BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SINCE news broke that dancehall artiste Blak Ryno had left the Gaza or Portmore Empire, there have been a series of unfortunate occurrences involving him and the President of the Empire, Vybz Kartel.
On February 25, one day after it was officially announced that Ryno, whose real name is Romane Anderson, had left the Gaza, his Waterford home was sprayed with bullets, but fortunately no one was injured.
According to media reports, Ryno relocated his family to an undisclosed location days after the incident occurred.
Following the shooting incident, Yardflex.com posted an article on its website, headlined “Anyone Who Does Anything to Ryno Has to Answer to Me”, in which Kartel is quoted as saying, “I condemn today's shooting in Waterford, and I condemn any attack made on Blak Ryno. Regardless of what transpires between the Portmore Empire and Blak Ryno, whether or not he is a part of the Empire, I will not tolerate any acts of violence against him. ANYBODY who does ANYTHING to Ryno has to answer to me."
Commenting on his former protégé’s departure, Kartel told a Jamaican media house, The Weekend Star, that Ryno is a confused individual.
“Ryno is, in my analysis, a confused individual going through some sort of post-adolescence trauma, where in his pursuit to find himself is getting his priorities mixed up and as a result, is making decisions in a subconscious, bewildered state of mind.”
Following his departure, Ryno released a single titled ‘Mi Lef’, which is aimed at adding clarity to the looming tensions between himself and Portmore Empire CEO and President Vybz Kartel.
According to 876Radio.com, following the debut of the single on the airwaves, a new wave of events unfolded including the firebombing of Ryno's Winchester Avenue apartment in St. Andrew and an alleged reprisal attack on Gaza stronghold community, Big Yard, off Mannings Hill Road, that left one man dead in process.
The website stated that Kartel denied any knowledge of the shooting and firebombing incidents when contacted and that he and Ryno are not on the same level, where he does a song and Kartel replies.
Ryno is the third artiste to depart the Empire. The first one to have left is Lisa Hype, who was dismissed following a compromising photograph of her that circulated on the internet. She was followed by Gaza Kim, who exited after she received a beating, which sources alleged might have been organised by Kartel.
In defence of Kartel’s mounting tensions surrounding Ryno’s departure, his new protégé, Popcaan, has stepped up in the frontline with a single titled ‘Dem Sell We Out’.
According to 876Radio.com, Popcaan’s single is said to pay homage to Kartel and another Gaza artiste, Jah Vinci, while taking a series of subliminal swipes at his ex-compatriot Ryno, labelling him as an envious Judas that sold out his friends for the acquisition of travel documents and other monetary gains.
Popcaan begins the song by saying…“Nuh care who wan leave empire, cuz a forever, big up Jah Vinci me brother, Addi me father…”
Lisa Hyper, formerly known as Lisa Hype, has also addressed the issue in a song called ‘Di Call’, in which she sings about not liking what is happening with the Empire.
Hopefully, the now stirring beef between Kartel and Ryno will simmer down as the former, in December 2009, ended a three-year feud between himself and Mavado since his departure from The Alliance in 2006.
The feud between Kartel and the head of The Alliance, Bounty Killer, had Gully god and Killer’s protégé Mavado in lyrical battles and tune for tunes, which eventually spilled over into violent clashes on the streets among young people.
Both artistes gave the Jamaican government a commitment to end their feud and even performed together at a staged show.
At a concert held in St. Kitts and organised by the People’s Action Movement, Kartel said that… “People take the music too literal and want hurt one another over the music, but me and Mavado we’re not fighting each other, we nar war with one another. So we decide that we need to talk to the youths in Jamaica and make dem know seh peace, unity and strength. And we as black people done get we fair share of sufferation already and we done get we fair share of tear drops, so it’s love and unity and more happiness…unity is strength”.
In an exclusive interview following the concert, Kartel said that he had about 15 artistes in his fold and they refer to him as their father, and he calls himself ‘Addi di teacher’. In some quarters, it is hoped he would adopt a mature and responsible approach concerning his Empire and artistes so that they continue in progress and not “sufferation” of which he previously stated black people has had enough.
The Portmore Empire was established in 2007 after Kartel’s departure from the Alliance in 2006. It consists of members such as Popcaan, Singa Blinga, Dosa Medicine, Lisa Hype, Shawn Storm, Gaza Indu, Sheba and Jah Vinci.
Blak Ryno was an original member of the Portmore Empire and was seemingly one of the closest to Kartel. He often cited him as a major influence and called him “daddy” on numerous occasions.
