The Star (Jamaica)

Battle lines Spice, media personalit­y clash at mixtape launch

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Media personnel and artistes are today at odds after profession­als from both spheres clashed at the launch of Spice’s mixtape on Wednesday night.

Held at the popular Hope Road eatery, 100, the launch, which saw Spice formally introducin­g her Captured mixtape to her local fans, started out great but took a turn for the worst when a one-on-one interview with Naro from Nightly Fix went south.

In a video clip that has been circulatin­g on social media since Thursday morning, Spice can be heard telling the media personalit­y to ‘s**k’ his mother. Spice accused Naro of never reporting on the good she has done in her career. Instead, she said that the host has always gone out of his way to ‘downgrade’ her.

“Mi watch yuh all the while, and mi see yuh response. Stop living on my name and stop downplayin­g me. Yuh live pan me name pon Nightly Fix. All when the people dem nuh have nutten fi do wid Spice yah ask dem: ‘So wah yuh think bout Spice?’ Why don’t you talk about the good? Why it always have to be the bad,” she said.

Admitting that he has been critical of Spice over the years, Naro, in his defence, pointed out that she wasn’t the only artiste that has been subjected to bad press over the years.

“Alkaline get it more than you, and yet still when him fi get praise, we praise him. Is not like we take out a plan and say we a go downgrade Spice,” he said.

Different video clips of the interview have since gone viral with many persons, including artistes and media personalit­ies, giving their two cents on the matter.

Popular media personalit­y Nikki Z defended her media colleagues by pointing out that media practition­ers have a duty to report both the bad and good. In her post on Instagram, Nikki Z explained that a ‘no comment’ or declining to do the interview would have been an appropriat­e response from Spice.

SHARE THE BLAME

In response to Nikki Z’s take on the issue, several artistes also gave their opinions on the issue. Konshens, playing devil’s advocate, said that both parties could share the blame depending on what side of the fence one is assessing the situation from. He indicated that as a journalist, Naro was only doing his job, but in the same breath explained that media personnel should remind themselves that artistes are people too when they decide to be critical of them.

Siding with Spice, Tanya Stephens said: “Journalist­s need fi go back to journalism and stop f**k round people.” She ended her post by saying she could not articulate what Spice was trying to say with anymore precision.

Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage also weighed in. Indicating that at times it may be hard for artistes to ‘hold their tongues’, the entertaine­r said that both sides need each other and encouraged media and artistes to

work together.

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