Bounty Killer Delighted That World Cup Champ Lionel Messi Loves Reggae
Bounty Killer is delighting in the fact that his football hero, the Argentinian legend, Lionel Messi, says he is a lover of Reggae music.
Bounty who had been rooting for Argentina during the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, shared an old video clip, titled Lionel Messi: Me gusta el Reggae, which translates to “I like Reggae”, in which Messi professes his love for the genre in an interview with Pollo Vignolo on Fox Sport Radio, back in 2019.
“Despite of his language mi baller loves reggae music 🎼🎼🎼,” the Warlord captioned the post, in which Messi explains, among other things, that Reggae brings peace and joy to his life.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmatt0jBTDo/
According to one South American publication, the Argentinian champion “has stated on several occasions that if there is one type of music that he loves and relaxes him, it is reggae because its rhythm calms and soothes him”.
Interestingly, in 2019, Argentine YouTuber, Lucas Requena had created a Reggae song from a compilation of sound bites of Lionel Messi complaining about bad refereeing, during the semi-final against Brazil in the COPA America Cup at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janerio, Brazil’s capital.
Lucas, in his musical production, had used verbatim words of the Argentine star as lyrics. The song, whose accompanying music video, went viral, was titled El Reggae de Leo Messi and comprised real interviews, the audios from which were slowed down to appear as though the Argentinian captain was singing.
The music video begins with a digitally-enhanced Messi banging away at a drum set, before showing him complaining at a post-match interview, which was edited to show late football legend Diego Maradona, providing ‘backing vocals’.
It also shows Maradona, Óscar Ruggeri, Horacio Pagani and other Argentine journalists, all claiming that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was misused and that there was poor arbitration by Ecuadorian Roddy Zambrano, who controversially denied two penalties in favour of Argentina.
“It annoys you because we made a great effort. We were playing against Brazil, which has great players,” Messi says in Spanish, adding later: “In this cup they got tired of charging hand ball, hand ball, fouls, penalties.”
In another verse, the journalists complained that:
“The VAR came to ruin football
This is the strongest proof of referee corruption
I congratulate and applaud with my heart
Messi’s statements
How are they going to rob us like this? No!
How are they going to rob us like that? No, no, no, no!”
Following the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday when Argentina triumphed over France, Bounty Killer, Popcaan and Cham had celebrated the win, with Popcaan even sporting an Argentinian jersey at the Burna Boy concert at the National stadium in Kingston later that night. The match at regulation time had ended 2-2, and at extra time ended, 3-3. At the ensuing penalty shootout, Argentina won, 4-2.
“The Greatest Done!! #DemDead,” Popcaan had captioned a post he shared on Instagram of a photo of Lionel Messi in jhis national football kit, to which Bounty had replied: “ GI DEM A FRENCH TOAST🍞🍞🍞,” then added: “To bumbo a weh dem tink dem did a run go🏃🏾♂️🏃🏾♂️🏃🏾♂️.
Reggae music has been finding favour in Argentina over the years. In 2017, Argentina’s then Ambassador to Jamaica, Ariel Fernandez, told The Gleaner that there are more than 300 bands playing popular Jamaican music in Argentina.
Jamaican artists Julian Marley, Mykal Roze along with Sly and Robbie had also headlined the first staging of the International Reggae Festival on September 2, 2017, in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires. They performed alongside Godwana, KLUB, Blackdali, Lively Songs, and DJ Nelson in front of a reported 60,000 persons.
Toots and the Maytals, Israel Vibration and The Skatalites are among the other artists who have also performed in Argentina.