Spice Says Carnival Is A Culture Experience, Crucial To Her Mental Health

Spice might be the Queen of Dancehall, but she has recently revealed that the Carnival experience is crucial to her mental health.

Speaking to MTV for Caribbean American Heritage Month, the entertainer, whose given name is Grace Hamilton, said that the dormancy of Carnival during the pandemic had taken a toll on her. 

“…Of course, you know, my culture inna Jamaica mi love da Carnival deh because I get to be myself. I get to hear likkle Dancehall, and bruk out and gwaan real dirty. I love being on the truck and yuh hearing fast-paced rhythm; whether that be the baseline, the drum, the pattern, seeing the colourful people on the streets just enjoying themselves. I feel like it’s an experience where you get to just forget everything else that’s happening in your life and just have fun,” she reasoned. 

Added Spice: “I feel like if I’m gonna miss Carnival, I’m gonna miss a piece of me. So, when that was taken away when we were going through the pandemic, I was devastated. I couldn’t be able to see my fans, I couldn’t be able to have fun, I couldn’t get to embrace my culture…just the little things that we get to appreciate when it’s actually taken away and we realise that, ‘woah! This was really playing a big role in my life, and my lifestyle, and happiness, and my joy.’”

The Jamaica Carnival experience culminated on April 16. A handful of international celebrities such as Omarion, Chance The Rapper and Winnie Harlow turned out to enjoy the festivities across the different bands. 

Earlier in the episode, Spice noted that Carnival evokes doses of dopamine in revelers.

“Carnival, I would say, it’s the best experience being on the streets just partying, listening to music, having fun in your costume with feathers and colours, the ambiance, the vibe gyrating the waistline…” 

“I feel like Carnival fits into my personal wellness because it’s something I look forward to. It changes your mood, it changes your mindset. I feel like it definitely helps with mental health issues and getting people back into a place where they feel happy. When you get to go to Carnival, it’s just super important for you to represent the culture. So people from all over the world; whether they’re going to fly into Trinidad, Jamaica…wherever in the Caribbean that has a Carnival event. You’re going there to get a cultural experience,” the So Mi Like It singer said.

Trinidad Carnival was also a movie. Queen of Rap Nicki Minaj was live on the scene along with London deejay Skeng. During her visit to her home island, Minaj had also taken the opportunity to promote one of her latest tracks—Red Ruby Da Sleeze, which samples the renowned Diwali Riddim.

Meanwhile, Spice added that she had had loads of fun at international Carnivals and gave an anecdote about one such instance. 

“I performed at the Red Bull Carnival in the UK, and we had to shut the venue down because it was sold out. Seeing my British fans in the UK just going crazy at my performance and the energy, I was climbing up the speaker boxes and giving them the real experience,” she said.

The Go Down Deh singer also addressed the healing qualities of music and she took the opportunity to hail Bob Marley for the example he set in that arena. She also likened this to the impact that her 2018 track, Black Hypocrisy, had on her audience as she aimed to tackle colourism.

“When you speak about the Caribbean, you have to talk about Bob Marley…how he was able to heal the world and join the world together with love through his music. I remember vividly when I did Black Hypocrisy, how I was able to heal a lot of Black women who was hurt, and broken and going through colorism. They were bleaching; they were trying to become lighter. It was to create awareness through my song,” she said.

The official music video for Black Hypocrisy has reached over 6.4 million views on YouTube since its release. The entertainer has always been passionate about speaking on the matter of colorism.