Foota Hype Slams Rastafarian Singer Jesse Royal For “Promoting Santa Claus” In Digicel Ad
An irate Foota Hype a few days ago, slammed reggae singer Jesse Royal for engaging in what the veteran Dancehall music selector has described as the “promotion of Santa Claus”, which he contends goes against the grain of the artiste’s Rastafarian faith.
In a live online rant which lasted just over 46 minutes on his YouTube channel Suhvyva Godcast, which he titled Me and Rasta Dem a War Again, Foota castigated the Modern Day Judas artiste for playing the lead role in Digicel’s Shake to Win Christmas promotion, which also features a black Santa Claus.
Before beginning his public reprimand, Foota made his preamble, stating that while he is not a Rastafarian, he admires and embraces the principles of the faith.
It was, for this reason, he said, that he was perturbed by the paganic behaviours he has been seeing being displayed by many self-professed Rastas, particularly those in the music industry.
“Me waa undastan if Rasta business is no longa a respectful business…Wah me waan know, Rasta business is a mockery, a f__king joke or wha?” Foota said.
“It a get to mi brain now… Memba rasta haffi be di binoculars fi di people enuh. Memba Rasta haffi have di vision and si fi di people dem wha blind. Memba Rasta a suppm weh come fi save black people from di corruption and di wicked evil mentality of di white man. Nuh tink yuh tun Rasta jus fi have on locks pon yuh head. Dat a blood__t dread; dutty nasty dread,” the Cassava Piece native shouted.
Between dismissing followers who tried to contradict him and reading out the comments from those who were donating to his “programme”, Foota ripped into the Maroon Town, St. James native.
“Now tonight I am going to have one more enemy in di Rasta world…I am not afraid… Jesse Royal is about to become my new enemy. An mi naw hold back mi mouth,” Foota declared.
“After dis, if him nuh waan be a big man and understand wha Foota Hype a seh, an feel like him waa guh inna ego and feelings, and hate Foota Hype and si mi an nuh hail mi, no problem,” he added.
Directly addressing Jesse, whose given name is Jesse Gray, Foota said he has always regarded the artiste as being of the Rastafarian faith, as he emerged on the music scene singing about Rastafari.
“Digicel have a Christmas ad wid Santa Claus. Jesse Royal, weh you a do inna da ad deh? Jesse Royal, what are you doing in that ad my friend?” Foota began, before raising his voice into a shout.
“Weh yuh a duh inna dah ads deh rude bwoy? Weh di f__k yuh a duh inna dah ads deh? Weh yuh a duh inna dah ads deh bredda? When you a Rastafari, a nuh suh yuh guh to work! A nuh suh Rasta ting work!” Foota hollered.
Outlining that he was disappointed and ashamed of the 31 year old, Foota said when approached to do the ad, Jesse ought to have thought about the Rastafari doctrine that he had professed that he adheres to, instead of joining forces with Santa Claus and, by extension, endorsing Christmas.
He said the only way he would have found an ad with Jesse and a Santa Clause in an ad acceptable, was if the This Morning artiste were beating Rudolph the Reindeer’s boss.
“When Digicel come to yuh wid dah money deh, be discipline fi tell dem seh ‘mi naw mislead black people into no b__boclaat Santa Claus Chrismus business! How? How? Weh you a duh inna ads weh a promote Santa Claus?” he questioned as he raised his voice several more notches.
“Di people an di future of di people, especially black people, is more important dan di money! Mi a seh, di people, your people, black people progress and their interest come first inna Rasta life.”
Foota also said the Royally Speaking artiste had let down every black person in Jamaica and even his fans on the African continent who look to him for inspiration.
“Jesse Royal, yuh losing it man? Yuh smoke too much weed or wha man? How yuh do dat to yuh people? How yuh do dat to black people? How yuh do dat to yuh race when yuh know seh Christianity and Christians and Santa Claus business is the destruction of the black movement? So you nuh know yuh a get fire bun fi dat Jesse Royal? Yuh know yuh a get a bun out fi dat,” he ranted.
“So how you as a Rastaman weh know about these deceptions and these illusions, teck money and guh promote dat? How do you sleep at nights? How do you look at that ad and feel good? Yuh a confuse di whole heap a African fans dem weh yuh have. Yuh a confuse di yute dem inna Uganda and Gambia and Nigeria weh look u to yuh music caw yuh music big out deh inna di world,” Foota added.
When some followers countered that perhaps the artiste was feeling the pinch of the pandemic, which had affected the entertainment industry, Foota was unmoved, and said Jesse has no excuse.
“Him a Rasta. Jah will provide a way. Maybe him nuh waa work how Jah seh him fi work. Him choose anadda way weh defile di mission of Rasta. Him nuh artiste; promote some dub plate, guh voice someweh! Duh some virtual show. Guh pon yuh YouTube and perform virtually and charge even $1 a person. Even if yuh get hundred person, a hundred dalla… Yuh haffi fine a way and stay straight,” Foota said defiantly.
Foota said the behaviour of some of the lock-wearing artistes has been so disgraceful that he believes they should shave their heads and stop embarrassing the real Rastafarians who stay true to their faith.
He said many of them seem to be walking around with the hairstyle and professing to be Rastas, while not taking the time to learn the principles and culture of Rastafari.
“Am I to come to di understanding dat these men who seh dem a Rasta, do not know what the f_kthey are getting into, they do not understand the purpose of Rastafari? That they are not a part of the movement of empowering the black race which the Rastaman belong to? The movement of Rastafari belong to the Black people? The empowerment of the black race, the black dominance of the world?” he questioned.
“Dat mean seh di man dem just put on locks fi teck a easy road to money. Oonu a nuh Rasta? B__claat trim den nuh man! Yuh tink eat likkle ital food and talk two likke word bout I and I and Bless Africa, dat a nuh no b__bo, r__sclaat Rasta. Yuh haffi live it!” he blared.