St James police will not green light shows featuring ‘Lick dung police a grung’ artiste
MONTEGO BAY, St James — The police in St James will no longer approve events that include a performance by trap-dancehall artiste Eddy G Bomba, known for a song that seemingly glorifies motorists mowing down cops holding speed guns.
Police chief for the parish, Superintendent Eron Samuels told the media of the decision on Tuesday, after a visit to offer condolence to the relatives of Police Constable Linroy Codner. The constable died in hospital Sunday morning, 16 days after a motorist allegedly reversed then deliberately slammed into him and he fell several feet over a precipice before landing in a crumpled heap.
On Tuesday, Samuels told journalists it would be distaseful for the police to show any form of approval for the Eddy G song which describes similarities to the way in which the constable lost his life. The viral hit No Cap has a line that says “betta move yuh speeda gun, the beast a cum, mi wi lick dung police a grung”.
“I personally will not approve of that artiste performing anywhere in St James, I can tell you that much,” said the senior cop.
“Because the emotions that will be evoked by police officers, I don’t think it will be right for us losing a member in such a manner and giving support to that kind of song. I don’t think it would be wise, based on the impact on the St James society as a whole who are mourning the loss of a police officer in that manner,” he added.
The lawman spoke of how music can influence behaviour, especially in an era of such heavy reliance on social media.
“This particular song, based especially on comments that you are seeing [under online posts], is changing how persons view police officers doing their lawful duty,” he said.
Samuels made clear his disdain for the Eddy G song.
“This particular song, whilst I am for freedom of speech, sometimes not all rubbish should be free and so there are things that sometimes we have to censor,” he said.
“The age of social media makes it harder for you to ban these things but what I am calling on is the average, sensible, law-abiding Jamaican to understand right from wrong and to ensure they work with the police,” the superintendent appealed.
The song has racked up more than a million views on the streaming platform, YouTube. It has also become the soundtrack for games and memes making the rounds on Tik Tok. No Cap began gaining popularity in August after a cop was hit by a motorist in St Andrew. It again became a topic of discussion in October when Codner was hospitalised.
However, according to Eddy G, the song is his way of warning police to stay safe as they try to nab speeding motorists.
“It is a safety precaution because the man them just jump out like them don’t have any sense more while,” he told podcaster Jai Frasson earlier this year.
Superintendent Samuels has warned individuals who mimic the actions referenced in the song that they will be punished.
“They ought to understand that when they go outside of this realm there are consequences, as we will see especially with [Codner’s] case,” Samuels said.
