Queen Ifrica Confirms Split From Tony Rebel After 23 Years Together
After 23 years together, Reggae singers Tony Rebel and Queen Ifrica split over one year ago. The powerhouse couple had always tried to keep details of their relationship from the media, but Ifrica confirmed the news on TikTok on Saturday.
“One year and six months now mi not together with him and they would have loved to see me spiraling on here,” Ifrica said. “They would have loved to see me come out bawling ‘domestic violence.’”
Recently, Minister Marion Hall said she used to check on Ifrica when they were neighbours, claiming the Times Like These singer was in an abusive relationship. Ifrica responded by saying she’d endured a lot behind closed doors, but was saving her story as a testimony for people to see that you can rise above any circumstance.
During Saturday’s stream, Ifrica reiterated that she’s still not ready to open up about the alleged ordeal.
“We a go deal with the domestic violence side when dah part deh come because some of we did haffi survive fi can tell the tale…” she said. “One of the woman dem did haffi come tell the tale without hatred. One of we, as black women, had to come stand up and say, ‘Yes, I’m coming from a very dark place, but I’m coming with a light, so, that I can show you how to walk through those dark places.’”
As for why she called it quits with the man she co-organised Rebel Salute with for many years, she said, “Him never waan unite inna him family; him never waan bring him family together but him know weh fi do fi bring people fi come mek money dung a Salute.”
The disharmony in Rebel’s family has unraveled on social media in recent years with his daughter Davianah first hurling physical abuse claims at him in 2019, also painting Ifrica as a hypocrite.
Rebel never confirmed the claims, telling The STAR in 2021 that he and his daughter were on good terms.
The break-up announcement follows weeks of Ifrica using TikTok to promote unity among Jamaicans and in the local music industry, ruffling feathers along the way. The context for the sharing of her current relationship status was to urge Jamaicans to stand up for their rights, come what may.
“When mi did a walk outta Tony Rebel house, mi never a worry bout weh mi a left behind,” she said. “Mi walk weh lef everything and put it in front of the Almighty creator.”
Desiring healing for the nation, Ifrica paralleled the alleged abuse she endured to her belief that Jamaicans are being battered into submission and silence by government systems.
“Dem use domestic violence fi keep down Jamaican people, so, mi realise seh that a weapon weh dem use ‘gainst Jamaican woman, so, mi siddung inna it and tek it fi understand it. So, when mi a go talk pon domestic violence, nobody cya tell me nothing because mi know bout the whole a it and wah cause it and how it can break down and how we can fix we family dem and how we can get back love inna we family without killing each other.”
“That mean fi seh if yuh work, work, work and it nah work out, cut and cut with yuh sanity. Cut with your life. Cut with your joy. Cut with your peace. Cut with who you are – a whole person despite all the difficulties that you go through,” she continued.
Ifrica’s revitalized presence on social media comes following an almost three-year hiatus.