Popular deejay Moses 'Beenie Man' Davis left the island for a 22-show European tour yesterday. However, not before he and selector Rolexx were charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

The Hunts Bay police charged the men following Saturday's altercation with LA Lewis, who reported to the Duhaney Park police that he was attacked and punched in the mouth. The two were involved in an accident in which Beenie's Audi was damaged.

The incident reportedly occurred along Perkins Boulevard, St Andrew, following the funeral service for slain Voicemail member Oneil Edwards.

station bail

Police said Beenie Man turned himself in about 8 a.m. and was later granted $100,000 station bail after being interviewed and charged. Beenie Man will break from the tour to attend court.

"I made an application for bail for both of them and was successful. Superintendent Hewitt and Deputy Superintendent Malcolm of the Hunts Bay police were extremely cooperative," attorney-at-law Charles Ganga-Singh, who represents Beenie Man and Rolexx told THE STAR.

Beenie Man, the Grammy-winning artiste, was not his usual outspoken self yesterday as he decided to hide from the media.

While THE STAR team awaited him to exit the Hunts Bay Police Station, he somehow managed to get into a waiting Toyota Coaster undetected. People in his entourage waved and laughed as he was whisked away.

"Unnu get weh unnu come fah eeeh," a woman claiming to be a relative of Beenie Man jokingly said.

Entertainer Buju Banton, who has been in a Florida jail awaiting trial on drug charges since last December, will have to wait a bit longer to know his fate.

The trial was again rescheduled on Friday, this time to September.

According to the Tampa Tribune newspaper, district judge James Moody moved the trial without giving a reason. The new development reportedly angered Banton’s attorney David Markus who argued that the latest date change is costly for the defence which will have to re-arrange travel plans for witnesses.

Markus also said the date change violates the Speedy Trial Act which requires a defendant’s trial to start within 70 days of them being arrested.

Objections overruled

Moody overruled Markus’ objections.

This is the third time the trial has been rescheduled. It was originally set for April 19 but two weeks before the start, Moody set it back to June 21.

The Tribune reported that a new date will be set in August.

Moody’s surprise switch is another setback for Banton and his legal team which is led by Markus, a high-profile Miami lawyer. In March, Markus lobbied for Banton to be removed to a facility where conditions are more suitable to his Rastafarian diet. That request was denied.

Banton has been incarcerated since his arrest by Federal agents inMiami on December 10. He and two other men were charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine, and face lengthy prison sentences.

The entertainer and his attorney have challenged the agents’ story, saying he was set up.

Banton (Mark Myrie) is best known for songs like Browning, Deportee and Driver. His 1995 album, Til Shiloh, is regarded as one of the great reggae albums.

He has had several clashes with gay rights groups in the United States and Europe, largely over his 1993 song Boom Bye Bye. Last year, his Rasta Got Soul tour of the US was marred by protests from gay activists.

IGYPTIAN’S CAREER RESURRECTED BY HOLD YUH  IT’S been five years since he shot onto the musical radar with the chart-topping and thought-provoking single Serious Times. Since then he has racked up a handful of minor hits including Mama Don’t Cry, I Can Feel Your Pain and Beautiful Lady.

Now singer Gyptian and record label VP Records have thrown their muscle behind his latest hit Hold Yuh, which is currently heating up crossover radio stations stateside.

Hold Yuh, which was recorded two years ago, was produced by Ricky Blaze. “Hold Yuh is more like a vibes song. Is a natural reggae song that combines a mixture of everything,” Gyptian said in an interview on the set of the video shoot for the single.

Hold Yuh is already in the top five on influential urban radio station Hot 97 FM’s playlist. According to Cristy Barber, vice president for Marketing and Promotions at VP Records, the radio story for Hold Yuh has just begun. “The digital single is number two on I-tunes and the track is getting a lot of attention at crossover radio in America right now. It’s a simple reggae song with that crossover vibe to it and we’re getting the video done to capitalise on the potential of the song.”

Not much has been heard of Gyptian in recent times; however, he remains quite active performing overseas at regular intervals as well as recording for various producers.

Asked whether he was surprised at the reception that Hold Yuh has been receiving stateside, Gyptian said, “My song dem always a tek off outside of Jamaica before getting any attention in Jamaica. So it’s not a surprise to me really.”

SUMMERFEST Productions, the organisers of Reggae Sumfest, has named R&B star Chris Brown as one of the foreign acts on the line-up for this year's festival.

In a press release, the organisers also welcomed Red Stripe who returns as main sponsor of Reggae Sumfest, after a hiatus.

The brand now joins a growing list of sponsors which includes Digicel, Iberostar, JTB, and Wisynco, for the 18th staging of the country's premier reggae festival.

Also scheduled to perform are Reggae heavyweights Shaggy, Beenie Man, Tarrus Riley and Queen Ifrica. Sumfest, which prides itself as "the greatest Reggae show on earth", kicks off with a beach party on July 18 and continues at Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, on July 22-24.

International R&B and pop star Chris Brown, emerged on the scene in 2005 and quickly rose to stardom with his self-titled debut album. With the release of Graffiti, his third album, the 20-year-old singer-songwriter enters his prime as a widely accomplished multi-platinum artiste. Chris is set to thrill the audiences and make history with his first Reggae Sumfest performance.

The release also stated that some of Jamaica's top artistes have been confirmed for the event, among them Jah Cure, Elephant Man, I-Octane, Konshens, Stacious, Chino, Tessanne Chin, Gramps Morgan and Tifa.

The words are quickly becoming the most prominent graffiti across the island. 'Gaza' and 'Gully' can be seen scribbled almost everywhere. In most garrisons they are as common as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and People's National Party (PNP) signs.

And, like the political impact, the 'Gaza/Gully' feud has the potential to be as socially and psychologically imprisoning on its followers.

The dancehall cliques are tied to the two most popular deejays - Adidja 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer (Gaza) and David 'Mavado' Brooks (Gully).

The names represent the area of their residence and home of their fan base. 'Gaza' is a section of the Waterford housing scheme in Portmore where Vybz Kartel grew up and lived for many years. 'Gully' represents the actual gully which dissects Mavado's childhood community of Cassava Piece in St Andrew.

But in the last year, they have come to mean much more. Following the highly publicised lyrical clash between Mavado and Vybz Kartel at Sting in December, a clannish divide has been created in segments of the society as fans latch on to their favourite artiste.

Other deejays and sound operators have also been choosing sides, deepening the divide and adding potency to the tense relationship between the two factions.

Anthropologist of social violence, Dr Herbert Gayle, believes that the majority of the 'Gaza' and 'Gully' supporters who use violence to show their allegiance are victims of inadequate social development.

Gayle, who lectures at the University of West Indies, Mona, told The Sunday Gleaner that this behaviour will continue until there are proper infrastructure in these rigid inner-city communities to promote social development.

"Some of these communities have no social institutions - no 4-H clubs, no craft centre, no trading centre, no nothing. So the issue with these young people is really a matter of identity," Gayle said.

"All human beings have a need to belong. The poorer you are and the scarcer the resources (such as social development centres) is the more competitive and combative the war is," he added.

Gayle opined that the dancehall feud is worse than the political one.

"There is nothing to gain physically, or nobody gets paid to be a 'Gaza' or 'Gully' supporter. It, in fact, is even worse than politics, because at least politicians would give these kids a hundred dollars and stuff," he said.