Amid the rumours surrounding the death of Christopher 'Nunu Puss' Miller, THE STAR has gathered chilling infor-mation that the 'don's' demise was organised by persons close to him.
Miller's bullet-riddled body was found on August 31 on Goshen Road in Bernard Lodge, St. Catherine. Before his death, he headed the police most wanted list in 2005 following the slaying of traffic cop, Inspector Lascelles Walsh.
Walsh was shot dead while driving his motorcycle in down-town Kingston on May 4, 2005. Well-known figures within western Kingston told THE STAR that prior to his murder, Nunu Puss was involved in a dispute with an influential person within the com-munity.
Violated subsequent orders
He was said to have also "violated" subsequent orders to settle the dispute, by disregarding invitations to speak with another very influential individual who was told about the dispute.
"A suh di ting set ... Dem get rid a him because him neva want tek nuh talk ... Him an a man did inna likkle toss up and him disrespect di man. Some other man hear and send fi him fi squash it but him neva want that so dem do weh dem have fi do," Warrior, a known thug claimed.
Hearing the rumours
The police confirmed hearing the rumours about the reason for Miller's slaying. They however say they are still investigating and are yet to establish a motive for his killing.
"We have heard of several rumours, we have heard of this one about the community, and we have heard of one that relates to a girlfriend," head of the Major Investigation Task Force, Assistant Commissioner Les Green said.
Similarly, Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields who is in charge of the crime portfolio said:
"There are a lot of rumours concerning Mr. Miller's death. We are still conducting our investigations and at some point we will gather enough information to conclude our investigations."
Kartel was involved
There were rumours that popular deejay Vybz Kartel was involved in the death of Miller. Kartel, whose real name is Adidjah Palmer, was detained last Wed-nesday and released on Friday by the Joint Task Force which raided his home and studio in St Andrew.
Although the police were silent as to the reasons behind his detention, upon his release, Kartel confirmed to THE STAR that he was questioned in connection with Miller's death. He denied any involvement. (This article was publish in the online Jamaica-Star 9/17/08)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
D.J in Dancehall Music should stand for "Discretionary Judgment"
I am very worried about dancehall, yes this is true. I am worried about the direction and the influence of dancehall itself. When I was a child growing up and listening to dancehall music, I knew there was something special about this new sound that had immerged during the most violent period of Jamaica's history. When the youths of the ghettos were frustrated with any situation, this was one of the few ways they would voice their opinions, views or feelings in an artistic form and people would actually listen. Being a DJ, aka rapper, was more about being recognized more than being anything else. A DJ would stand around a sound system's "control" and toast the microphone, just to be heard and rewarded with praises "fi niceup di dance". It was not until the latter part of the 1970s when DJs were now being listened to by overseas audiences, that artists realized that the genre had the potential of becoming as popular as reggae and any other musical art form.
The breakthrough album, “Nice up the Dance”, released in1978, by Michigan and Smiley opened a whole new world of possibilities for Dancehall music. DJs were now being billed by overseas promoters to perform at nightclubs and stage shows. The Lone ranger, Josie Whales, Charlie Chaplin, King Yellowman, EekaMouse, Little John, General Echo are some of the artists who benefited early from the new awareness of dancehall. Since then, dancehall has reached great levels of recognition worldwide with DJs emerging from all corners of the earth. Gentleman from Germany, Kevin Lyttle from St. Vincent, and Collie Buddz from New Orleans, USA are just some of a host of artists that have joined the fraternity and are enjoying huge success in the dancehall arena. But for some reason inspite of dancehall's huge popularity, only a few artists have made major breakthrough in mainstream entertainment. Reggae Report magazine's founder and publisher Peggy Quattro, recently wrote an article urging DJs to be more professional, but with all due respect I don't think they need to be professional more than how they are already, I think they need to be more discrete. In another situation in Dominica, Movado was almost banned from performing at a concert because of his songs lyrical contents about gays and guns. Rappers from America do perform songs about guns and is still signed by major record labels. But when you combine gays and guns that is the perfect fear factor.
You know the old Jamaican saying, "humble calf drinks the most milk", well that is the attitude Jamaican artists must adopt before they reach that level of success that artist like Shabba Ranks, Mad Cobra, Shaggy and Sean Paul have reached. These artists must understand that if a recording label’s CEO is gay, there is no way he is going to sign an artist that bashes gays at every opportunity he gets. This need to profile your masculinity is totally unnecessary. It is like this, if you have to remind your wife that you are both married whenever you go out in public, well I think it's time you get a divorce.
Dancehall is revered by nations all over the world with some of the best dancehall sound systems and selectors in the business not originating from Jamaica but from countries like Japan, Germany and Italy. Baldwin, formally of Hardcopy magazine in Jamaica, once wrote an article some years ago, warning DJs to stop highlighting the gay community. The more you speak about someone, whether it be positive or negative, it makes that person more popular. Jamaican artists must start deciding if they want to be "Jamaican rich" or wealthy, because not realizing who has the wealth in this world is the first mistake in pursuing wealth. And remember if it wasn't for the foundation DJs like King Stitch, Daddy URoy, Brigadier Jerry, Kojac and Mumma Liza, Mumma Nancy, Lady Ann and many more who made sacrifices like lifting and sleeping on sound boxes, talking on microphone from late evening to early morning and still did not even get a dollar for some of those sleepless nights, just to create an avenue so that Shabba and Sean Paul can receive Grammy awards there would not be a dancehall genre.
My friend George Appiah from Ghana told me that a great soldier once said, when he fights, it's not that he hates or wants to kill who is in front of him, but it is because he loves who is behind him. DJs and Singers let us go get wealthy.
The breakthrough album, “Nice up the Dance”, released in1978, by Michigan and Smiley opened a whole new world of possibilities for Dancehall music. DJs were now being billed by overseas promoters to perform at nightclubs and stage shows. The Lone ranger, Josie Whales, Charlie Chaplin, King Yellowman, EekaMouse, Little John, General Echo are some of the artists who benefited early from the new awareness of dancehall. Since then, dancehall has reached great levels of recognition worldwide with DJs emerging from all corners of the earth. Gentleman from Germany, Kevin Lyttle from St. Vincent, and Collie Buddz from New Orleans, USA are just some of a host of artists that have joined the fraternity and are enjoying huge success in the dancehall arena. But for some reason inspite of dancehall's huge popularity, only a few artists have made major breakthrough in mainstream entertainment. Reggae Report magazine's founder and publisher Peggy Quattro, recently wrote an article urging DJs to be more professional, but with all due respect I don't think they need to be professional more than how they are already, I think they need to be more discrete. In another situation in Dominica, Movado was almost banned from performing at a concert because of his songs lyrical contents about gays and guns. Rappers from America do perform songs about guns and is still signed by major record labels. But when you combine gays and guns that is the perfect fear factor.
You know the old Jamaican saying, "humble calf drinks the most milk", well that is the attitude Jamaican artists must adopt before they reach that level of success that artist like Shabba Ranks, Mad Cobra, Shaggy and Sean Paul have reached. These artists must understand that if a recording label’s CEO is gay, there is no way he is going to sign an artist that bashes gays at every opportunity he gets. This need to profile your masculinity is totally unnecessary. It is like this, if you have to remind your wife that you are both married whenever you go out in public, well I think it's time you get a divorce.
Dancehall is revered by nations all over the world with some of the best dancehall sound systems and selectors in the business not originating from Jamaica but from countries like Japan, Germany and Italy. Baldwin, formally of Hardcopy magazine in Jamaica, once wrote an article some years ago, warning DJs to stop highlighting the gay community. The more you speak about someone, whether it be positive or negative, it makes that person more popular. Jamaican artists must start deciding if they want to be "Jamaican rich" or wealthy, because not realizing who has the wealth in this world is the first mistake in pursuing wealth. And remember if it wasn't for the foundation DJs like King Stitch, Daddy URoy, Brigadier Jerry, Kojac and Mumma Liza, Mumma Nancy, Lady Ann and many more who made sacrifices like lifting and sleeping on sound boxes, talking on microphone from late evening to early morning and still did not even get a dollar for some of those sleepless nights, just to create an avenue so that Shabba and Sean Paul can receive Grammy awards there would not be a dancehall genre.
My friend George Appiah from Ghana told me that a great soldier once said, when he fights, it's not that he hates or wants to kill who is in front of him, but it is because he loves who is behind him. DJs and Singers let us go get wealthy.
Are we Jamaicans are what?
You never know you have a good thing until you lose it. That is for real. I’m from the Bronx, New York so I get to see first hand what is happening there, and in one aspect it does not look too good. For instant, these names, Wild Palm, Act Three, Black Theater, Club Deep, are just a few of the hot spots you would be heading to for a good party. But these venues do not operate anymore, for whatever reasons they are. The names that exist now are El Rancho, El Templo, La Alcoba, (wait a minute, are we Spanish or Jamaican?).
That clearly tells you what is happening to our venues in the Bronx; they are now all owned and operated by Hispanics. Now get this clear I have nothing against Spanish people, I am just asking where are the English named venues? I know, they are all gone, (only from the Bronx that is). Check out Brooklyn and Queens, Tropical Reflections; Club Amazura, Club XO, C-Pac, just to name a few of the many that is available for use. One might wonder what is really going on with the Bronx why can't we keep our nightclubs open? Well as Michael Jackson said "I’m starting with man in the mirror". We are the ones that are doing this to ourselves. We do not follow the rules. What rules is this guy talking about? The one rule that will do for a successful party atmosphere, is coming out to a party early.
Just look at this for a minute, the law states that all parties "must" be over by 4am, so if you start your party at 2am it only works out for the promoter that is responsible for the gate and not the bar. But if you are a promoter who rents a venue totally (bar and door), he or she will have to sell a certain amount of liquor and food in order to cover cost and make a profit. So tell me how much can you eat and drink in just 2 hours? Now if I am a promoter and I can’t cover my cost and make a profit, I wont be keeping any more parties, so big venues wont be making any money, then they will be closing shop soon. Then there is the patron who came out to listen to his favorite tunes. He is just "feeling di vibes" and ready to party, by that time the security comes and say that's the last song will be playing. Now after just drinking two or three cups of Henny and Redbull and didn't get to "ketch a vibes", somebody accidentally stepped on his brand new timbs that he wore for first time. Now that is a recipe for a fight, and you know that once there is a fight, the cops "tek set pon di place".
I am not saying that these things do not happen at other venues, but the frequency plays a vital role in anybody's decision making. We need to start thinking real hard if we want to be able to still go to a party and feel good after it's over, or do we prefer to be frustrated at the end of the night. I love parties and I don’t want to have to travel twenty miles to the nearest Jamaican spot and I know I am not the only one who feels that way. So from now on, whenever we get another club with a real "English" name let us not be stupid and *?#$ up every good venue we have. "Fire deh a mus mus tail, him tink a cool breeze", and that is my last word for now.
That clearly tells you what is happening to our venues in the Bronx; they are now all owned and operated by Hispanics. Now get this clear I have nothing against Spanish people, I am just asking where are the English named venues? I know, they are all gone, (only from the Bronx that is). Check out Brooklyn and Queens, Tropical Reflections; Club Amazura, Club XO, C-Pac, just to name a few of the many that is available for use. One might wonder what is really going on with the Bronx why can't we keep our nightclubs open? Well as Michael Jackson said "I’m starting with man in the mirror". We are the ones that are doing this to ourselves. We do not follow the rules. What rules is this guy talking about? The one rule that will do for a successful party atmosphere, is coming out to a party early.
Just look at this for a minute, the law states that all parties "must" be over by 4am, so if you start your party at 2am it only works out for the promoter that is responsible for the gate and not the bar. But if you are a promoter who rents a venue totally (bar and door), he or she will have to sell a certain amount of liquor and food in order to cover cost and make a profit. So tell me how much can you eat and drink in just 2 hours? Now if I am a promoter and I can’t cover my cost and make a profit, I wont be keeping any more parties, so big venues wont be making any money, then they will be closing shop soon. Then there is the patron who came out to listen to his favorite tunes. He is just "feeling di vibes" and ready to party, by that time the security comes and say that's the last song will be playing. Now after just drinking two or three cups of Henny and Redbull and didn't get to "ketch a vibes", somebody accidentally stepped on his brand new timbs that he wore for first time. Now that is a recipe for a fight, and you know that once there is a fight, the cops "tek set pon di place".
I am not saying that these things do not happen at other venues, but the frequency plays a vital role in anybody's decision making. We need to start thinking real hard if we want to be able to still go to a party and feel good after it's over, or do we prefer to be frustrated at the end of the night. I love parties and I don’t want to have to travel twenty miles to the nearest Jamaican spot and I know I am not the only one who feels that way. So from now on, whenever we get another club with a real "English" name let us not be stupid and *?#$ up every good venue we have. "Fire deh a mus mus tail, him tink a cool breeze", and that is my last word for now.
Is this the end of dancehall in the Bronx
For months now, myself and a number of radio personalities, night club operators and even selectors have been warning of the possibility of the Bronx becoming a desert when it comes to dancehall venues. Well it has now become a reality. Can anyone tell me the names of the venues that are now available for rental to host dances in the Bronx? Don't even try because the answer is well known already. There are only two real spots left, Mingles and El Rancho that is left, and mek mi tell unuh someting, Errol nah go mek them mashup Mingles and El Rancho is too expensive fi some "buttu" promoters weh a contribute to the demise of dancehall in the Bronx demselves.
Speaking to Dj Elli from Red Hot radio in Brooklyn, I asked him what is reason for Brooklyn’s secret to success in keeping its venues constantly open? "Well it's just respect for the law and following the rules set out by the police force. Less fighting is one of the key thing you have to take into consideration, the more fights, the more police, the less fights, the less police, the less police the more party you have, the more party you have the more people enjoy themselves and the more people enjoy themselves the happier people going to be, it is that simple." He told Dancehall 360 Degrees Magazine. Don't for one minute think that I’ am saying that they are not nightclubs that are been closed by the authority in other boroughs, but not at the alarming rate as in the Bronx. Many might not realize that dancehall is actually a business. Check Stonelove Movement in Jamaica, it is a registered business which to my knowledge, employed over 40 people on staff unto 2004. There are also people in the Bronx who depend on dancehall for their livelihood. Rocatone restaurant, Good Dine restaurant, Golden Krust restaurants, Goldstar Restaurant are food merchants who are visited early in the mornings for breakfast by patrons who leaves dances in the wee hours of the morning and are too tired to go home and make it for themselves.
Night Rider videos, Moodie's Records, Ganja Kid video recording, Lightning video are businesses that are directly affected by the closing of these night clubs. Jamaican has had many of opportunities to host parties at some beautiful locations, one of them was The National Black Theater in Harlem, but we have lost that one. Tracy Champion was given the privilege of hosting her birthright party at the elegant and spacious Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem and again, due to patrons' inability to conduct themselves in a respectful and decent manner cost the fraternity a venue worthy of hosting the poshest of parties. There are efforts underway to save the Bronx from total annihilation, but it needs the co-operation of the major players in the borough. When asked by Dancehall 360 Degrees, one prominent member of the music industry suggested that security guards should search each and every one coming in the clubs including the equipments. The suggestion seems extreme, but extreme situations call for extreme measures, and this is extreme.
It bleeds my heart to visit Brooklyn or Queens and there is a dancehall celebrity popping up at random in front of you, just like back home in Jamaica but in the Bronx it is like spotting a white elephant. Now the choice is clear, we can leave the situation be and hope that it gets better over time or we can put our collective thoughts together and help solve the problem. Now if you think it is not your problem, let me paint a picture of how grim the situation can become. Music soothes the mind, the soul and the body, this is a known fact and if there are no venues left just imagine how many restless souls (youths), will be on the streets and you know the old saying "The devil will find work for idle hands". Richie Poo, famed selector and CEO OF Tantrum Productions, Double O Seven (007) from Royal Radio and myself are embarking on a "Save the Bronx" venture.We know it won’t be easy but someone has to do it, and we need the public's help. Wish us luck
Speaking to Dj Elli from Red Hot radio in Brooklyn, I asked him what is reason for Brooklyn’s secret to success in keeping its venues constantly open? "Well it's just respect for the law and following the rules set out by the police force. Less fighting is one of the key thing you have to take into consideration, the more fights, the more police, the less fights, the less police, the less police the more party you have, the more party you have the more people enjoy themselves and the more people enjoy themselves the happier people going to be, it is that simple." He told Dancehall 360 Degrees Magazine. Don't for one minute think that I’ am saying that they are not nightclubs that are been closed by the authority in other boroughs, but not at the alarming rate as in the Bronx. Many might not realize that dancehall is actually a business. Check Stonelove Movement in Jamaica, it is a registered business which to my knowledge, employed over 40 people on staff unto 2004. There are also people in the Bronx who depend on dancehall for their livelihood. Rocatone restaurant, Good Dine restaurant, Golden Krust restaurants, Goldstar Restaurant are food merchants who are visited early in the mornings for breakfast by patrons who leaves dances in the wee hours of the morning and are too tired to go home and make it for themselves.
Night Rider videos, Moodie's Records, Ganja Kid video recording, Lightning video are businesses that are directly affected by the closing of these night clubs. Jamaican has had many of opportunities to host parties at some beautiful locations, one of them was The National Black Theater in Harlem, but we have lost that one. Tracy Champion was given the privilege of hosting her birthright party at the elegant and spacious Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem and again, due to patrons' inability to conduct themselves in a respectful and decent manner cost the fraternity a venue worthy of hosting the poshest of parties. There are efforts underway to save the Bronx from total annihilation, but it needs the co-operation of the major players in the borough. When asked by Dancehall 360 Degrees, one prominent member of the music industry suggested that security guards should search each and every one coming in the clubs including the equipments. The suggestion seems extreme, but extreme situations call for extreme measures, and this is extreme.
It bleeds my heart to visit Brooklyn or Queens and there is a dancehall celebrity popping up at random in front of you, just like back home in Jamaica but in the Bronx it is like spotting a white elephant. Now the choice is clear, we can leave the situation be and hope that it gets better over time or we can put our collective thoughts together and help solve the problem. Now if you think it is not your problem, let me paint a picture of how grim the situation can become. Music soothes the mind, the soul and the body, this is a known fact and if there are no venues left just imagine how many restless souls (youths), will be on the streets and you know the old saying "The devil will find work for idle hands". Richie Poo, famed selector and CEO OF Tantrum Productions, Double O Seven (007) from Royal Radio and myself are embarking on a "Save the Bronx" venture.We know it won’t be easy but someone has to do it, and we need the public's help. Wish us luck
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sean Paul dissed at Y3 Fashion

NyPost.com featured our own Sean Paul this week, but not in so much of a pleasant way. Their description of the artist's and his female companion's attire was not so pleasant, all because he was "laughing at the boys in dresses". Click on the link to read the full report. http://www.nypost.com/
Photo By. nypost.com
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