Bounty Killer Endorses COVID-19 Vaccine, Ahead Of Spain Show With Beenie Man
In what many may see as an uncharacteristic move, Bounty Killer has become the second Dancehall stalwart, after Shaggy, to urge his fans to take the COVID-19 vaccine, in stark contrast to the anti-vaccine sentiments of Sizzla, Buju Banton, Spragga Benz, Tony Rebel, Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid and even Reggae legend Lee ‘Sratch’ Perry.
Last night the Warlord categorically told his fans to get inoculated on a post he made of a flyer of the Sunclash meets Shutdown show scheduled for Ibiza, Spain from October 1 to 4 2021, which will feature himself and Beenie Man in performance.
“October 1st-4th Ibiza!! Gwaan tek unuh vaccine keep the date lock een and stay up like caffeine,” Bounty captioned the post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMDk1NNJBkM/
While many of his fans cheered and posted fire icons, there were many who took him on for his seeming variance in favor of the “system”. At the outset of the pandemic last year, he had avoided wearing masks in public, and later relented. However, Bounty Killer stood his ground, even choosing to argue with, and dismiss some of his opponents.
One fan, mizz_godbless, expressed agreement with the Callaloo Bed native. “Yes Killa we taking the vaccine who no want can tek rona😛,” she wrote, to which Bounty replied; “@mizz_godbless Simple no struggle👌🏾”.
When kenneth.heron wrote: “No vaccine killa” the Coppershot artiste retorted icily: “@kenneth.heron. Eat covid then👌🏾.”
One follower, afroboy669, said he was mortified that stars were being used to promote the COVID-19 vaccine. “Wow😮 using celebrities to promote vaccinations 🤔🤔 America did that too I wonder what’s going on????” he wrote.
One follower, dondeejay1, ordered the Long Donkey Cod artist to cease and desist from promoting what he described as a controversial vaccine. He was supported by lionstrength09 who noted: “so disappointing the poor people governor a mislead the people.”
Another follower, smokexxlbully, questioned whether the post was fake. “Wtf is this a fake account bout vaccine smoke ur herbs give thanks and praise and don’t put no vaccine in your veins,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, there were others who were simply happy that the two artists who had not toured Europe for some time, were now being given the opportunity to go to Spain to perform together, albeit it more than a year after their VERZUZ clash which triggered a renewed interest in the veterans.
The original show poster was posted on the Sunclash Instagram page, noted: “The greatest rivalry/friendship in Dancehall history, live in front of a majority UK audience for the first time ever, be a part of history. The two icons, the two kings, live on the same stage for one night only.”
The promotion of the two Dancehall legends’ appearance at the event began last night with two separate promotional videos which were done by them on the Sunclash Instagram page, in which they urged their fans to come out to see them live in Europe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMDLcX5hWZ7/
A week ago Lee Scratch Perry said that he will have no choice but to stop doing live shows if the COVID-19 vaccine becomes mandatory for international travel. The Grammy award winner also questioned why was it that some people who purport to be Rastafarians were encouraging others to get vaccinated and wear masks, which in his eyes are part of the “Babylonian system”.
In January, Tony Rebel joined Buju Banton, Sizzla, Chronixx, and Spragga Benz who were already staunch opponents of vaccines, in rejecting the COVID jab.
Last October, Sizzla, in an Instagram Live, condemned persons whom he said are pushing for a COVID-19 vaccine to be administered globally. He also declared that the vaccine, when developed, must be rejected by black people, as it will be micro-chipped and armed with “nano-particles used to manipulate DNA activities” to eradicate people of African descent.
Recently Kabaka Pyramid said the COVID-19 numbers were being ramped with “false numbers fi mek sure seh di false vaccine ‘necessary’”.
In his longstanding anti-vaccine campaign on IG, Spragga Benz has been calling for people to live healthily and eat wholesome foods and called for people of African descent to not fear the virus, as many people have “beat it with vitamin D and other simple remedies”.
Chronixx, in a now-deleted post, had stated that “tech heads and war heads can’t talk to Rastaman about human health” and that he would only be “going online for a concert if it’s an action against global vaccination”.
In late January, Buju Banton, who has not shied away from taking to social media to make his disgust about COVID-19 containment measures known, lashed the Jamaican Government following an announcement that it would be passing laws to grant immunity to vaccine producers from liability if Jamaicans suffer harm after taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
“So the love for this nation and its people soooo great. They will allow there friends to kill you and it’s perfectly ok#honest # Jamaica land they love # not the people,” Buju had written.
Shaggy though, had declared that he would be at the “front of the line” whenever the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available in Jamaica, but had also come under fire from Jamaicans for his statements, in which he also brushed aside what he described as “conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines”.