Kiprich’s Portmore Airbnb Burglarized Of Jewelry, Thousands Of US Dollars
Dancehall artist Kiprich was the victim of a robbery for the second time in only eight years, losing a prized Rolex watch and other jewelry worth in the region of US$ 39,000 and cash amounting to US$13,000.
“It shake me up because mi never drive a car that people know. Mi just come inna the island fi do some work,” Kiprich, who resides overseas, told DancehallMag.
The burglary happened during his stay at an Airbnb in Portmore Country Club II on Saturday morning.
He made the report at the Divisionional Headquarters of the St. Catherine South Division, which is known as the ‘Hundred Man’ station that same day.
The police have footage of the main suspect in the robbery, Kiprich confirmed.
The artist is presently on the island working on a project with a fellow artist and decided to rent an Airbnb unit in the Portmore Country Club II community.
“So I was there holding a vibes with Piranha (a fellow entertainer), food ah cook and ting and we de de a hold a vibes. My phone was dying, so I went over to my place where I was staying to get a charger, but when mi go round there, the door open,” he said.
Immediately, the entertainer put his guard up.
“Mi wonder same time how the door open? Yu done know, my vigilance kicked in at the same time because I never left it open, and when mi step in, mi things dem tun over,” he said.
Kiprich immediately went to the security guards and reported that he had been robbed. They made an alarm and discovered that the miscreants had gained entry to the unit by forcing open a kitchen window.
“Eventually one of the security guards had said that they saw a man come to the front and when they asked what he was going there, he admitted that he had ‘jumped the fence and was trying to find his way out’. They never held him but he had my Gucci belt in his hand, and was playing with it, so as not to seem suspicious or anything like ah fi him belt,” Kiprich said.
Kiprich, whose real name is Marlon Plunkett, said the lax security arrangements at the facility allowed the man to escape.
“De security never press the panic button, dem not even search him, the man even had on my Burberry glasses on his shirt….the same one I wore in my Woman Protest video,” he said.
This is the second time that the artist, who celebrated his 44th birthday on March 2, has been robbed in the last eight years.
On that occasion, the artist’s helper had engineered a robbery, absconding with a jewellery chest loaded with fancy baubles, chains and rings worth almost J$7 million at the time in December 2014.
“At that time, the helper took a Presidential Rolex (watch) that was in the chest, and m buy back another one. Now mi lose mi tu-tone Rolex , it gone again, ah US$25,000 for it,” he lamented.
Born in Linstead, St Catherine, Kiprich was raised in Waterhouse, Kingston. He attended Ardenne High, and began to visit studios while he was still a student. He got his big break in 1999 with his hit Leggo Di Bwoy, a collaboration with Chino. In 2003, he wrote the lyrics for Elephant Man’s Jook Gal, whose remix with hip hop mega-star Twista entered the Billboard charts that same year.
He is known for the songs The Letter, Telephone Ting, Mad Sick Head Nuh Good with Predator. He scored a hit last year with Gallis Astrology with D’yani, which racked up over 1 million views on Youtube. One of his latest singles is Woman Protest on the Green Dot riddim.
Kiprich said he had planned to shoot four music videos while he was on the island for his latest singles including Assurance, Signs and Mad Already, featuring long-time collaborator Preditor.
“This robbery come in like the lyrics in Signs, this ah something mi never expect,” he said.
Correction: This article previously reported that Kiprich’s home was robbed. He does not live in Jamaica.