Love so nice – Junior Kelly

Dancehall fashionista Michelle ‘D’Angel’ Downer-Davis held centrestage at the launch of her latest video, Stronger, which was held in the Jonkonnu launch in the Hilton hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday. She arrived in a limousine and emerged to stutterflashes of several cameras and the glare of video cameras, before sashaying down the red carpet where her guests were waiting for her arrival.

The guests represented a melting pot of persons drawn from varying socio-economic groups and backgrounds, underlining the broad appeal of the female deejay. The event was attended by several dancehall personalities such as Beenie Man, Stacious, heavyweight producer Sonny Spoon, industry executives like Free People Entertainment CEO Cabel Stephenson, marketing maven Tameka Reynolds, dancehall trio Voicemail, UWI lecturer and cultural commentator Dr. Carolyn Cooper. The launch even attracted corporate movers and shakers like G Force brand manager Karlene Walters.

Ms. Walters, one of the night’s speakers, was particularly effusive in her praise for D’Angel, announcing that G Force’s sales had tripled since D’Angel had been contracted to be the face of the new campaign.

“Unbelievable. We’re in awe. She breathes, and sleeps the brand,” Ms. Walters said.

“I have never met anyone in the industry as full of passion, as determined and strong as D’Angel and I am equally proud to be a part of this event,” Ms. Walters said.

During her brief address, D’Angel described herself as being ‘strong like the Rock of Gibraltar’.

“Nothing in the world can break me, nothing can break D’Angel,” she said, before giving her own assessment of her favourite scenes in the music video which predictably revolve around her two year old son who makes an appearance in the video.

“Marco Dean taught me to be grounded and to be focussed and to have a sense of responsibility for this life that has been placed in my hands,” she mused.

Dr. Cooper also spoke briefly during the event. The effervescent Denise Hunt emceed the event admirably, injecting just the right amounts of good-natured teasing and witty barbs to keep the audience entertained throughout the night’s festivities.

Highlights of the event included the actual showing of the video which drews oohs and ahs from the assembled crowd, a taped message from long-time friend Delly Ranx who was absent because of a previous engagement, and a violently green outfit worn by Beenie Man. D’Angel’s husband, as expected, was the life of the event and was photographed showing Dr. Cooper how to do the Nuh Linga dance.

Vybz Kartel counteracted Mavado’s argument and levelled a few charges of his own as he dismantled his rival with a number of salient points during an ER interview earlier this week. He addressed the ‘bad mind’ references first.
“Ah we bring him to the world, ah we do five songs with the Barber, dem time de Killa no look pon him..ah we mek him feel like a star, and drive him up and down inna the Bimmer and mek people see him…him just bad mind Kartel ’cause dem see no matter what dem do in the Appliance, dem caan get out the Teacha, the Teacha is always striving,” he said.
During the interview he made several references to Mavado as ‘da dogface bwoy de’. He also denied that he had ever jerked chicken.
“Mi never trim nobody and we never jerk no chicken(laugh). Wi never come pon TV and tough up wi face and gwaan like wi a gangster, wi just know we ah authentic Jamaicans, and like all authentic Jamaicans, yu caan diss we so easy,” he said.
During the interview, Kartel showed his grasp of current world affairs when hailed Obama’s victory as a ‘striking contrast to Alliance defeat’.
“So me saying mi nuh muss know God, mi no say nothing no wrong, I know I am a sinner but when a man ah go tek up say him name Gully Gadd and Gully Gadd because yu a put yu name in the context of God. Tell the barber bwoy who say him intelligent and caan spell i-n-t-e-l-l-i-g-e-n-t, fi know say yu have to read before yu come a road come mek a total fool of yourself…if I walk out of here and die, I know I am going to hell but Jeffrey install the AC from last week,” he explained during one segment.
He asked Mavado if he had ‘ever done one passport yet? Buil’!”.
He also used the opportunity to promote his Vybz Rum and Daggering product lines. He promised that at Sting, he would ‘end a plan’ suggesting that the Sting organisers were in cahoots with Mavado.
Empire fans like Ricky from Grange Hill, Westmoreland have been celebrating the interview in no uncertain terms.
“Mi have the interview pon mi phone and mi walk around it and play it for all the Mavado fans mi know and laugh after dem, ah me say Empire to the world, Kartel ah di boss,” he told one876entertainment.com.