By Suelika N. Creque
Editor-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SHE gives it to you straight up, no sugar-coating, no beating-around-the-bush, and pleasing the crowd is what Jamaican dancehall artiste Spice does best.
Known for her amazing stage show performances and her ‘Sting’ performance in 2000, there is no stopping Spice, whose real name is Grace Latoya Hamilton.
“That was my first major stage show,” Hamilton said about Sting 2000. “And I get call backs like three to four times and there I said yeah it can work out for me and I just never stopped.”
She is spicing things up everywhere she goes, especially with her recent hit with Vybz Kartel, ‘Romping Shop’.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, she said that the banning of the song only made it bigger and she is hoping to take her career to the next level.
She made a name for herself at the Sting concerts specifically because of the excellent performer she is, and while touring with fellow dancehall artiste Baby Cham in England and America, he decided to give Hamilton her big break.
“I been touring England and America, cuz everyone know Spice is a good performer, everyone hearing about this little girl Spice, and everyone wanted me to come do them show.
“And Baby Cham was like how you go and do things, and ain’t got no 45 out, and he and I talk and reason and I tell him I need the right producer to get the stuff out there. And he asked me if I know Dave Kelly, a Jamaican, and that he will introduce us when we go back,” she said.
Hamilton said the next thing she knew she had a hit song, ‘Fight Over Man’, in 2004 which burned up the radios and opened more doors for the young performer.
“That kinda opened the door for me to let people know that Spice is not just a stage show artiste; she has a 45 out. I’d say he (Baby Cham) kinda paved the way for me in a great way,” she said.
Her recent performance at one of Miami’s biggest events, Best of the Best, received rave reviews where she was requested for two encores at the event. 
“Well everyone been telling me I did a great performance and that it was like a ‘Spice in concert’ show. I did eight tracks from my promotional CD and everyone was loving it. I had a great time, it was natural. I knew they were pleased because of the applauds and encore and cheers,” she said.
She said a “Spice Live in Concert” event would be a hardcore type of performance where the end result is giving them what they want.
“Here (Jamaica) on the radio you can’t say certain things or do certain things, but when they come to the show that is where you would hear a different side of Spice. I don’t hold back anything on the stage,” she said.
Speaking of bans, her recent hit - ‘Ramping Shop’ - with another hardcore dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel, has been banned in Jamaica by the Broadcasting Commission.
The song, which was released earlier this year along with a video, caused a number of eyes to widen and dropped jaws from persons in the media about its content.
“Them banning the song ‘Ramping Shop’ never really affected the song. In fact, it made it bigger. It didn’t do it harm, it did it good and made it more popular. Everyone who didn’t know wanted to know the song and what it was all about,” she said.
Both artistes saw the ability of working together when they did a show in Guyana where 10 000 people attended.
“So we decided that when we go back to Jamaica we got to make a tune together. Kartel wrote the song and told me about the new riddim that was out called ‘Independent riddim’”, Hamilton said.
Hamilton will soon be performing non-stop in Tobago, Trinidad and New York and is planning on having a major party to celebrate her birthday on August 1 at the Asylum Nightclub in Jamaica.
“Everyone is invited to come celebrate my birthday,” she said.
She presently has a new song out called ‘Bad mind’ on the Copper Copper Riddim and will be making a video shortly.
She is hoping to bring out an album next year that will feature some songs she’s previously released.
“I’m just an artiste who is trying to take my music to the next level,” she said.
