ARTISTS ENCOURAGE JAMAICANS TO SUPPORT THE COUNTRY’S ATHLETES!

By Shereita Grizzle

With track and field superstar Usain Bolt calling it quits on his athletic career and with Jamaica being kept off the top spot on the podium in the 100 meters at the current IAAF World Championships, some Jamaicans have hastened to say Jamaica’s dominance on the track has come to an end.

Bolt’s bronze medal finish in the last individual race of his career, and Elaine Thompson not medalling in the women’s race stunned the nation into silence.

Macka Diamond

However, a few entertainers are encouraging Jamaicans to stand by the athletes, stating that the tides may have changed a bit but it is not the end.

Artist, producer and track and field lover, Esco, expressed that Jamaica has done extremely well in the sport over the last few years, and said fellow Jamaicans shouldn’t be quick to mark the end of the ‘black, gold and green winning streak’.

“As an artist/musician, I know how it feels when people are quick to call down an end to your shine or your dominance but I feel like it comes with the territory,” he said. “In music and in athletics, when you doing things on a high level for a time and you doing it consistently, people feel like once certain players leave the game, it’s going to fall when, in truth and in fact, everything (goes in) cycles.”

Esco

He said he was proud of the athlete’s performances and that Jamaica is still “on the world map.”

Not a waggonist

Deejay Razor B, who was an athlete in high school, said Jamaicans should still support the current batch of athletes, but believes Bolt’s exit will put a dent in the Jamaican dominance.

“I am not a waggonist, I just keep it real. I would love to be biased, but me try fi stop lie to myself and to people. We just hand it (the dominance) back over to the Americans in London,” he said. “The support will still be there but let’s be real now. Who do we have on the male side that’s going to take over (from Bolt)? Yohan? He should have been the next superstar and he came fourth, me no have no hope.”

Razor B

Macka Diamond said any Jamaican who loses hope in the sport that has brought so much glory to the island was a ‘waggonist’.

“I’m always proud of them, no matter what. All when dem nuh win, dem do good fi me. I don’t think this is the end. New and better athletes gonna rise up. We have great runners in Jamaica weh just nuh buss yet,” she said. “Anybody weh think it’s the end, never love the athletes and never believe inna di thing. Me nah give up on JA.”

Esco added: “I’d ask those waggonists if they saw the dominance coming in the first place. So how we know what’s coming next? Waggonist fi easy man; our thing nah stop.”