Minister Marion Hall On Skatta’s Sumfest Invite: “How Dare You Call Me Out For Dancehall Night?”

“My manager been talking about the gospel night. That’s the only night I will go on.”

That is the word from Minister Marion Hall (formerly Lady Saw), in taking aim at Reggae Sumfest’s Marketing Strategist Skatta Burrell, for statements he made on Thursday evening, that he was at one point attempting to get her to perform on this year’s staging of the festival and was still open to doing so.

A seemingly amused Hall took to her Facebook page to respond to Skatta, a self-proclaimed atheist, indicating that she was not averse to performing at the Reggae festival, but at the same time pointing out that she was quite cognizant that the producer was trying to “draw her out”.

In a video that lasted for 84 seconds, Hall switched between deejaying and talking, in what appeared to be a mild rebuke of Skatta.

“Maasa God put a tracka paa mi/cause him know seh di debble waa mi/Weh day him sen out di whole army/Suh mi Gad put a tracker paa mi/Faada Gad put a tracka paa mi/Cause him know seh Skatta waa mi,” she sang in her preamble, before calling out the producer.

“Skatta!  How yuh stay suh?” she said, as she put on her preaching voice.

According to Hall, Reggae Sumfest CEO, Joe Bogdanovich, had discussions with her manager regarding the addition of a gospel night on which she would perform, perhaps similar to that of its predecessor Reggae Sunsplash in 1998.

“You been talking to my manager right?  I guess – naw.  Downsound been talking to my manager, about coming on the gospel night.   But how dare you call mi out fi Dancehall night?” she asked of Skatta.

“If yuh waan hear Dancehall gospel, well, tell di boss fi call mi boss, yeh, up deh…,” she said referring to God.

She then added: “Him caan call him; him haffi call mi manager.  Yeh.  Caw, guess wha?   God know weh yuh up to… God put a tracker paa mi, caw him know weh yuh up to.  It not gwine happen.  Gospel night: you’ve been talking to my manager Delroy Escoffery.  Not you, but Joe.  Tell Joe to call my manager.  All right.  Bless you.”

On Thursday evening, during the launch of Reggae Sumfest 2022, Skatta had said that he had ceased making attempts to woo Hall to perform at the iconic Reggae festival this July, after coming to the conclusion that she needed time to recalibrate, in the aftermath of her imbroglio with some of her female musical compatriots.

Skatta had also said that there was still time yet to court the Room in My House artist and add her to the line-up, as the festival’s concert nights were two months away.

Prior to that, in a post which some of Hall’s Christian fans saw as provocation, the Coolie Dance producer had posted a snippet of Lady Saw’s legendary last ever performance at Reggae Sumfest in 2015, on Instagram, and implored her come to the festival and “minister to the audience” while announcing that he was ready to book her for this year’s show.

Skatta had made the post following Hall’s official announcement of her return, which had come approximately 14 months after she had declared in one of her Sunday Sermons, that she would “revisit Dancehall to win some souls”.

On Saturday, after Hall made her post, her Christian fans cheered her along.  However, there were those who said that she should perform on one of the show nights and use the opportunity to win souls.

“We want you back you don’t have to go raw you leave out the rawness and show them how are the real queen we miss you ,” Suzette Powell said.

However, the St Mary native’s response was decisive:

“Suzette Powell Not on that night,” she said.

There were also lamentations from Carlene Nelson who added: “That’s the best night for u to go win some souls for the lord”, as well as messages of reprimand for Skatta from Christians, among them Sami More, who declared that Skatta should seek forgiveness from Hall forthwith.

“Scatta is an atheist, he is disrespectful trying to link your name to dancehall night knowing your on the other side. He should apologize and Joe should put you on gospel night,” he said.

“Tell Chatta, that the precious bright oxygenated Blood of jesus against him,” Chris Dawkins added, in expressing consternation.

Some gleeful followers said they would ensure they attend gospel night, if only to see Hall in action.

“And me wudda go gospel night fi see Lady Marion ennuh ,” Yaniqe said, while Pauline Vidal added: “Yea man gospel night at Reggae Sumfest, It would a sell off.”

For Mott Lion, Hall would undoubtedly pull a massive crowd regardless of which night on which she opts to perform.

“Don’t be afraid of dance hall night is what u going to sing on that night me done know how u skill u a the mother Fe the thing dance hall or gospel night,” he noted.

Gospel Night is nothing new to Jamaican reggae festivals.   In 1998, Reggae Sunsplash, the predecessor to Reggae Sumfest, added a Gospel Night which had the biggest turnout during the week of that festival back then.

In an article that year published in The Herald, titled Reggae gets a righteous new message: Gospel message blends with sound of the streets, writer Fernando Gonzalez had noted that then chairman and CEO of Reggae Sunsplash, Raphael “Rae” Barrett, had seen  “gospel as a natural extension of the reggae tradition”.

Barrett had said at the time that Reggae Gospel night that year was “the liveliest audience of the entire four nights”.

“We had over 10,000 people and the show ran over three hours. People wouldn’t leave,” he had said at the time.

Barrett had also said that when he initially announced that dedicating a night at Sunsplash to reggae gospel, his actions were questioned by both Christians and Rastafarians.

“The Christian side was saying, ‘Hold on a minute — Reggae Sunsplash is associated with Rastafarianism, Bob Marley. What are you doing?’ Then you had Rastafarians saying, ‘You are polluting our music, bringing this kind of thing over.’ ”

The biggest Gospel Reggae group in Jamaica the Grace Thrillers, began experimenting with reggae until 1983 and released album featuring reggae gospel, He’s Alive, was released in 1987, which was a staple in dances and elsewhere.  However, the group said they were initially castigated by Christians, talk shows and newspapers at the time.

Today Gospel Reggae/Dancehall is mainstream with converted high-profile one-time secular artistes such as Papa San, Lt Stitchie, Goddy Goddy, Prodigal Son, DJ Nicholas as well as Chevelle Franklyn, Crissy D and Sasha credited with raising the genre’s visibility.

Among the plethora of other big Reggae gospel show-pullers are Judith Gayle, Grace Thrillers, Marva Providence, George Nooks and Kukudoo.