“Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight” may work for Christians, but not all people are accepting of others regardless of their skin colour. This is true in the case of dancehall artiste Spice, who shocked the world on October 22 when she posted an image of herself on Instagram with a fairer complexion. The image accompanied a new song titled Black Hypocrisy, which describes the colorism she has faced throughout her career. The photo was met with mixed reactions as some users accused the deejay of skin bleaching, while others lauded Spice for making a statement with the “new look”.
The track is part of Spice’s upcoming EP titled Captured to be released on November 2. On Black Hypocrisy, Spice recites the words of blogger Esther Rowe who said in a 2016 blog post the deejay was “black to the point where she looked dirty”. Though Rowe has since apologised for her comments, Spice is still posting images and videos with the lighter complexion, leaving fans to question if she has actually bleached her skin or if cosmetics is behind the “light-skinned” Grace Hamilton.
Social media experts like Dennis Brooks have lauded Spice for executing a brilliant plan that has not only sparked awareness about colorism, but also increased her fan base (Entertainment Report). I may be the black bird on the block as I refuse to commend Spice for this act…at least not yet.
BIGGER PICTURE
Spice rose to international prominence in 2009 when she collaborated with Vybz Kartel on the song Romping Shop. She is known for raunchy stage performances likewise songs including So Mi Like It, Jim Screechie, Needle Eye and Gum. Similar to her forerunner Lady Saw (now Minister Marion Hall), Spice has dabbled in a few conscious-themed songs like Beauty and the Brain and No Worries, but it is undeniable that her signature brand is “all things sex”.
I commend Spice for penning a track that speaks out against discrimination faced by women of colour, the message is indeed relevant today. However, I cannot help but wonder how well the song will complement the other singles on the EP if they are sexual in nature.
Prior to the song’s release, Spice deleted all content from her Instagram page, later explaining this was done to attract attention to her Captured EP. The deleted content included millions of likes and views of her performances, family photos and photos with other international celebrities. Additionally, Spice was the first female dancehall artiste to gain one million Instagram followers earlier this year, so it is safe to say she has a wide range of people who anticipate her content. In my view, if you are going to remove more than one thousand videos and images which have garnered a lot of “likes”, there must be a greater plan behind the stunt. Quite frankly, I am expecting a campaign against colorism, merchandise denoting an end to discrimination, several press runs and appearances – the works! Instead, Black Hypocrisy is just a song that will fade into the background in a month or two as there is no real depth behind its promotion nor a serious discussion about the subject matter that birthed the song in the first place.
Certainly the photo gained international traction. International media like The Wendy Williams Show, TMZ and Hot 97 reported on Spice. Additionally, Black Hypocrisy soared to number one on the Itunes Reggae chart in less than 72 hours. But when the dust settles, and the buzz is gone, the “so what?” question frequently asked by journalism editors will come to mind. What would have been the lasting impact on society and even the world that this “stunt” would have left? It is for that reason why I am unable to give Spice any “ratings” for the move.
DEJA VU
Spice is not the only entertainer who has employed stunts to reap attention. Deejay Alkaline rose to prominence in 2013 not for his music, but for claiming he had tattooed his pupils. The entertainer received attention indeed, as media like Entertainment Report and Onstage swarmed him for interviewes while the public questioned the authenticity of his claim. Eventually the interest in uncovering whether Alkaline was being truthful diluted and one day he just appeared in public with regular sized pupils and everyone went on with their day. Yes, there was initial interest in finding out what was the truth and Alkaline was the man of the moment, but after a while, no one cared and he was left to use his talent to earn people’s attention and favour. For an entertainer of her calibre, Spice does not lack favour nor attention. She stands tall as one of the most popular Jamaican entertainers today and therefore did not need a stunt, gimmick or ploy to generate interest or attention for a project. Clearly this was nothing deeper than a project as there seems to have been little thought put into keeping the conversation of eradicating colorism alive. But the deed has been done, and we can only wait to see what lasting impact or lack thereof the industry chess move will make.
Kohntext 