Oscar B in town for celebrations
Regional entertainer Oscar B is back in town as part of the September celebrations. The artist will have two concerts for Belizeans, one tonight for a grown-up audience and another scheduled for tomorrow for youths.
Oscar B, Entertainer
“Tonight is built basically for the grown folks so what is expected tonight is less of the hype and the jump up, jump up, jump up. We’re going to take it down real smooth, take it down real nice and cool and basically a different style and a different mood of Oscar B as my CD entails. There’s gonna be a different mood. It’s going to be taking some lovers rock, some nice bad reggae music, some old time music, some old time Sparrows; that kind of vibe. We’ll take you back so people can come and just dance and enjoy themselves.”
Marion Ali
“People know Oscar B for the type that usually hype up the crowd, the faster pace music. Is this a shift for you?”
Oscar B
“Well, I’m just being myself, I’m being what you would call “an entertainer” and I think and entertainer must be able to adjust to suit any occasion.”
But this veteran singer has an underlying message that goes beyond entertainment. He speaks against crime directly to youngsters and says he’s willing to work with our leaders to help send that message. The timing is significant, according to him and the events’ promoter, D.J. Special.
D. J. Special, Promoter
“Oscar B was supposed to be here for September sixth for carnival day to perform on the truck and I had an initiative called Jump Up and Stamp Out Crime. Dehn seh Special why Jump Up and Stamp Out Crime. We’ll, because I want everybody to come out carnival day and jump up stamp out crime. We still recognize that crime do exist in these days. That was my initial initiative; to jump up and stamp out crime and I want to give a big thanks to Channel Five, to the Belize Bank, and also to the National Transport. Those three bodies were the entities that jumped behind me and was willing to spend di money to pull this initiative off but something went haywire along the way where it became a little bit political and I stepped back. I said I don’t want this to become a political initiative. This is the people’s initiative. I just scrapped it and then I’m gonna work with it further in the year with no political affiliation whatsoever. But crime is something that people are under a self-imposed curfew at this point in time and they don’t really want to go nowhere and with the recent incidents, it’s really damaging.”
Oscar B
“The crime is really outrageous and not only in Belize. Crime has been an issue all over the world and we the people need to do something about it. We need to speak up about it. I am an entertainer; I need to speak up about it, the general public needs to speak up about it. It starts with us, the people who try to help to defend it and we can’t let a minority of people try to overpower the majority of people. So we need to speak up about. That’s why I’m willing to speak up about it and I’m willing to help get the people educated in any possible way that I can. I am begging all Belizeans and I’m telling you something Oscar B here and I’m telling you please put down di guns. We don’t need that in Belize; all we need is love and unity. I think that’s what Belize stands for; love, unity, togetherness, out of many; one people culture strong. We keep the love in Belize. Put down di gun, we don’t need dat.”
The jump up party planned for tomorrow will take place at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel from one in the afternoon until ten in the night. Tickets for tonight’s concert are on sale for forty dollars and for tomorrow’s bash for fifteen dollars at the Biltmore or Love FM. While in Belize, Oscar B is also releasing his new CD, entitled “Oscar B Moods”, which will be on sale at both concerts.
