Dancehall artiste Tu-Lox says it’s not easy for artistes who live a double life to walk away from crime

In his latest Podclass episode, the entertainer said many artistes don’t pick up criminality after musical fame, but instead were criminals before venturing into music.

“In most of these cases a badman turn artist and unno nuh understand how badness work…” he said. “Yuh nuh just walk weh from badness, especially when yuh in deep… So even if yuh have a talent and yuh find yuh way via music, chances are yaa go still dabble inna it cause yuh were so deep that yuh end up haffi a defend whatever yuh start already.”

This, he said, perpetuates the ‘entourage culture’ in dancehall, which causes many artistes to travel in large groups to protect themselves.

“Memba when yaa badman one time yuh coulda hide but if yaa bad, bad, badman and yuh in too deep, when yuh buss and yuh cya hide again cause yuh have a show over deh so and a show over yah so, yaa go get even deeper cause you a go carry yuh 1000 man, man strapped, all kind a something fi protect your life,” Tu-Loxx explained.

He said there is no protection for the inevitable karma that awaits one who commits criminal deeds.

Tommy Lee Sparta is the latest dancehall artist to be convicted for involvement in criminal activity, and he is currently serving a three-year sentence for illegal firearm possession. His case is complexified by recent allegations that the gun he pled guilty to having was involved in the murders of two high-profile men.

Tu-Loxx said while he is saddened by his colleague’s predicament, he wished the deejay had “avoided badness at all costs”, especially in light of his foreboding that the law was out to get him.

“Yuh know within yourself seh this police yah, for example, out fi get you and yuh know seh dem mean business, what do you do? Do you take yourself away from the situation weh di police dem out fi get yuh inna or yuh get yourself caught with a gun inna yuh waistband?” Tu-Loxx questioned.

He added: “This is not me trying to tell yuh seh yaa one big eediat… Anybody can end up inna capture.”

The half of the Twin-of Twins duo said music and criminality remain intertwined because “di music give dem di hype and di badness give dem fi respect, that is why nuff a dem stay wid di badness.”