“Gaza Mi Seh,” Nicki Minaj Reps For Vybz Kartel’s Gaza Nation
New York-based Dancehall music selector and Vybz Kartel proponent, DJ Lava, was pleasantly surprised on Friday when he learned that Nicki Minaj had been inconspicuously following him and his Chat and Laugh show on Instagram for some time.
On Friday the Chat and Laugh host posted a video telling his fans how he came to find out that the Trinidadian rap superstar had been among his 240,000 IG followers. He also tagged the Bang Bang artist, who courteously responded, reminding everyone that she was an unapologetic supporter of Vybz Kartel’s Gaza Nation.
“Listen dis, right. Mi daughter guh a prom yesterday. Mi daughter come home and seh ‘Daddy, how yuh hiding certain stuff from mi?” Lava said.
Lava then recounted that his daughter said she was being introduced to other persons by a friend of hers, who described her as having a “very famous” father, who was even being followed on Instagram by Nicki Minaj.
“She said she didn’t know and mi seh to myself seh, mi neva know neither… I said ‘come on Nana, you know I’m famous suh famous people know famous people’. Suh me just teck my likkle time an go pon my Instagram, type in Nicki Minaj, an guh suh blup! When mi look, Niki Minaj a follow me back to,” he recalled.
“Nicki! Nicki! Nicki!” he exclaimed repeatedly. Big up yuhself, Nicki Minaj big up! That was it so buzz nation we out. Gaza we buzzing. Nicki!” he said.
A day later Minaj responded to Lava and re-emphasized that she too, like Lava, was a supporter of Vybz Kartel’s Gaza Nation.
“Famous ppl MUST follow famous ppl. Ya DUN KNOW. GAZA MI SAY 😂 kisses to ur daughter ♥️,” she responded.
A gleeful Lava screenshot Nicki’s response and shared with his fans who might have missed it.
This is not the first time that Minaj has shown love to the Gaza. In January she sent birthday wishes to Kartel, which he too proudly screenshot and proudly shared on his Instagram page with his followers.
Lava, whose given name is Dwayne Beswick, moved to the United States more than two decades ago, and over the two decades, has made a point of his duty to promote Dancehall music in New York where he is based.
Lava partnered with Markus Wanted of Platinum Kids to bring street-dance culture to Mount Vernon through a weekly event dubbed Fresh Mondays, according to The Gleaner in a 2019 article.
The selector, who is also known for promoting Jamaican music on his radio programme on New York’s Linkage Radio, also tours from state to state through his Lava sound system.
“Mi try mi best fi look out fi who mi can look fi inna dancehall and keep the music going worldwide. A lot of artistes always link me to preview songs for them, like Stylo G. I was the first person to review Dumpling and get a dubplate. I did the same with Active by Squash, Dovey Magnum’s Bawl Out, HoodCelebrityy’s Walking Trophy, She Nah Leggo by Lanz, and the list goes on. A lot of artistes respect my opinion.”
In August 2020, Lava released a single titled Champagne Campaign, a collaboration between Kartel and Sikka Rymes, on his label, Burn Dem Records.
However, although he is a supporter of the Gaza Nation, Lava has made it clear that despite his affiliation, he was not into segregation or separation within the Dancehall fraternity.
“The segregation in music, I don’t like it. I would love to hear some artistes on the same track, even though I am 100 per cent Gaza family. I will play every artiste as long as it is good,” he told The Star last year.