Dear Editor,

I wish to address a

Jamaica Observer article published on May 30, 2017, entitled ‘Pumpkin cries fouls’ in which

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall contestant Rankin Pumpkin complains about racism and threats.First, we love honesty from judges in competition, but I want to condemn the comments of judge “Skatta” Burrell over the series. It was the tone that was dreadful. To be fair to Skatta, I’ve seen him being critical of Jamaicans in the past, so I’m surprised that Rankin Pumpkin used the race card on Jamaicans now.I want Rankin Pumpkin to know that the majority of us Jamaicans don’t have any issues with foreign talents, at least they should be on our level or even better. Danish singer Natasja won

Irie FM‘s ‘Big Break’ in 2006. We, Jamaicans, loved and voted for her because she was super-talented. And this has been returned to us; look at how everyone supported Tessanne Chin on

NBC‘s

The Voice.I strongly believe that the Japanese love Jamaican music more than any other nation. Judge Burrell should know that even though we all say “Jamaica first” with regard to music, we can’t stop foreigners from loving our culture too. And, I am certain some people are laughing all the way to the bank based on viewership, votes, public relations, and money a contestant like Rankin Pumpkin brought to this competition.However, Rankin Pumpkin should never have reached to the final — talent wise. We all know not every artiste is good at clashing, but, my God, Suspense destroyed her. The other negative was that Rankin Pumpkin’s voice was very annoying, and it’s obvious her patois is weak.I want to urge Rankin Pumpkin to continue what she’s doing; focus more on the Japanese market, which will bring in a lot of cash for her. She already has the endorsement of Bounty Killer and others. I also praise her Jamaican manager who continues to motivate her. She has broken the glass ceiling for foreigners who want to enter the competition, so next year we will see deejays and singjays from America, Europe, Africa, and even Asia. I hope they are talented.I want to congratulate Magnum for their continuous support of dancehall music. Season 10 had a lot of ups and down but that’s how competitions go. However, the judges need to be more thorough in how they pick contestants if we don’t want another Rankin Pumkpin talent to go so far in the competition. Magnum also needs to take a good look at their voting procedures.Congratulations to Magnum 2017 King Symatic and Queen Suspense. 

Teddylee Gray

Ocho Rios, St Ann

teddylee.gray@gmail.com