Spice, Shaggy, Tarrus Riley, and Jada Kingdom are among several dancehall celebrities bringing awareness to the devastation in Haiti.
Local and international celebrities are coming forward to express sadness at the unfortunate devastation currently taking place in Haiti. On Saturday morning (August 14), the French-speaking island and other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica and Puerto Rico, experienced a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
While Jamaica has been spared with no real damage done, videos emerging on social media show buildings collapsing into rubble and major flooding in Haiti. The latest reports are that at least 227 people have been killed, and hundreds are reportedly injured or missing.
As Haiti trends on social media, celebrities are using their platforms to share their prayers and thoughts.
Dancehall star Shaggy took to Instagram to post a fist painted with the Haitian colors and their flag plastered in the middle. He captioned the post, “Prayers for Haiti!! [praying emoji].”
The Queen of Dancehall, Spice, who dropped the music video for her single “Send It Up” today, took to her Instagram and shared some kind words to the neighboring island.
“Haiti I love you, my prayers are with you. Be strong you got this, the bounce back will be greater in Jesus name,” she encouraged.
A heartbroken Jada Kingdom appeared to still be in shock this afternoon when she posted, “No no no no no!!! #PRAYFORHAITI [sad face emojis][heartbreak emojis].”
One of the first celebrities to post about the tremor was reggae legend, Tarrus Riley. The “She’s Royal” singer took to Instagram to share his experience of the earthquake in Jamaica, unaware at the time that Haiti was suffering severe consequences. “LIFE IS REAL AND MOTHER NATURE IS NO JOKE. EARTHQUAKE IN JAMAICA. WHO FELT IT KNOWS IT. No 1 knws if Tomorrow LiveInnaLoveToday,” he wrote. He added in the caption, “I thought I was dizzy or just needed more sleep. Earthquake inna Jamrock.”
One follower informed the singer of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. He responded, “Im seeing that on the news Now…..JahJah praying for [Haiti] n everyone everywhere affected.”
Tarrus later posted an independent comment reiterating his statement. “Life is Real Af…..JahGuide n Protect us all,” he added.
On the international scene, Cardi B has also expressed her sadness at the situation.
The rapper, whose parents are from the Caribbean, wrote on Twitter, “I got a soft spot for Haiti and it’s people. I pray for Haiti they go thru soo much. God please cover that land and it’s people.”
Fellow rappers Rich The Kid and T.I. also posted a similar message requesting prayer for the nation. Rich The Kid added in his post, “WHOEVER IS WILLING TO HELP CONTACT ME NOW!! WE CAN’T STAND TO WATCH THIS HAPPEN!! NO FOOD!! NO WATER!! NO HOMES ALL AFFECTED FROM THE EARTHQUAKES.”
The Haitian Government has requested assistance from neighboring countries and declared a month-long state of emergency, as they once again experience these difficult times.
The disaster-prone Caribbean island is still recovering from the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Haiti.
