The long-standing battle between creative freedom and authorized boundaries has reignited after dancehall artiste Kiprich was yesterday arrested and charged underneath the Offences Towards the Particular person Act for the lyrical content material of a dubplate.
The 45-year-old entertainer, recognized for his sharp lyrical expertise, was charged by St Catherine North police after he turned up on the Spanish City Police Station. The cops listed him as an individual of curiosity final Friday. The hitmaker was charged with use of audio and audiovisual communication to advertise prison exercise. Authorities declare that Kiprich’s tune, broadly circulated throughout media platforms, glorifies gang violence and pays tribute to the infamous One Order Gang. KipRich, given identify Marlon Plunkett, was charged after a question-and-answer session within the presence of his legal professional. He’s scheduled to look within the St Catherine Parish Court docket later this month.
Head of the St Catherine North Police Division, Superintendent Hopton Nicholson, stated “lyrical content material” from KipRich and fellow artiste Skippa contributed to them being listed as individuals of curiosity lately.
“Sure, it has one thing to do with that, I do not know the entire however lyrics has a component to play,” Nicholson instructed THE STAR on Monday earlier than CCN issued its launch. Nicholson had additionally confirmed that each artistes had reported to the police for questioning. On February 5, Skippa, whose given identify is Tahjay Clarke, was listed as an individual of curiosity in a bulletin issued by the Jamaica Constabulary Drive (JCF). Simply two days later, one other bulletin bearing the names of different individuals of curiosity was printed with KipRich among the many group. In keeping with the JCF’s Company Communications Community, lawmen “believed that the individuals listed are capable of help them within the investigation because it pertains to a number of incidents within the parish”. The latest police killing of reputed One Order don, Othneil ‘Thickman’ Lobban, induced unrest in Spanish City and its environs.
Nevertheless, KipRich, in a earlier interview with THE STAR, firmly denied being concerned in any wrongdoings and burdened that his lyrical content material has nothing to do with instigating a riot in opposition to safety forces. He additionally theorised that this case could be in relation to a ‘One Order Dub’ he recorded for a foreign-based selector, that he stated was “spliced” and altered to make it appear as if he was in help of Lobban.
Nevertheless, when Nicholson was pressed about his views on the correlation between music and its affect on crime, the lawman stated “I do not want to converse on that”.
Final 12 months, the St James Police Division refused to offer permits for occasions on which Montego Bay-based dancehall artiste Eddy G Bomba was booked to carry out. This got here after a policeman died after being mowed down by a motorist who was signalled to cease – a situation Eddy G Bomba described in his single No Cap.
