Bounty responds to Ishawna’s ‘Equal Rights’ taunt at Reggae Sumfest

Dancehall veteran Bounty Killer has responded to a controversial aspect of dancehall artiste Ishawna’s Reggae Sumfest performance which involved ‘the Killer’, calling it an act of “desperation”.

During her performance on Saturday, Ishawna, clad in little more than a see-through body suit, drew for a life-size cardboard cut-out of Bounty Killer, this while she performed her song, ‘Equal Rights’, which promotes oral sex.

In the act, the ‘Mood’ artiste unceremoniously threw the cut-out of Bounty Killer on the stage and proceeded to sit over it while singing about oral sex, a sexual act that Bounty Killer has often spoken out against.

It has been reported that the ‘Warlord’ was seen walking out of Sumfest after that performance.

Although he did not bring it up during his performance at the event on Monday morning, he reposted a video from an Instagram user who spoke out against it and gave his own thoughts.

“Everyone knows what Bounty Killer stands for and Ishawna is allowed to exercise her art, but not while provoking people and creating problems. Why provoke a man who you know is against the standards that you stand for,” Instagram user, @dr.ledd, said in his video.

In declaring that his growth and maturity has led him to “act and not react,” Bounty Killer said he was led to question the respect Jamaicans have for him after seeing how they reacted to Ishawna’s performance.

Ishawna on stage during her set at Reggae Sumfeat on Saturday night.

“Y’all  say how we rate the general for his contributions to the poor and the development of other artiste etc. Then y’ll sat there laughing how a little fly… tail dancehall… styled me right here a Jamaica who claimed them love and rate me. That’s why I had ntn (nothing) to say. I leave y’all to God and time. Away with my ignorance and welcome my intellect. Just watch tha style yah,” Killer captioned the video while thanking the Instagram user for coming to his defence.

He added: “Desperation has one Destination – (a) downward spiral”.

Soon after the release of the controversial Ishawna track in 2017, Bounty Killer tried to effectively get her banned from performing it. The two were booked to perform at an event in Portland, but while promoting the event, Bounty Killer gave a stern warning to Ishawna.

“(Ishawna) cyaah sing tha song deh at this show else mi ago rush har. Nuh kitten or Catfish can nuh… bother come bcuz that cyaah sing, else she cannot be on no more shows with mi either, bcuz mi nuh sing fi bowcat or bowfish,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.