Bounty Killer says he was delayed for nine hours upon his arrival at Trinidad and Tobago’s Piarco Airport yesterday and is thanking Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness for intervening to resolve the issue and secure his entry into the country.
Despite the setback, the artist, whose real name is Rodney Price, expressed no ill feelings and said he is eager for his performance at the ‘Generations’ show tonight, which also features fellow artists Alkaline and Rygin King.
He shared a video on Instagram of himself at the airport in the twin-island republic, looking rather upbeat. “Whappen to dem? Haffi clear mi like a cargo! Wi di gyal dem a wait fi si!” Bounty says in the video as he pranced around.
“Trinidad is a hard time dem try to gi di gad 9hrs from last night dem have mi inna airport refused my entry and all that pure things but general a general di ting nuh normal thanks to the government of Jamaica @andrewholnessjm @darylvazmp all the immigrations at Piaco Airport who stayed up whole night to accommodate me @johnnykbravoofficial @bunjigarlin @fayannlyons and rest of my Trini linky dem bless up,” he noted in the caption.
An hour later, Bounty Killer posted a copy of the Trinidad government’s rejection order and mentioned that he ultimately received what he described as a “diplomatic exception.”
“See deh all rejection order did signed but with god and time it was from rejection to selection diplomatic exception🥳🥳,” he wrote.
“It’s way bigger than immigration, it’s the security minister alone could clear me. Big him up also,” he added later in response to a comment from a fan.
However, some Jamaican fans were displeased with how the situation was handled, arguing that the internationally renowned artist should not have been treated in such a manner.
“Big top OD OF JAMAICA 🇯🇲 DEM A REJECT LIKE SERIOUSLY,” one fan wrote, to which Bounty Killer resplied: “They tried but satan lied😂😃😄.”
Other commenters said they were of the view that the actions of the Trinidadian immigration officials were driven by jealousy.
“Trinidad is going overboard with this stereotype shit. We don’t do this to them or other neighboring countries. We need to call them out on this. Killa is a well-known icon, not a newbie,” commented sehfeh01.
There were also comparisons made with the royal treatment Trinidadian soca artist Machel Montano received last year in Kingston, Jamaica, where he was honored with a national award by the Ministry of Culture.
“Machel Montano got a prestigious award a yuhd last year, think him even got a key to the city dung a yuhd deh… but u know the hate is real among top officials…,” one observer said.
Another Jamaican, royjamrock, suggested that the matter of travel between the two countries should be addressed at the Prime Ministerial level.
“Andrew Holness need to have a real sit-down with the Trinidadian Government. They seem to do this to almost every Jamaican that goes through the airport. This happens way too often,” she stated.
Bounty Killer’s manager, Paul “Bankey” Giscombe, also offered words of comfort and support.
“You know what time it is my Brother just gwaan stay focused can’t keep a good man down one love every time @grunggaazilla👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏,” Bankey commented.
Bounty’s detention came days after his Dancehall compatriot Spragga Benz made a call for unrestricted travel for both Bounty Killer and Beenie Man.
On Wednesday, Spragga, in declaring Bounty Killer and Beenie Man Accompong Maroons had simultaneously urged the Canadian, British, and US embassies and the European Union to ensure they face no obstacles when travelling abroad.
The Jack It Up artist had made the call to the international diplomatic bodies via an Instagram post, a day after teh two artistes received ICONS awards from the Government of Jamaica, during the Independence Day Gala at the National Stadium in Kingston, for their outstanding contributions to Jamaican music.
He had also described them as “unique, living souls”.
