The Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JARIA) recently sent out their official statement on what they headlined: Assassin's Red Stripe Live abruptly ended performance. Taken from Jamaica Observer:
According to the release, JARIA "notes with concern that the performance of Jeffery 'Assassin' Campbell was abruptly discontinued at the recently held Red Stripe Live concert, due to a misunderstanding on the part of the promoters. We wish to express dissatisfaction with respect to the artiste's performance being prematurely terminated as a result of a perceived violation of the rules of engagement by Red Stripe.
"Red Stripe has since apologised for their action. JARIA notes, however, the apology did not clearly indicate that Mr Campbell in fact lived up to his contractual obligations, including his participation in two Red Stripe representative supervised rehearsals. While the apology is a step in the right direction, enough has neither been said nor done in an attempt to repair any damage which may have been done to the artiste's reputation. We wish to recommend that if Red Stripe, or any other sponsor, has concerns about the lyrical content of an impending performance (following observations of the rehearsals), that it should communicate such reservations to the artiste immediately and unequivocally."
Quite frankly, we too had our reservations about the tersely worded apology, which read: "Red Stripe apologises to Mr Jeffery Campbell aka Assassin for the premature end to his performance on Red Stripe Live last Saturday, March 28. Red Stripe is grateful that Mr Campbell supported its first live event to raise funds for its Learning for Life initiative and sincerely regrets that his performance was cut short."
JARIA, in its communique, reminded "all sectors within the Jamaican society that tolerance of competing views is the hallmark of a vibrant democracy and artistes have the distinct right to express their views through song within the confines of the law and the canons of decency (neither of which, in the estimation of JARIA, was breached in this case)."
The release went on to commend Diageo Learning For Life, Project Artiste initiative which targets at risk 18-24-year-olds who have a passion for the music industry and wish to pursue a career in that field.
The concert was held on Saturday, March 28 at Sabina Park in Kingston.
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