Macka Diamond recalls physical abuse she suffered from prominent dancehall artiste
Macka Diamond is the latest female dancehall artiste to reveal allegations of abuse suffered at the hands of a male artiste in the industry. She made the revelations In an
Inspired by Tanya Stephens who recently revealed that she was raped by a prominent reggae artiste at 17-years-old, Macka Diamond too decided to share her story.
Like Stephens, the Bun Him artiste refused to name her abuser but shared that the incident happened early in her career.
She told fans she was hustling dubplates when her alleged abuser accused her of disrespecting him because she received dubplates from an artiste he was feuding with.
“These two artiste dem nuh get along at all. So I was in between the both of them,” she said claiming she had asked her alleged abuser to do a dubplate for her on numerous occasions but he refused.
Macka Diamond said the alleged abuse happened at the studio that was his base, and where she frequented.
“I remember mi go a di other studio, and deh round deh with the other artiste and mi a get some dubplate from the other artiste and mi a seh ‘Jah know mi can eat mi likkle food weekend’,” she said.
“So mi get mi likkle dub dem now, and mi trod out on mi likkle bus and mi well gone a di studio now because mi a seh a deh suh mi hang out every evening which part di artiste deh weh nuh really give mi no dub, but mi and the producer good and a deh so mi a record.”
She revealed that when she got to the studio, she felt the tension in the air.
“Which part di studio deh a wah big gate, yuh know dem big gate deh weh mek outta iron? And mi just see gate lock behind mi, and mi a seh, ‘a wah gwaan?’”. She said her alleged abuser then walked out and started arguing with her.
“So till the artiste walk out… `Hey gyal yuh deh round a studio a deal wid artiste weh mi nuh like and ya call up mi name’. And mi a seh ‘weh ya talk bout a dubplate mi go look, and mi beg yuh dubplate all the while and yuh nuh wah give mi’,”.
But she said wasn’t prepared for what came next.
“Yuh know weh di artiste do? Tek up wah big piece a board and when him done bruk it pon mi. Inna mi back, mi a talk bout left, right, and centre. Mi a talk bout artiste weh uno love, weh everyday mi see the artiste and people a run him down and people a seh dem love this man. Di man tek di board and lick mi straight, right back through the iron gate,” she said before bursting out into tears.
“The artiste bruk up the board pon mi,” she said in between sobs. “And the whole a di 20 man dem stand up and look pon mi and a seh ‘gweh idiot gyal, she fi get it, and she a dis yuh,’. Mi seh mi couldn’t believe it, dat 20 more man stand up deh and watch the man tek up board and beat mi, and bruk up di board pon mi.”
Paid off
“All mi cudda do a run. When mi run mi see the nearest police station and mi run go in deh,” she continued.
She said she reported the abuse to the nearest police station. However, although she was encouraged to press charges against the artiste, she didn’t because of the friendship she had with the artiste’s manager who offered to pay her off.
“So by this time inna di evening when mi go home, the manager call mi and seh to mi seh ‘please mi a beg yuh, nuh badda seh nothing, mi aguh send some money come gi yuh’,” she said adding that she respected the artiste’s manager. “By the time dem seh dem wudda lock him up mi did start fi feel bad because of the artiste manager. Mi love him, him did a tek care a mi without even a look mi, he was such a nice person.”
The young aspiring artiste said she knew if she pressed any charges against her alleged abuser, then that would only derail her already fragile career, and so she made the decision to keep quiet.
“It’s not even the money mek mi even accept the apology. It’s the fact seh mi nuh buss yet, and mi a nuh nobody,” she said. “Fi years, mi walk wid dat, pon my head and pon my brain.”
Not alone
As traumatic as this experience was, Macka Diamond, said it wasn’t the only case of physical abuse she endured from men within the industry at the early onset of her career.
According to Macka Diamond, when she was just 16-years-old, she refused the sexual advances from a security guard at the studio, he kicked her in his chest.
“This guy is tall and thick and strong. And remember because I started being defensive, he started (to) lock mi outta di studio, and seh ‘yuh nah come in ya’, and yuh know what the guy did one day when I come there?. The guy tek off him big boot, the boot look like him wear bout 12, and lick mi inna mi chest wid it eno. And seh ‘hey gyal, from yuh nah give mi nuh ray ray ray, yuh cya come inna dis studio.”
And although these incidents happened years ago, Macka Diamond said she’s sharing her story now to let Tanya Stephens know she isn’t alone.
“Mi just a mek Tanya know seh, you’re not alone darling. Mi go tru it to, it might be a different way, but mi go tru it.”
