Tony Rebel pledges that he will be a mentor to Skillibeng, and he will influence him to promote more positive messages in his music.
The reggae veteran posted a picture of himself and the Crocodile Teeth artiste on Instagram with the caption, “Buck one a the youth from the future!! @skillibeng gwaan do you thing, Your meditation on the right channel Much blessings Jah son!! It’s in your hands so hold firm.”
Many of his fans disagreed with his sentiments and found it to be ironic. Skillibeng‘s songs are usually centered around guns, violence, and women, which is a complete contrast to the positive influence of Rebel’s music. His fans were a bit shocked, to say the least, that he would refer to him as ‘the future.’
“Too much gun talk… Is that the only thing we can offer our future?” said one fan. He replied to this comment with, “I know all you are saying, and I’ll make sure I speak to him and share some of my experiences with him he looks willing too !! ( There are so much bad in the best of us. So much good in the worst of us, That It should not become any of us to condemn the rest of us ) Jah live.”
Another critic commented, “Pure f—ry him sing a hope u encourage him to sing good songs and open up the youths them eyes.”
There is no denying the talent of Skillibeng. He is an amazing deejay that has rightfully earned accolades in his short music career. However, these comments point to a persistent problem that can be seen in many new artistes’ music, and that is that most of their songs are centered around guns and violence.
On the other hand, it can be seen as hypocritical for Tony Rebel to stand up as a role model for the Dancehall star while his daughter, Davianah, is facing so many challenges in her life that have been brought forward to the eyes of public media.
Davianah stated multiple times that she was abused by her parents, and despite her clearing the air in an interview, her online suicide warning raised a lot of concerns about her mental health as she cries for help. The recent video was later taken down, and soon after, her management made it clear that she was alive.
Tony Rebel, at the time of the incident, made a statement to The Star about the matter in an effort to clear his name. “Mi nuh waan do nuh interview bout har because mi nuh know weh fi tell yuh. Yuh haffi find her and find out. Please call her,” he stated.
Rebel also added that he is willing to do everything he can to help his daughter. The reggae icon’s message to Davianah is simply to “Try and get yourself together.”
Fortunately, on the 15th, she decided to make a police report on the incident and posted a picture of the receipt. She told The Observer Online, “It was a very professional experience this time, and I must applaud the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) on how professional, victim-centered and smooth the process was this time; my trauma was not trivialized. I just wanted to feel that the system worked for someone like me. I really want to break out of this cycle of abuse, and this is the first step in that direction.”
Fans are ecstatic to see her take a stand against her abuser and patiently wait for any news on the matter and for her latest EP to be released.
With all these things happening, it is certainly not surprising that Rebel would attempt to steer Skillibeng onto a more positive path, and for that, he should be commended.
