FANTAN Mojah is booked to appear in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court in Half-Way-Tree on May 18. He is charged with breaching the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).

According to the Rastafarian singjay, the incident occurred around 4:30 pm last Saturday while he was returning home from a studio session.

“Dem [the police] stopped me along Red Hills Road… Dem coulda be lenient with me, as mi ah go home after work… People have fi do dem work,” he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

“I’m very loyal to my country. Whenever dem ask fi do anything, mi do it. Ah just the time run out inna the studio. Dem say mi ah fi go court so mi ah go court,” he continued.

As part of the Government’s measures to curtail COVID-19, an all-island curfew was in effect at noon on Saturday and ran until 5:00 am on Monday.

According to Jamaican law, people found guilty of breaching the Disaster Risk Management Act could face a maximum fine of $1 million and/or 12 months’ imprisonment.

Fantan Mojah, given name Owen Moncrieffe, was born in White Hill, St Elizabeth. To hone his skills, he took a job working with a travelling sound system, and performed songs during sound checks. He adopted the name Mad Killer, in homage to one of his favourite artistes, Bounty Killer. After being exposed to the Rastafari movement, his music began to take on a more positive tone, and he was encouraged by Capleton to take the name Fantan Mojah.

Signed by Downsound Productions, Fantan Mojah’s debut album, Hail the King, was released in 2005, making him a household name with songs like Hail the King, Nuh Build Great Man ft Jah Cure, and Corruption.

Fantan Mojah is not the first entertainer to have allegedly breached the DRMA.

Dancehall deejay Beenie Man is scheduled to reappear in the St Elizabeth Resident Magistrate Court on April 19 for a similar charge. He was charged with allegedly hosting an illegal party in November 2020. He, however, has maintained his innocence.

Last year, actor Garfield “Bad Boy Trevor” and blogger-cum-deejay A’mari had been thrown the book. The latter was fined $20,000, while the former’s case is still before the court.