Gold Gad Capitalizes On Jahshii’s ‘Nawmal, A Lie?’ With New Song

The slang “Nawmal, a lie?”, made popular by Dancehall artist Jahshii, appears to have taken on a life of its own among Gen-Z Jamaicans.

And Gold Gad, the artist long-known for his comedic spin on the antics of lotto scammers, has capitalized on, not only the slang, but also on the topical issue of obeah (witchcraft) and the wearing of talismans, particularly guard rings, via the release of the music video for his new song titled Nawmal a lie.

Guard rings and witchcraft, are now at the centre of controversy in some Western Jamaica schools, where several boys involved in lotto scamming, are, according to news reports, reportedly relying on the jewelry believing it will prevent them from being nabbed by the police.

The video for Nawmal a lie shows Gold Gad in a magic room with a crystal ball, doing a series of rites including rubbing witchcraft oil between his palms before plastering it on his head, and lighting some candles while wearing a crimson wizard’s robe.

Then there are scenes of the Quarantine Chap artist as usual, dancing in front of his gold Mercedes Benz in an open field with his friends and burning foreign currency as he dances and shows off his trademark quarter bottle of Hennessey.

In the verses of the song, God Gad brags of being the top chappa in comparison to others involved in scamming who have not been doing an effective job, and, as a result, are constantly broke, due to their own incompetence.

“P-yhole, jus chap a food an bruk/naw wuk/ weh oonu a guh,” he sings at one point, noting that for his part: “Daily mi pap dung di line like shut”.

In highlighting how talismans and necromancy were an essential part of scammer’s , he adds in another verse that: “yuh ring don’t bun yuh if it don’t guard up/can hol a skull fi weeks or months/when wi load up di guzu, yuh si duppy all bout/lef di skull account dry up like a seh it have drought”.

He also lauds the work of ghosts in ensuring some big windfalls.

“Meck a client sen a mil, a duppy dweet,” he brags, castigating the other scammers notimg: “P-ssyhole oonu bruck like splinters”.

Gold Gad, who is a former studio engineer for Alkaline is well-known for his pro-scammer songs, in which he glorifies the lifestyle and showcases their modus operandi, among them Client Convo, Choppa Sex, Quarantine Chap, New Scheme, GoldGad Hub and Big Money.

In January last year, 12 months after he released the song F–k You MOCA,  a track which mocked Jamaica’s Major Organized Crime & Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and insulted members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Gold Gad had said that an overwhelming number of policemen, were among his biggest fans.

He told Onstage’s Winford Williams that once he hit the street in his golden Mercedes Benz, and is spotted by the police, he is chased and made to pull over by enchanted constables.

“I neva haffi seh dis, but di police dem – caw di police dem rate mi still – but everytime mi drive, di police dem haffi drive mi dung, jus fi come hail mi.  Dem naw disrespect enuh, dem just always a drive mi dung.  Everytime mi drive mi si blue light,” Gold Gad had said proudly.

According to Gold Gad, his car was so stunning, that the police and other people who form his fan base in Kingston, are able to see it sparkling from afar and know that he is apporoaching.

“Remember is 24k gold and it bright, and when di sun touch dat, whole place bright up, suh a problem.  It’s beautiful,” he said.

In January 2020, Gold Gad had released F–k You MOCA, an ode to the illegal lottery scam in collaboration with Brick Boss.  A part of the track’s hook states: “F–k you cop, naw stop dial all when di phone hot.”

Gold Gad had laughingly admitted in a subsequent interview that MOCA had swooped down on his property and taken his laptop searching for clues as to whether he was a scammer, but only found music.

He noted in the Onstage interview however, that the things he sings about like scamming are not things he does in real life, and were only for artistic purposes, and found MOCA’s actions amusing.

“Most a dem song wha mi a sing, a nuh nuttn wha mi a duh.   But by singing dem song deh, it mek mi be very popular.  An being very popular mek mi rich.  Suh yuh nuh haffi a sing weh yuh a duh. Yuh nuh haffi a falla dah message deh.   Yuh haffi just believe inna yuhself and inna yuh craft, becaw memba yuh nuh seh a just craft mi use yuh nuh,” he explained.