Special Event To Celebrate Dagga Ras’ Life On Friday

By Claude Mills Tue, February 1 2022, 08:06 AM EST

There will be a special remembrance event for the life of popular figure, Neil “Dagga Ras” Gardener, the late road manager of independent label Frenz for Real, at the label’s Tower Hill headquarters on Friday, February 4th. The event has been dubbed ‘Rich in Paradise’.

“We are inviting anyone who knew him to join us and share your favourite stories and memories of Dagga Ras,” Omar “Benji” Benjamin, head of independent label Frenz For Real, told Dancehallmag.

All COVID-19 protocols will be observed for the gathering.

Dagga Ras died during a major crash along the PJ Patterson Highway over two weeks ago involving a Toyota Coaster bus and a Nissan Allion motor car. Four other persons were seriously injured.

“He was our road manager for Frenz for Real. He was very jovial, a comedian, a hard worker who loved what he did,” Benji said.

“This is a big loss for the company. He is the main road man for us, once any song to promote, he was the man, he spread the Frenz for Real name all over Jamaica. Every tour we planned to go on, this is the main man we wanted with us, so this is really hard to deal with,” Benjie added.

A popular figure, several artistes posted RIP message with the music insider on their Instagram pages in the wake of his death. He was well known to several deejays including Beenie Man and Popcaan, and the dancehall star Intence mentioned Dagga Ras’s name in his song Dream Life.

“Dagga Ras was very close to Popcaan. He and Popcaan come from St Thomas. Him jerk pork for Popcaan…a lot of artistes posted him on IG, Intence, Natty King, Rytikal, Teejay. I used to know him as a driver for Natty King as they both come from St Thomas. He knows Jamaica like the back of his hand. He was great when it comes to road; he was the king for it. This is a major loss,” Benjamin said.

Reports are that about 12:40 pm, a Toyota Coaster bus and the Toyota Allion were in the east-bound-lane when the crash happened near the Spanish Town exit in the vicinity of the March Pen bridge. The bus hit a reversing motor vehicle, rammed into the median and overturned in a ditch.

There were approximately 30 people aboard the bus at the time of the crash. There have been 25 fatalities from road crashes across Jamaica since the start of the year.