Shabba Ranks salutes DJ Roy as NY celebrates Jamaican national honor

Dancehall superstar Shabba Ranks on Sunday paid tribute to radio broadcaster Roy “DJ Roy” Walters, who was recently awarded Jamaica's Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service for his outstanding contributions to broadcasting, Jamaican music and culture, and philanthropy in the diaspora.

The Badge of Honour was presented at King's House in Kingston on National Heroes' Day.

For the celebration in Long Island, New York, Shabba came without a prepared speech. Instead, he spoke from the heart, delivering remarks filled with humor.

“God is great all the time. And you see the proof of God's greatness — DJ Roy,” Shabba declared. “Me know Roy from donkey years. Whole heap a years.”

It was one of the most touching moments of an evening hosted by Irie Jam Radio and Road International to celebrate Walters' accomplishments. The celebration was less about medals and formalities and more about friendship, loyalty and saying thank you to a man who has spent much of his life helping others.

Among those attending were Jamaica's newly appointed consul general to New York, Oliver Mair; Irie Jam executives Bobby Clarke, Louis Grant, Syn Clarke and Michael Williams; Team Jamaica Bickle CEO Irwine Clare, who served as master of ceremonies; Dahved Levy of WBLS; social media influencer Aunty Donna; Steven “Yellow” Williams of Irie Jamboree; David “Fat Forward” Warren of WB Radio; singer Marcia Aitken; and New York artist Kranium.

For Shabba, however, the evening was an opportunity to remind everyone that DJ Roy was much more than a popular radio personality. He recalled an incident years ago when Roy was promoting an event at the Q Club in Queens. Shabba was already an international star, and some people doubted that he would attend the event. But Roy knew his friend.

“Roy come, come check me and bring a Q Club T-shirt,” Shabba recalled. “I'm going to put on the Q Club T-shirt. And I'm going to snap up some picture. And promote it.”

Shabba laughed as he remembered the turnout at the event and the throngs of patrons who lined up around the building. Then his tone became more serious.

“Me is a man who carry a special love in my heart for Roy.”

He explained that their relationship had grown into something much deeper than the music business.

“Me and him go way beyond music, when it comes to family life,” he said.

Shabba also made it clear that Roy was one of the reasons he had maintained such a strong relationship with Irie Jam Radio over the years.

“Respect to Bobby and the whole crew,” he said, acknowledging the station's leadership.

“It's a reward. Because tha man here work hard,” Shabba said.

There was nothing complicated about Shabba's message. He had watched his friend work, watched him help people and watched him remain loyal to those around him. And now that Jamaica had recognized those contributions, Shabba wanted Roy to know how proud he was.

“Just stay healthy and fit. Because a whole lot more to come,” Shabba said.

It was the kind of tribute that money cannot buy.

When Roy eventually took the microphone, he seemed almost lost for words.

“I don't know where to start,” he admitted.

“We did it. Everybody in this room. Everybody that's ever listened to us on the radio. Everybody that's ever went to a party that we attend. Anybody that's ever helped us with fundraisers for Jamaica. Breast cancer awareness. We did it... You don't get these awards by yourself,” he said.

For Roy, the recognition belonged to the people who had supported him, worked alongside him, attended his events and answered the call whenever help was needed for Jamaica.

Roy was particularly emotional when he spoke about his longtime broadcasting partner, Chris “Dubmaster,” whom he credited with helping him become a better broadcaster.

“We made each other better,” Roy said.

He asked the audience to applaud his colleague, who was unable to attend.

Roy also reserved special praise for the people behind Irie Jam Radio, particularly Bobby Clarke and Louis Grant.

“They gave me a platform that I could soar,” he said.

But Roy's journey in Caribbean broadcasting began before Irie Jam. He reminded the gathering of his days with Caribbean Blend, a program that helped introduce him to a wider Caribbean audience in New York.

“They believed in me when no one believed in me,” he recalled.

There were also stories about New York's dollar-van drivers, many of whom depended on Caribbean radio in New York for information and assistance as they tried to establish themselves in the transportation business.

Those were the days when Caribbean radio was more than a place to hear the latest reggae or dancehall hit. It was where people went for information, community announcements, help finding jobs and sometimes simply to hear a familiar Jamaican voice.

Irwine Clare, the event's master of ceremonies, reminded the audience of the special relationship that develops between broadcasters and their listeners.

“People welcome us in their cars, their homes, their workplaces and their daily lives. We may never meet many of them. Yet they come to know our voice and count on our presence,” he said.

For thousands of Jamaicans who settled in New York over the past several decades, those words would have sounded familiar. Long before social media, WhatsApp and the endless choices now available online, Caribbean radio was one of the strongest links between immigrants and the country they had left behind.

“For Jamaicans overseas, radio also gives home a familiar sound,” Clare observed.

“Friends, let us give Roy his flowers while he's here to enjoy them.”

One of the more personal moments in Roy's remarks came when he recalled a difficult period when he spent an extended time in Minnesota and depended heavily on telephone conversations with those closest to him.

“When I was sick and in Minnesota, and most of you know my story, that I had to go to Minnesota for one year, I'd be on the phone with RJ (his son) till the phone dead,” Roy shared.

It was another reminder that behind the familiar radio voice is a man whose life, like everyone else's, has included challenges, difficult moments and people who helped him through them.

For DJ Roy, the microphone has opened doors, created friendships and provided opportunities to help others. And as he stood among friends in New York, accepting their applause and appreciation, it was clear that the recognition from Jamaica meant even more because he could share it with the people who had been part of the journey.