Entertainment

Nipping and tucking at 'St Bess' Splash

By MEL COOKE, Freelance Writer

Angel, the 'downtown girl living a uptown life' performs at the 'St. Bess' Splash at Font Hill Beach in St. Elizabeth on Sunday. - ian allen

western bureau

THERE WERE A couple replies to Left Side and Esco's Tuck Een Yu Belly at 'St. Bess' Splash, held at the Font Hill Beach Park, St. Elizabeth, on Sunday night.

The show was ended by the police at 3:17a.m. on Monday, after Capleton's performance, with Beenie Man and Cobra among the big names that were yet to hit the stage. The massive audience took the news of the premature end without major uproar.

Christine Hewitt, the MC who took over from the duo of Squidley and Snagga, came on stage with a twirl, her white skirt flaring. Before bringing on the performers, she addressed a few matters, among them the 'tuck een yu belly' barb thrown at large women.

"When a bway sey tuck een yu belly, tell him sey reel out di ting. Sometimes de something short, dats why dem tink de belly big," she said.

She also addressed the matter of sagging breasts, saying that men who care for the women did not matter. She said that when it was long, indicating somewhere close to her ankle, "him reel it up, reel it up, put it inna him mout' an suck it like a high grade spliff."

"Ladies, me a urge oonu fi independent. Don't depen' too much pon de man money. I cannot encourage you into the begging business," she said, going on to encourage condom use.

Captain Barkey and Wickerman also addressed the matter of belly tucking. "Me see dema tell gal fi tuck een dem belly, but four gal stifle," one of the two said.

Hewitt hosted a big belly girl dancing contest on the downside of midnight, demanding entrants who were "at least 200 pounds and belly bang". Nobody would come up at first and Hewitt started picking people out of the audience.

"Your belly big till it fol' inna two," she said to one person.

"Your belly big till it fava tarpaulin," she told another and eventually got three contestants. One hopeful was rejected because she had no belly.

The prize of a cell phone was won by a woman with her sides spreading out under her short red top, who wined and went down on her knees, facing the audience, shaking rapidly and with no care for her black underwear, which was exposed fully to a cheering audience.

'St. Bess' Splash ended prematurely at 3:17a.m. on Monday, as the police cut the sound system short after a fiery performance by Capleton in which he deejayed "... man fi get poison wid gramazone ... from dem no waan go inna Donna zone".

Response to female DJs

It was the sound systems which had provided the music for the performers, with Spice earning an encore among the ladies, Angel getting good support, Ruffian and Action K getting the 'stand and stare' treatment and Macka Diamond exiting a few seconds after impatient handclaps started from the rear.

Captain Barkey and Wickerman were among the humorous ones for the night, Beekie Bailey and Pickney the others, with Pickney's semi-screech and lyrics earning him support.

LUST's harmonies were superb, the Monster Shack Crew worked the 'do you remember remix', leaving Lexxus on stage to continue. Bling Dawg led out the Alliance, with Wayne Marshall, Jagwa and Twin of Twins performing as part of the unit. There were cheers for a dancing, smiling Bounty Killer, who did Eagle An De Hawk and It's OK.

Perfect had many pushers for the 'Handcart Boy', Fantan Mojah said he was getting a fight and had many hailing the king, but was not asked to come back after he left without doing Mama Hungry and Natural Black made a roaring return to the stage after an extended absence, the audience reacting loudly to Songs With Feeling.