5 Questions With Spice

In 2018, dancehall artiste and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star, Spice, made a bold statement with the song Black Hypocrisy, in which she focused dramatically on the vexing issue of colourism. Spice, whose complexion is luscious, dark chocolate, scrubbed her Instagram clean and also the melanin out of her skin as a ruse and debuted pictures of herself with a totally different skin tone skin and long blonde hair.

She struck a chord that reverberated, and the theatrics propelled the song, and even Spice landed on the ‘Hop Topics’ section of the popular The Wendy Williams Show. “I had a dream that one day black women will start supporting each other rather than bashing each other ... I’m black without apology ... I get hate from my own race, yes that’s a fact/Cause the same black people say I’m too black,” were some of the takeaways from Black Hypocrisy.

In 2021, with the release of her debut, Grammy-nominated album 10, the Dancehall Queen is back on the stage with fierce activism – and this time around, she has a young collaborator, her son Nicho. The duo’s narrative in the song titled Po-Po is social awareness, specifically the relationship between the police and black males in the great big US of A. The message is simple: black lives matter.

“The song expresses a mother’s protection of her male child and the youth’s fear of being stopped by police. Nicho, a 14-year-old black youth living in Atlanta, GA, had to be taught about dos and don’ts of what to do if stopped by the police. Spice took the precautionary measure with her son to keep him safe,” a release stated.

The music video for Po-Po was released last Friday and, up to press time, was trending at number nine. Shot on location in Atlanta, the music video is a co-collaboration between Jay Budd Media and director Jay Will.

Despite her hectic schedule, Spice made the time for a quick chat with 5 Questions With… about Nicho and Po-Po.

 

 

1. What was it like working on a song and video with your son?

It was a great experience. It was nice to see how serious he is about music and about this topic – black lives matter. He is a youth living in Atlanta, and he had to adjust.

 

2. Whose idea was it?

This was Nicho’s idea. He felt it important to share his view as a young teenager living in America.

 

3. Quite a few entertainers’ children have followed in their footsteps — would you be happy if Nicho chose music as a career path?

At first, I was very hesitant about him following in my footsteps because I have been through so much in the music business, and I didn’t want him to go through the same things I did. When I saw that he was serious about music, I had no choice but to support him.

 

4. This song is clearly a reflection of what is happening now, and again we see Spice tackling society’s ills head-on. Can we expect more of this from you?

Yes! I will always use my platform to highlight and provoke change on matters that are not just.

 

5. When you posted a clip of this video on social media, it stirred debate because people thought it was real. Has your son ever experienced anything like this in real life?

I understand the stir we created, and thank God he has not experienced this. Art reflects life, and we wanted to show what has happened to so many people that has not been reported in the news.

 

BRAWTA: Would you say that 2021 was an exceptional year for Spice and Grace Hamilton?

Yes, it has been. From appearing on national TV in America ( Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel, Wendy Williams) to being on TV in Britain ( Good Morning Britain) to my Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album, my family, success in business – it has been a great year, and I know 2022 will be even better!

 

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com