Jamaican dancehall artiste Rygin King is on the road to recovery and is determined to walk again soon after a gun attack two years ago left him paralyzed.
The Montego Bay- based dancehall artiste recently shared his story about the shooting that left him paralyzed after being shot three times by men in Struie district, Westmoreland on June 28, 2020.
King who has kept a low profile since the shooting, which also left his manager’s wife dead, has finally opened up to the public. In August 2020, the artiste had refuted claims that he was paralyzed following the incident.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, King revealed his diagnosis which shocked fans on social media. The artiste shared that he has maintained a positive attitude through the whole situation.
“I know I will walk again, I know it is God’s will, a lot of youths call me to say me ah motivate dem, so mi ah hold it said way,” he said.
The artiste further explained that he’s in an unfortunate situation and it has been a rocky road.
“I don’t know anyone who is in a position like me, inna one tragic unfortunate situation like me and who hold it like how me hold it, bredda…and mi no bawl out on the internet and all now, mi no go to the press, no one don’t know what happened after Rygin King get shot because is a rocky road bredda and we still ah go through it,” he said.
The newspaper shared a photograph of King well dressed and sitting in a wheelchair. After doing multiple surgeries, the artiste finally started doing therapy a few months ago.
“Mi ah do therapy ya now, it tek a time before me even coulda start and mi ah look forward to walk again bredda and mi do believe that miracle ah go happen but ah just the conscious part of it, the positive thinking that gives me that belief. All the days of my life, I am just a positive person,” he said.
The artiste confirmed that on the fateful day of the shooting, he was shot three times and nearly died. At the time, reports are that they were returning from a funeral with his entourage when his manager’s car was involved in an accident leading them to stop in Struie district, Westmoreland. That’s when gunmen fired on the artiste who was at the height of his career.
Rygin King spoke about the mental difficulties he has faced coming to terms with the impact of the shooting and how he copes given that he is the main breadwinner for his family.
“The dawg have so much things to pree that are negative, ah me feed my family. I am the primary breadwinner for my family, from the incident, mi don’t do no stage show, and mi have three youths, two boys and one girl, but mi just focus on the positive,” he explained.
Staying positive during the whole ordeal was something that King had to not only for himself but for his family as well. The artiste revealed that the pandemic deeply affected him in terms of his social bonds and interaction with friends, but he was able to earn and pay his bills through his streaming numbers, even as the entertainment sector was closed.
“The pandemic affected me in a social way but not in a monetary way, ah the streaming mek me stand firm certain way. Memba say Rygin king inna him sick bed, mi forward September outta the hospital, the first song mi sing, mi voice ‘Plead My Cause oh Jah’, and ‘Dancehall Baddest Ting’ and a couple others. Mi voice not even de dem time de, the shot enter mi back, touch mi spine and puncture mi lungs, mi couldn’t breathe good, but because ah the determination, knowing that ah this alone mi have and that mi do to mek a living….mi have to push on, mi youths dem de round me and dem haffi eat bro G,” Rygin King said.
Since the shooting, the artiste has released several songs, including “Plead My Cause oh Jah,” “Dancehall Baddest Ting,” “Who You Doing Like That,” and others, despite the challenges of the injury that not only affected his voice but also his lung capacity.
King has almost 600,000 subscribers on his VEVO platform and 133,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Tuff is his most streamed song on Spotify with 5.7 million streams, followed by 3ZN with 3.2 million and Glu with 2.5 million streams.
King recorded two of his biggest sellers just weeks before he was injured in the gun attack. The single, No Emotions, racked up 8.5 million views on YouTube, while visuals for Glu have racked up 12 million views.
In the meantime, the artiste has also revealed that the attempt on his life has left him paranoid and that he has difficulty knowing who to trust.
“Mi forward home and mi very paranoid, mi don’t know who fi trust since me get back,” the artiste whose real name is Matthew Smith, said.
Rygin King recalled the events on the day that leading up to the shooting.
According to him, his manager Ramsay got into an accident in Struie district in Westmoreland, and he was unaware. After he was told, he reportedly turned back and met up with Ramsay and ended up talking to the woman who was involved in the accident for around 45 minutes.
The artiste upon reflecting on the day, was sorry he came out of his car. “I shouldn’t have come outta my car but mi de de with mi two youths dem, mi son and mi daughter, and my manager de de with his two daughter and him baby mother said way and another vehicle that was there with us as part of the entourage,” he said.
The singer recalled seeing a car pulling up with a lone gunman firing shots.
“Bwoy, mi not even know ah wah gwaan because the manager (Ramsay) ah look under him car. Same time, a strange car pull up and mi ah look exactly inna the people dem face but the man dem mask up,” Rygin said.
“My manager’s wife (Blackwood) was in the car, she got shot while coming out of the car. Mi never run like everybody else , mi see two man run and ray ray ray, and mi say ‘wah dis.’ Mi youth de right side ah me but when mi realize, mi inna shock but no panic, mi push down mi yute fi lay flat, he was knee high, and after mi push him down flat and try move from side ah him,” he continued.
“Mi turn my back, mi jump over a concrete drain that water run through, the jump mi jump, mi drop down de so, but mi never know to say mi get two shot and when mi drop and caan get up, mi realize mi caan get up,” Rygin King said.
The artiste said the mother of his children took him out of the ditch along with help from good Samaritans passing by.
“My baby mother Kaylia come down there for me and tek me out of the ditch. Ah Kaylia tek me outta the ditch, two of my nigga run out of the bush but dem get shot inna dem foot. Mi say help me, but dem get shot too, mi look bad down inna the drain and mi hold up mi hand and tell mi baby mother to come for me and she just tried to help me, but she couldn’t manage, and is a stranger help her tek me out of the ditch,” he recollected.
“Mi tell her say mi alright but mi know mi no alright cause mi feel sitten ah run up and down inna me. My manager couldn’t get a car to assist, his car engine nah tun over and the other car, the driver ran away and must have lost the keys in the bushes. Ramsay sat down in the middle of the road, and a man from Mobay stopped and helped us, mi don’t know him, but him keep saying ‘hold it deejay’,” he said.
King was originally admitted to the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital but was airlifted a few days later to the Falmouth Hospital. During the attack, Blackwood, who was sitting inside the vehicle with two children, died in the attack.
He returned to the music scene late last year and has continued to churn out hits such as ‘7 Fall Many Rise’ which has racked up eight million views so far.
Rygin King’s hit song ‘Tuff’ has racked up 16 million views on YouTube, while ‘How Me Grow’ has amassed 9.4 million views.
Regarded as the King of trap-dancehall, he rose to prominence with his hit single Tuff. King has since found success with a number of singles, which incorporate elements of commercial trap and R&B.
King is set to release his ten-track album on September 9 called Therapy with highly anticipated singles such as Wake Me Up, Circumstances, Broken and the title track, Therapy.
The artiste appealed for support for his upcoming album as he spoke about continuing his music journey despite not getting to tour or travel since the shooting and the pandemic.
