Lazer Maytrixx advocates for the death penalty

Dancehall artiste Lazer Maytrixx is a staunch believer in the death penalty for gruesome crimes.

"We have to send a message that once you take a life, you forfeit your own. There must be deadly consequences to certain actions," he said.

He was making his comments against the background of the recent massacre of a mother and four children in Clarendon.

"The act was grotesque, inhumane, and the solution is the death penalty for the perpetrator," he said, adding that the death penalty should be an option even for impressionable youth who have strayed into a life of crime.

The artiste, given name Frederick Marsh, recently released a music video for Ghetto Story, a new single he is aggressively promoting, which tells a simple narrative about the ghetto.

"As individuals we face challenges within the inner-city communities; however, my message is that we can positively overcome those challenges through ambition and hard work," he said.

Lazer Maytrixx said the reaction to the song has been overwhelmingly positive, and believes that the key to surviving the ghetto revolves around having opportunities and role models.

"The ghetto lacks a wealth of positive role models and when you add a scarcity of opportunities, that is a recipe for disaster. When young boys see gunmen commanding power and respect because of the gun, chances are they will venture the same route, and the same thing exists with female role models," he said.

Lazer Maytrixx is originally is from Tucker in St James and attended the Granville All-Age School as well as Cornwall College. He is signed to independent label Love and Gratitude Production.

After his signing with the St Mary-based label, he released four singles, including Sweet Reggae Music and Ghetto Story.