STAR of the Month : Tommy Lee Sparta defends Alkaline - Says artistes are unfairly targeted

Dancehall artiste Tommy Lee Sparta believes artistes are unfairly targeted by the police. According to the deejay, he is often treated like a criminal even though he has had no previous run-ins with the law before he became a recording artiste.

"Look pon Alkaline, dem man deh a go school from them little, and now, all of a sudden, a bare badness Alkaline name a call up inna. Just imagine that. All of a sudden? And when the man did a suffer him never bad? But now when him successful, a now him a go bad and life nice now? The system just love the foolishness," he said.

Tommy Lee Sparta said he believes the allegations being propagated against Alkaline are just another ploy by the police to use recording artistes as scapegoats.

"Mi nuh know how dem fight mi so, and yuh can't judge me off a mi songs. Yuh ever hear seh Tommy Lee do nothing negative to nobody? Even when I was suffering in the ghetto, yuh never hear my name call on no badness. Now all of a sudden, as mi turn artiste, dem a seh mi a bad man," he said.

MURDER INVESTIGATION

In February, Alkaline spent five days in police custody after turning himself in to investigators who were probing the murder of Rohan Morris, who was killed in Maverley, St Andrew, on January 13. He was eventually released after his lawyer, Peter Champagnie, made an application in court that his client be charged or released. No charges were laid against the artiste.

But based on his personal experiences, Tommy Lee Sparta said he is not one to jump to conclusions when the name of an artiste is mentioned in controversy.

"Mi nuh support them thing deh wid no artistes, because I know that more time dem set up artiste. Dem pressure mi wicked and ban mi show dem. Music is just fun and joy, and you can't be offended by words. Mi nah judge no artiste," he said.