Mr. Vegas Confronts Hawkeye About Claims He Tried to Stifle His Dancehall Career
Nineties Dancehall toasters Mr. Vegas and Hawkeye had a verbal throwdown on Instagram Live yesterday over the “ethnic market”, US$20, and ingratitude.
It all started because of a recent interview Hawkeye did with The Entertainment Report Podcast, where he claimed his late manager Byron Murray stifled his growth by denying promoters bookings unless Mr. Vegas was rostered. The artistes were part of Murray’s In the Streetz camp, and Hawkeye said Vegas encouraged the imbalanced treatment.
“I think Vegas was trying to make a lot of demand about if dem waan Hawkeye and him cya come don’t book the show,” he said on the show. “These things were going on and at the end of the day, the management, too, mi blame him because I do agree that Vegas a your main artiste but yuh have other artiste inna di camp weh shine offa dem own. Don’t mek because of dah artiste deh and him a your main bread, because every mickle mek a muckle… A bare a dem something deh did a gwaan; bare fight ‘gainst and jealousy thing and like him nuh believe seh Hawkeye coulda get weh so big and stand up pon him own.”
But Vegas disagrees and detailed everything he did to help Hawkeye’s career during the Live. According to Vegas, Murray always insisted that he carry Hawkeye on tour which he was against as he disliked the artiste’s “heavy, tone-deaf” voice. Because of his respect for his former manager, Vegas yielded and first took Hawkeye on a show in Ocho Rios, which he said he had to salvage after Hawkeye was booed on stage.
Using Hawkeye’s words from the interview, Vegas said it was because of his success with the crossover single Heads High that allowed him to tour in the “ethnic market”, and carry Hawkeye along. But he said Hawkeye failed to maximize the opportunity as he consistently performed anti-homosexual songs, even after being booed.
He added that he allowed Hawkeye to record on the Crash riddim, which he said was exclusively created for him (by Cleveland ‘Clevie’ Browne) for his song She’s A Ho. Vegas also took credit for helping Hawkeye refine his vocals, and claimed to have guided him in recording the 1999 hit Go Rachel.
Mulling over the reason for the demise of their relationship, Vegas could only think of US$20 which Hawkeye said he borrowed and didn’t repay while they were on tour in Trinidad.
But when Vegas called Hawkeye during the Live, the deejay had a different recollection of the aforementioned events.
Hawkeye didn’t recall being booed in Ocho Rios, nor singing against homosexuals while on the US tour. He said he only has one song of such nature, and asked Vegas to show video evidence of those performances. Vegas didn’t play any tapes, but continued to confront the artiste whom he deemed ungrateful.
Regarding the Crash riddim claim, Hawkeye said, “When mi voice Go Rachel, mi have Ooh Ha Ha weh a mash up di place big time so mi nuh understand weh all a dis a come from.”
But Vegas also took credit for Hawkeye recording on that song’s riddim (Faith) as he claimed he asked the producer Richie D to include him.
As Vegas went on about all he’d done for the artiste, Hawkeye said he was not aware of Vegas’ efforts to help him behind-the-scenes.
“Vegas, a you carry me pon di tour, mek mi seh that,” he said.
When Vegas confronted him about their supposedly US$20 fall-out, Hawkeye responded, “That couldn’t be the problem… You a man weh have yuh money and rae and you a go borrow money from a youth weh nah get the money weh you a get but yet still yuh don’t give him back? It’s true, you did, it nuh necessarily mean mi have yuh up for $20.”
Vegas clapped back, “Did you know that it was my money you got paid out of?”
“Vegas come offa mi phone…yuh alright?”
Vegas continued, “When we went to Trinidad you just came out of the ‘ethnic market’ – you seh so… Let me educate you since you did naive to it. Nobody wanted to see you or book you in the ethnic market because you know seh a because a Heads High why mi get in there so if dem wanted me for Heads High, what did they book you for?”
Vegas began to list all the expenses he covered to take him on tour, but Hawkeye had had enough and eventually ended the call.
Vegas said the onus is on the artiste to make the most of his career, and said no one could have blocked Hawkeye from excelling but himself.
“Mi sick and tired a artiste weh waste dem chance, never capitalise pon dem chance, come back pon the internet true people a put a microphone or people put a camera in front a unno…unno start blame artistes for not reaching anywhere inna life.”