A crown fit for a queen - Grange congratulates Spice on her official crowning

Stephanie Lyew

STAR Writer

She is no stranger to wearing crowns as accessories, but dancehall entertainer Spice can now boast that she has one that is fit for a queen, said Reggae Sumfest Director Joe Bogdanovich.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia 'Babsy' Grange shared the same sentiment. Congratulating Spice on the honour that was bestowed on the weekend during Reggae Sumfest, she opined why Spice was worthy of being crowned.

"I can speak about her successes as a dancehall artiste, as she had her first major success with the single Romping Shop with Vybz Kartel in 2009. That controversial song revealed a level of grittiness and rambunctiousness that is found only in hardcore dancehall, and her energetic and often X-rated performances have always grabbed the attention of her audiences," Grange told THE STAR.

"But, I look beyond the sex and the raunchy nature of her songs, and see that Grace Latoya Hamilton is also a talented lyricist, and those skills can be seen from as far back as 2014 on her EP So Me Like It, produced by VP Records. I wish to congratulate the artiste better known as Spice, on her coronation as 'Queen of the Dancehall' by Joe Bogdanovich on Festival Night One of Reggae Sumfest," she continued. Grange expressed that Spice leaves a lasting impression.

"Let us not forget that Spice's studio album 10, released in 2021, was nominated for the Best Reggae Album at the 64th Grammy Awards in 2022, [so)] she can indeed be called, a dancehall phenomenon, the total package of a focused and stimulating performer, a successful recording artiste and a television personality, as she also joined the cast of VH1's reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta in 2018," Grange asserted. "Her set was laden with her string of hits, and her signature powerful and energetic performance was on show, to the delight of the massive Sumfest audience. I just want to say big-up to Spice, our new Queen of the Dancehall. She's truly deserving of the title and crown."

Bogdanovich revealed that there were actually two crowns, but one wasn't good enough.

"Though the guys who designed it said it looked nice, when ladies saw it, they said it wasn't a crown. So we had another made by a designer in Texas. It's pure platinum and we bought it in Swiss franc, one of the most stable currencies in the world," Bogdanovich shared. As for how much the diamond-encrusted platinum tiara cost, Bogdanovich was coy as he discussed the gift's value.

"How tall are you? You can probably double your height and it will give you an idea how much the crown is. That's powerful. She has been on this journey for so long, she is queen of the time and genre," he continued.