With all the negative commentary aimed at the promoters for the latest staging of Sting, which is recognized as the greatest one-night dancehall and reggae show in Jamaica, it is no wonder that the event has also gained the scrutinizing attention of reputable scholars of the arts who also have much to say.
Donna P. Hope, a reggae/dancehall scholar and professor at the University of the West Indies (UWI), reprimanded the promoters and organizers of Sting, Supreme Promotions, and suggested that it was full time that the event was put to a permanent end because the show is not what it used to be.
Referring to Sting as an existential crisis, Hope said that it has lost purpose, identity, and meaning as an event, and highlighted the A’mari/Queenie clash as one of the reasons she thinks this. The Clash between the two older women has gone viral on multiple social media platforms and continues to generate momentum as the headlining act of Sting.
Along with Hope, many of the artistes that were booked to perform at Sting but did not get the chance to do so spoke up about how disorganized and unprofessional the promoters for the event were and even revealed that they did all they could, including employing the use of lawmen, to avoid paying the entertainers the prices that were asked of them.
In an interview on Onstage with Winford Willimas, Heavy D spoke about the return of Sting and how the “new show” would be geared towards showcasing the talents of the younger generation of dancehall artistes. However, most of the younger entertainers that were booked for the show were slighted performance-wise.
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Replying to Hope’s thoughts about the event, which was posted to Twitter by RJR NEWS (Radio Jamaica News), someone said, “I agree with the issues she spoke about but not the idea of killing the show all together…” while another commenter who seemed to share her views pointed out, “I second this multiple times. Invest on developing proper artist. Not everyone with internet, connection and a phone that can record is an artist…”
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