Reggae Artist Fantan Mojah Decries Mask-Wearing
Reggae artist Fantan Mojah is adamant that even in light of Jamaica’s ascending COVID-19 infection rate, he will continue his ‘putting up resistance’ stance by not wearing a mask in public, because whenever he does so, it is ‘stifling’ him.
Responding to questions posed by veteran entertainment journalist Anthony Miller about him never been seen wearing a mask in public, during Television Jamaica’s The Entertainment Report programme which was aired on Friday night, Fantan insisted that he is perfectly healthy and so has no need to engage in wearing the protective covering.
“What mi want you an di Prime Minista fi listen – caw mi is a outspoken person – mi gwine talk. Listen yuh si dis COVID ting yah, mi nuh seh people nuh fi have on dem mask yuh nuh. But Fantan Mojah, mi fit, mi awrite. Mi nuh sick. An when mi put on di mask fi myself…di mask a stap mi breath. Yeh, mi caan teck mask pan mi face,” Fantan said in his explanation.
When pressed as to why he did not wear it then, in order to protect others, Fantan doubled down on his stance, affirming that he has no use for masks as by virtue of his Maroon heritage he is supernormal and in addition, the herbs he uses are a guarantee that he will not become infected.
“Mi nuh sick, gad. Mi nuh know weh name suh, gad. Mi nuh inna no COVID, gad. Mi healthy an strong, gad. Mi drink mi bush dem an feed pon mi ting dem. Mi a one Maroon. Yuh tink mi a one normal people Anthony?” he asked.
Fantan joins Buju Banton as two Reggae artists who have downplayed the wearing of masks. In October, Buju was in the spotlight after he, in an online rant, expressed his frustration with the face mask-wearing protocols put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19 and implicitly called on Jamaicans to dispense with the wearing of face masks.
However, the national and international backlash Buju attracted was massive, with some people classifying him as mad, while others made a slew of derogatory comments about him and his drug-trafficking and prison antecedents.
At the time Buju also blamed the Government for the economic downturn and the rising poverty levels brought on by the COVID-19 containment measures, claiming that the State had failed to help the myriad of people who have been laid off or the businesses which had been forced to close.
Fantan’s interview had surrounded the release of his risqué new song Fire King and its accompanying raunchy video which has been doing the rounds on social media, and for which he has been heavily criticized. The song was released on the Lingerie riddim on the Gold and Goals Production label more than six months ago but the full music video premiered only recently.
Fantan Mojah was among the top new Reggae acts of the mid-2000s and was signed to Downsound Productions. He released his debut album Hail the King in 2005 which featured hit songs such as the title track Hail the King, Corruption and Nuh Build Great Man which featured his colleague Jah Cure. His other albums included Stronger in 2008, Rebel I am in 2012 and Rasta Got Soul in 2016.