Parents Upset After Dancehall Artist Intence Was Invited To A Cayman Islands High School
School administrators at a high school in the Cayman Islands have come under fire after Dancehall artist Intence was invited to speak at a special function at the institution.
Intence, whose real name is Tashawn Gabbidon, visited the John Gray High School on Thursday (Jun 24), where he addressed a group of students who are a part of the Boys 2 Men mentorship programme.
While the Go Hard singer was only to address the small grouping of boys, once other students got wind of the event they turned out in droves to catch a glimpse of the entertainer.
“Good afternoon John Gray High School, right,” said Intence, who seemed uncertain of the name of the institution. “We nuh have nu long [time] so just a make the youth dem know sey stay in a school, focus, work hard, not only hard but smart. Big up uno self, sight!”
Despite his address only lasting a few minutes, the students were clearly impressed and cheered loudly as Intence was quickly whisked away from the lunchtime event by his security team.
The Pickachu deejay was all for the commotion as seen in video footage that captured the exit. During the security’s earnest attempt to control the crowd, Intence wound down his window and stuck his hand out to greet the kids.
While it is clear that Intence made the students’ day, some parents were not too happy when they learned of the entertainer’s visit. According to several parents and onlookers, who took to social media where they shared their disapproval for the lunchtime session, Intence was not an example for anyone to follow — much less children.
“Is this considered a role model nowadays? 🤡,” asked one person, followed by a series of other concerns.
“They really having this guy meet kids at the school?? Why would you want children to meet an artist who brings no real value to music or anything else to meet kids as an influencer? 😂😂😂,” another said.
While others admitted that his catalog was certainly not appropriate for a school-aged audience, they pointed out that he did not perform at the venue and had, in fact, delivered a wholesome message.
“He may not be the “image” for promoting positivity but in today’s society, your children look up to these artistes and as such, they may listen to the good advice he’s trying to impart,” one user said.
Despite the entertainer’s positive message at the event, the parents slammed the school administrators for extending the invite to Intence.
“I know they say the message matter more than the person but really sometime get a better messenger,” wrote one person.
Intence has been in the Cayman Islands for close to a month, as he headlined the Havoc cooler fete which took place on June 18 at the Lion’s Centre.
A source close to the entertainer’s team told DancehallMag that local laws required that Intence and his entourage remain in quarantine for two weeks. As such he decided it was best to spend a month on the island, which is featured in the visuals for his latest single, Turn Off.