Dancehall Artist Intence Faces More Controversy In Cayman Over Alleged Fraudulently Obtained Work Permit
Controversy continues to plague Dancehall artist Intence’s recent trip to the Cayman Islands for a performance, even weeks after he left the British overseas territory.
On Thursday (August 5), the Cayman Compass newspaper reported that the Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) organization has begun an “internal investigation” following accusations that a temporary work permit was “fraudulently obtained”, which allowed Intence to perform in Cayman in June.
It comes on the heels of a hullabaloo that arose in late June when upset parents castigated school administrators at the John Gray High School after the Go Hard artist was invited to speak at a function for boys involved in the institution’s Boys 2 Men mentorship programme.
According to the Cayman Compass, Jean-Eric Smith, the president of the Cayman Music and Entertainment Association (CMEA), has argued that Intence, whose given name is Tashawn Gabbidon, “should not have been allowed to perform in Cayman”.
“Intence represents a sub-culture of dancehall music that is not fitting with the way we as a people in Cayman think and our morals,” Smith reportedly told the newspaper, before adding: “This can be seen in his lewd lyrics which portray the degradation of women and gangster culture.”
The CMEA president also said that there was once a “long-standing understanding” between his organization and the former Immigration Department, which required foreign artists to first be endorsed by CMEA before being able to perform in Cayman. However, he said that the ‘policy’ was apparently jettisoned in 2019 under the previous Progressives-led government when the Immigration Department was transitioned into WORC.
According to the Cayman Compass, Smith also said that an initial inquiry by his association into the process which was used to grant Intence a permit, found that that a former board member of CMEA gave the endorsement, without having the requisite authority to do so.
He also said that upon discovering the travesty, his organization contacted the police and the WORC to block Intence from entering Cayman, but “at that point he was already here”. As a consequence, he said, permission was requested for the Pickachu artist’s permit to perform to be rescinded.
“He (Smith) eventually approached the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, requesting the matter be investigated; he provided a redacted version of his police report to the Compass,” the newspaper wrote.
It also noted that email conversations that took place between Smith and senior WORC officers, which were shown to its reporters, “indicate that he communicated his concerns to them before Intence took to the stage in Cayman”.
The Cayman Compass also quoted an unnamed WORC spokesperson as saying in an emailed statement, that the “matter of an allegedly fraudulent CMEA document granting permission for Intence to perform”, was being investigated by the department’s compliance unit.
“The WORC spokesperson said, ‘while there is no legal requirement for WORC to consult with the CMEA a consultation is done as practice,’” it noted.
The WORC also informed that Intence had submitted a signed letter of support from CMEA, and that “from all accounts the letter was signed by a member of the CMEA”.
“We also received a clean police clearance certificate and the other required documents and as such a temporary work permit was granted,” it said, adding that “further due diligence is done on all incoming passengers and this channel also showed that there were no current criminal convictions”.