Nicki Minaj's mom stages Brooklyn concert - With hopes of bringing awareness to domestic violence
Published:Thursday | October 5, 2017 | 12:00 AMDave Rodney
In the fast-paced entertainment world of flashy concert venues, first-class travel and plush de luxe hotel suites, few music fans were aware that Caribbean celebrity mom Carol Maraj, the mother of hip hop superstar Nicki Minaj, was the victim of sustained domestic violence for several years. The youthful and vivacious Trinidadian native from Port of Spain, and New York City resident, was forced to devise a strategy to flee from the father of her three children, who made repeated attempts on her life.
RAISING AWARENESS
Aided by her spirituality and the support of friends, church and prayer, she is now a proud survivor of domestic violence. She is also a singer and a philanthropist, and on October 29, she will host a Brooklyn concert called Repairing The Bridge, that will seek to bring awareness to the ugly and troublesome issue of domestic violence.
Through her foundation, the Carol Maraj Foundation, the celebrity mom, who has lived in the United States for some 27 years, has invited a number of prominent artistes, including R&B and gospel sensation Melba Moore, soca icon Sparrow, and reggae hitmaker Rayvon, among others, to perform for the empowerment of those who have been abused all over the world through domestic violence. Soca stars Lyrical and Francine have also been added to the line-up.
The Sunday concert takes place at Roulette Intermedium, 509 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Fans are already looking forward to Melba Moore's musical versatility on such hits as You Stepped into My Life, Loves Coming At Ya and Pick Me Up I'll Dance. And from the Mighty Sparrow, classics like Mr Walker, Saltfish, Obeah Wedding and How You Jammin' So, are bound to take music lovers on a trip down memory lane.
"I want to empower other women to escape abuse, to take a different direction, to survive and flourish as I have," Carol Maraj told The Gleaner. "My life is worth a lot more than being a beating stick, so I had to start loving myself, and that is a part of the message that I would love to share with others," the domestic abuse survivor added.