Successful Reggae touring artiste Chuck Fenda is urging the reggae and dancehall community to unite to combat the fight he believes Jamaican music is facing worldwide. The artiste, one of the few currently able to tour in North America, believes that if artistes, promoters and fans alike work together then there would be less negative verbiage attached to the industry on an international scale.
“Reggae is under attack out there on many levels and we as the Reggae Dancehall industry need to start taking it seriously. Artistes need to take responsibility for what they are feeding fans and fans need to behave better at events so that we can get to entertain them regularly,” Chuck Fenda noted
The admonition came in the middle of the Reggae Ambassador’s immensely successful North American tour for his upcoming ‘Eternal Fire’ album. Fenda’s Canadian performance was shut down based on incidents at other recent Caribbean events in Toronto the weeks prior to his own appearance in the city.
“I was backstage hours prior to my set and the Canadian authorities came to inform me that they were shutting down the event, not because any incident on location but because there were issues at previous events with Dancehall and Reggae acts. They told me they were under instruction to shut down everything with Jamaican performers, this is what we have to face every day we are out there. Things like these affect the artistes, the promoters and the fans who leave angry and disappointed,” Fenda added
The highly respected reggae pioneer wants to be able to perform for his fans worldwide without issues, as Fenda believes there are a lot more issues at Reggae and Dancehall events internationally compared to their Soca and Afrobeat counterparts.
“Reggae acts are getting a fight, while we are out there carrying the banner of righteousness, positivity, peace and blazing a fire against iniquity we shouldn’t be seen as troublemakers because of certain actions. Already there are too few of us out there carrying that torch and holding Reggae brand high,” Fenda added
Chuck Fenda and his sold out Eternal Fire tour blazes through Texas, Chicago, New York, Boston and Florida and should extend into October of this year. The Eternal Fire Album produced by Chuck Fenda and Fire Wayne from Echo 1 Productions should be officially released this Fall.
Janice Young | PR Director/Event Coordinator/ Advertising Consultant
