Barbadian entertainer Lil Rick has broken his silence about his involvement in the controversial Trojan Riddim video.
The recent viral music video featuring Lil Rick and Peter Ram drew public outrage and condemnation, with some blasting the video they view as an apparent local copycat of gangster rap styles in Jamaican dancehall and American hip-hop.
While the video contains violent and obscene language and images of guns, it is the declaration of death on informants and the glorification of guns and gun violence in a supposed war that gripped the attention of viewers.
In the opening, Lil Rick sings: “Shoot straight like Messi from Argentina, with a big f**** gun singing sweet like Selena. Gunshot clap out and skin you out like Sabrina ’cause you like to inform and run chat pon social media.”
In a statement posted on social media on Thursday, June 3, Lil Rick stated that he is totally against crime and violence, and it was never his intention to promote or incite violence in any way.
Lil Rick stated that Soca has allowed him to rise to national prominence, but even in the Soca arena he has always tried to remain true to himself and has tried to reflect on what is happening in Barbadian society, through the use of Barbadian dialect, or through the release of music which appeals to different demographics.
The entertainer further stated that how he expresses himself may not always sit well with some but it often tells a story of the realities of everyday life for some segments of society.
The video has received widespread condemnation from all sides of the political divide, the church, fellow artists and members of the public.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley has strongly condemned the Trojan Riddim Barbados Dancehall Mix. In a statement, Mottley said she could not stay silent,” I am horrified by the video and I am personally disappointed in the artistes who have not recognized that there is an obligation on their part to accept that to whom much is given much is expected.
