Person of the Week – Stylo G
Published:Friday | September 20, 2019 | 12:21 AM
Stylo G’s summer was good. In fact, it would be fair to say that it was really good.
The recording artiste followed up his Touchdown hit with the dance-friendly Dumpling – and made several international and local appearances, including The Gleaner’s 185th festivities last week. But this happy trajectory was halted by a touchdown of a different kind, when the cops swooped down on the artiste and his friends at home. There was an intense confrontation that ended with a trip to a police station, leaked WhatsApp group chats, and accusations of classism.
On Monday afternoon, the entertainer was caught on camera having a stand-off with a group of lawmen. Based on the video, police entered a Caymanas Estate residence where the artiste and some associates were staying. The stand-off with police was apparently a long time coming, as residents were frustrated at an influx of what they consider ‘undesirables’ coming into their very ‘uptown’ Portmore community.
“This kind of gallivanting is not what we expect in this development. He needs to go back to his flat in the UK with that kinda grandstanding and drama. Yes, let us profile them and get the police to check them out,” the leaked messages from the Caymanas Estate residents’ group chat read.
But it seems the dancehall star was just the cherry on top of a pile of problems faced by members of the gated community. “One bag of man coming and going at unusual hours, men leaving in the morning and coming back late at night. The family orientation of the community is gone, and it becomes a hustle. We didn’t buy into a hustle,” said Nicholas Miller, a member of the estate’s utilities committee, the custodians of the rules and regulations. He explained that the reaction to Stylo G’s rental stems from ongoing issues residents have had with short-term rentals, Airbnb in particular.
En route to a performance in Ibiza, Spain, the dancehall artiste was dismayed at the revelation that his neighbours pointed the authorities in his direction. He said, “I’m very surprised that grown people would stoop so low; and the fact that I’m a Jamaican like them who always represent my country, it’s sad.”