Tanya Stephens backs Spice as Dancehall Queen

The drama that unfolded between Dancehall King Beenie Man and the 'Queen elect', Spice, was one of the biggest local entertainment stories last week.

With the incident still fresh in the minds of many Jamaicans, it was one of the topics discussed by Tanya Stephens at the Macau Restaurant and Gaming Lounge on Thursday night.

The entertainer endorsed Spice as the new Queen of Dancehall as she reviewed the happenings from last week.

The straight-talking entertainer, who has become known for her unapologetic and unfiltered nature, said that having heard the uproar about who deserves the title of King and Queen of Dancehall, she refrained from commenting until now as the matter, in her opinion, is trivial. Stephens said she doesn't particularly care about titles, but if anyone deserves to be called Queen, it is Spice.

"She is working. There is something about us as a society that is really sickening. We don't have the capacity to acknowledge another person's presence," she said to deafening screams from patrons who seemingly agreed.

"When me deh pan the road, me nuh see no other artiste, enuh. Me just a do weh me a do. Unuh not even know say me a do nothing, but me nuh care. So does it really matter to anybody if Spice a Dancehall Queen? Make the woman just be Queen nuh. Why she can't be Queen? Congratulations to Spice cause the girl a work," she added.

EXPERIENCE

Stephens went on to explain that having travelled the world as an entertainer and experienced how the industry works outside of Jamaica, it is her wish that every artiste gets to have those experiences as well.

The singer pointed out that if every artiste had the opportunity to experience the world and how the industry operates globally, there would be less time to be concerned about titles and who deserves them.

"Me inna me 40s and semi-retired. Me used to work seven days a week. Me know what it is when yuh have two shows inna one day open one and close the next one," she said. "When you have experienced those things as an artiste, you want other people to experience that. Me want Spice fi make money, and so me nah go challenge dat. If she wah be Dancehall Queen, she can be it. A nuh nothing. The business belongs to all of us."

Stephens then encouraged aspiring artistes to make moves to jump-start their careers, stating that the business could use some new faces and fresh talent.

On Thursday night, Stephens was the featured performer at the Appleton Signature Nights series. With more than a year since her last performance on local soil, the entertainer satisfied the undeniable hunger of the fans who braved the rains to catch her in action. The lyrically potent singer delivered hit after hit, totally captivating the crowd for a set that lasted more than two hours.