Soon after dancehall superstar Beenie Man’s declaration of his tolerance and respect towards all people, despite religious belief, sexual orientation etc, it was reported that the Doctor has gotten back his United States work permit.
After he and four other top dancehall artists lost their United States visas, Beenie Man was granted another visa, however, he was not granted a work permit. Therefore, he could travel to the States but he could not perform there.
This led to BeenieMan missing his Black Entertainment Television (BET) performance with United States based, Trinidadian Rapper, Niki Minaj, of their new single, “Gunshot” which was released in April of this year.
The granting of a United States work permit to the deejay has already began to send tongues wagging about why he made his public statement about tolerance and respect. Persons were already saying that his apology was merely just Beenie Man’s public relations machinery at work, to aid his career i.e. aiding in getting back his work permit, mitigate gay rights protests against his show overseas etc.
One thing is for sure, the doctor getting back his work permit is a good look for dancehall, amidst all the negativity surrounding the Jamaican music industry at the moment. It is also a good look for the doctor himself, because even he admits that not being able to work in the United States severely limits your earning capacity as an artist.
This is due to the fact that the United States is a big market and it is close by, as well as there are a lot of Jamaicans living in that area. Due to its geographical location, an artist can travel to the US multiple times for the year. Additionally, because, there are many Caribbean nationals living in the US, there are a number of big concerts held in the US that would roll in the big bucks.
Therefore if an apology was what it took to get back that work permit, I say make that apology.
