain how or when they were released, but security camera pictures depicting a liaison between Shellian McBayne, Vegas’ ex-girlfriend, and a male companion are now out.

The much-publicised saga began unfolding last week when Vegas voiced his displeasure at his ex on Facebook.

The story at the time was that his girlfriend had cheated on him with his one-year-old baby present.

McBayne had since come out to deny the Sweet Jamaica artiste’s claims, saying she and the singjay had ceased to be an item for some time and that the child was not present during a sexual act.

Admitting to have committed an error by sleeping with her boyfriend in Vegas’s house, McBayne had gone on to slam the entertainer for watching the video for hours.

“What kind of man sit down and watch three hours of lovemaking and a message me a ask if a so long wi did a gwaan?” McBayne had asked on the ‘Ragashanti Inna The Mawning’ programme on Link Up Radio 93.5 FM New York.

Prior to McBayne’s response, Vegas had said he would be publishing the activities of his ex.

While it is not known if Vegas did, in fact, carry out his threat, http://jamaicangroupiemet.com has pictures.

Under the caption ‘No words just no words – Shelliann and di bunna man inna Vegas house’, there are five pictures – all captioned.

The first, captioned ‘baby playing in bed’, shows McBayne lying beside a man and a blocked out section of the picture which is supposed to be the child on the bed.

Then there is another captioned ‘baby led into the play area … while man waits in bed with his clothes off’.

That picture actually shows a number of pictures, probably from a television set to show more than one camera.

The times on that picture show the baby in the play area with who is allegedly McBayne simultaneously with activities in another room, where the male partner lies on a bed.

‘Baby wonders around while … parents partake’ is a similar image with multiple screens in one picture, and shows the persons, allegedly McBayne and her lover, in a romp on a bed while the baby walks around in a play area.

There are then two similar pictures which show the feet of a child (there is a block on the face) while the man lies in bed.

The site also features a comments section and people have been making using of it.

Persons question whether it was prudent for McBayne to send her daughter to play while she enjoyed the company of a man.

“… the fact is the baby was not sleeping, would you put your child out of a room to go play elsewhere unattended while you … ?” read one scathing comment.

“Wat kinda a muuma inna bed with man so n is not har babyfawda? Mi headddddddddddddddd swell up. No man, I’m gonna burst a vessel. Shelli u is di worst lowest nastiest scum of the world,” another comment read.

The author of the site, called Met, in one comment, said there would be more to come.

Despite an appeal to the public not to sell or consume meats that were immersed in the Rio Cobre following an accident in the Bog Walk gorge, St Catherine, last week, an apparent meat frenzy blossomed in Linstead and surrounding areas of the parish on the weekend.

THE STAR understands that many of the ‘contaminated’ meats were being sold like hot bread in the Linstead Market and some shops in nearby communities.

Last Wednesday night, a trailer carrying meat fell into the river while the driver was negotiating a turn. Three of the four persons in the vehicle were killed. Their bodies were fished from the river on Thursday morning. Many residents upon learning the trailer had been transporting meat, went on a diving spree recovering many of the produce from the murky water. This forced the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) to issue a release telling the public the meat might have been contaminated and not fit for human consumption.

But that did not matter to the residents – at least not on the weekend. It is understood that the meats were a hot commodity being gobbled up by many people mostly because of the cheap prices.

“Some of the shopkeepers have the meat selling, and even in the Linstead Market on the weekend, yuh hear dem calling the customers to come buy cow foot, sausage, beef, chicken and parts,” one woman from Kent Village toldTHE STAR. She admitted seeing people buying the products despite the warning from the agency.

A Linstead resident claimed she knew for a fact that the contamin-ated meats were being sold in the community. She said she has since advised her family and friends not to eat or buy it. “I advise my mother and sisters not to eat meat for at least two weeks cause the buyers are buying more and more of the bad meat to sell give people cause it cheaper,” she revealed.

One shopkeeper in Linstead was, however, quick to point out that only clean and fresh meat were sold by her.

She expressed: “Mi glad mi never take up any offer fi none a dat deh meat. A struggle me struggle go out a port go buy my meat and bring back. Fi dem meat can’t sell, a sick it ago sick people. See the health people dem say nobody should eat it and some a di shopkeepers here are going to have di bad meat fi bout a week before it clear the streets”.

One man admitted hearing about the warning of the meats being contaminated but said he did not care. “Dem can stay deh … a cow foot and beans we cook fi dinner today (yesterday). Mackerel and sardine deh pan pause fi a week,” he told THE STAR. .

One of the many divers who has been taking the meats from the river, told THE STAR that up to Saturday, three days after the incident, he was still being asked to dive for more of the products.

“Normally, people wah we fi a dive fi body and personal belongings but now a meat we a dive for and a collect. Dem say the meat nuh good but dat nah stop di orders dem and people from buy,” he said. “People nuh stop ask fi di cow foot, everybody glad fi di likkle blessing with the meat, we only sorry say people dead in di accident.”

SERHA, which sites the possibility of contamination from the river and the inevitable multiplication of Salmonella species as well as other types of bacteria in meats, said if consumed, individuals put themselves at great risk of contracting food-borne illness.

Mr Vegas – File

At least two dancehall artistes have said that dancehall has grown past messages promoting sexual stimulants.

In the early 90s, the celebration of sexual performance enhancement drugs was common in dancehall music, from the likes of Power Man and Mr Vegas to dancehall icon Bounty Killer.

Some of the stimulants that were promoted by artistes include Stone, Chiney brush, Ginseng, Stud among others.

Power Man rose to popularity in the 90s with his song Stone, in which he openly bragged about his usage of the stimulant and its impact on his sexual activities.

“Stone deh pon mi … head and if a gyal waah dead tell har fi come inna mi bed mi have mi sexing ticket and if mi sex har and she dead nothing nuh come outa it,” he sang.

Mr Vegas and Sean Paul also recorded a song called Tigerbone in which they said, “When mi drink it and rub on a piece a Stone, di gyal dem bend up, when mi send up wi mek nuff gyal bend up request the loving and a hospital dem end up,” said Vegas and Sean Paul back then.

However, Mr Vegas now shares a different view on sexual stimulants.

“Back then a man would be proud to say they use Stone but now there are stronger things on the market and men are ashamed to say they are taking Viagra, because it will make it seem as if they have a dysfunction. We don’t really have things in the market that we can sing about without shame attached to it. So artistes don’t sing about stimulants again, most artistes who used to sing about dem things are old now. People still hide and take them (stimulants) but they are not brave enough to sing about it,” Mr Vegas said.

Elephant Man, however, believes that “things and time change.” Ele says, “a older folks used to deejay when Stone did deh bout, suh di younger youth dem nuh use to it and some a dem thing deh nuh good. All wid the Stone yu betta mek sure sey yu nuh over rub and the woman nuh turn up else yu inna trouble,” he laughed.

“Time get modernise an the youth dem a exercise and eat better now, a just Guinness, Hennessy and Purelena juice,” he said.

However, Dr Donna Hope-Marquis, cultural studies author and lecturer at The University of The West Indies (Mona), believes the lyrical paradigms have shifted due to backlash of dancehall content.

“There is the consistent backlash against sexually explicit lyrics that has been driving this type of lyrical discourse into remission or rather transformation. Artistes have felt the fire from critics who insist that these lyrics debase and objectify women,” she said.

“During the early days of dancehall, sexual stimulants and open discussion about them were taboo. So, dancehall spent a lot of time discussing what was then taboo and making everyone very excited or upset depending on which side you took in the discussion,” she continued.

“In today’s Jamaica, sexual stimulants are a dime a dozen. There are a host of pills and concoctions that are being used and almost taken for granted. The discussion is no longer one of those huge taboos that would shock and awe individuals who listened to the lyrics. Dancehall traffics in the graphic, extreme and taboo forms of self-representation. If everyone knows about and has access to a whole heap of sexual stimulants, the shock value is lessened,” Hope-Marquis explained.

Elephant Man dances with this patron before running and gyrating with her around his waist during one of his shows.

Mr Vegas – file

Dancehall singjay Mr Vegas yesterday had social media abuzz after posting allegations of infidelity by his baby’s mother on Twitter and Facebook.

Vegas, whose real name is Clifford Smith, posted several rants blasting his ex-lover saying she slept with another man in his house with his child there.

Mr Vegas also threatened to release a video.

The posts on Twitter and Facebook read: “No one knows my hurt, until you can relate to this, you can advise me what to do. I am human, blood run through my vein, this is not out of malice … Ya’ll know how hard I work, just to make my family happy and comfortable … . You got caught, step down off your high horse. Goofy did warn mi. I apologise to you Goofy.”

It is also being alleged that the woman also had previous relationship with artiste Goofy, aka Mr G.

The Man A Gyallis singer allegedly expressed pain over the woman’s action and warned individuals not to try and dissuade him from outing her.

“I do not want anyone calling my phone and telling me not to post anything! … When men abuse women, the women’s centre goes hard on us, so when a gal is a … , she must be put on blast. Video next!!!!!!!!! Dem too bright, look how hard I work to make you live like a goddess. Mi nah kill har and guh prison, so let me get it off … ”

Captioned Photo

A picture was also uploaded to the artiste’s Facebook page and was captioned as the man who is accused of sleeping with Mr Vegas’ ex-lover.

Meanwhile, persons took to Facebook and Twitter, some to empathise with the artiste while others bashed him for his public outbursts.

One fan wrote:

“Mi know u a hurt but please this woman is still the mother of your child and your daughter will always be your daughter. Please find another avenue to vent your frustrations, this could get messier. Find a private medium to vent and remember one person in this world loves u and loves u unconditionally, and that is God!

Another said: “Mr Vegas, you wrong fe come out with this, this only ago tarnish u reputation dawg, never expect u fe come tweet dem things yah … yuh luuuu.” Efforts to contact both Mr Vegas and the woman proved unsuccessful.