For many years, the presence of celebrity entourages has been a concern for promoters and the media. Two recent incidents involving celebrity entourages have infuriated showbiz insiders.
In one incident late last month, members of dancehall artiste Popcaan’s entourage allegedly attacked music producer DJ Mac outside a popular nightclub, with videos purportedly of the incident posted to multiple social media platforms.
An incident occurred at the recently concluded Summerjam reggae festival in Germany earlier this week, when members of Afrobeat recording artiste, Burna Boy’s security team were reportedly disrespectful towards veteran reggae band, Steel Pulse.
The band’s guitarist, David Electric, wrote in a post on the World A Reggae Instagram account: “@burnaboygram and security were totally disrespectful to us @steelpulseofficial and tried to kick us out of the dressing room to make room for his large entourage. Selwyn Brown (original member of Steel Pulse) was furious but our team stood firm and told them to stop. Don’t do that to people, especially a band that paved the way for reggae music. @summerjam_festival_official why do you have a bunch of security and think it’s okay to just go in and bully people? Who does @burnaboy think he is? When we refused to leave security started building a black painted chain link barricade that separated the hallway between our dressing room and his. It made me feel like I was in prison or something.” I hope these legendary reggae festivals realize that this is not part of reggae culture. This is Babylon’s job. We don’t treat people like that. Please recognize the total disrespect shown to Steel Pulse. Reggae promotes peace, love and unity. Stand up for your rights. We must never give up the fight.”
Lester Gayle, former manager of dancehall duo RDX, spoke to those in the duo’s entourage about his experiences.
“When I was leading RDX, the number of entourages varied. The maximum number of people I had on tour at one time was a total of 25 people. It would consist of me, the dancers, RDX, their women, my women and the dancers’ women. So eight people, plus 25. So if we’re going to a garrison, we’ll take certain people with us. If we’re going to the countryside, it’s different,” Gayle told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday.
Gayle went on to explain, “In an unpredictable situation like the Jamaican entertainment industry and Jamaican culture and the Jamaican landscape, it’s so important. It gives the artiste some relevance, some relatability, some great protection, it makes you look like a great person… Your entourage is there to protect you and make sure certain people don’t get close to you.”
Still, Gayle said he takes responsibility for keeping an eye on his entourage and urges other managers to do the same.
“Firstly, as a manager, you need to know who you’re transporting and why. Also, tell each person in your entourage what is expected of them — dress properly, don’t smoke marijuana, don’t do certain things. Some managers act like groupies, but as a manager, you have a responsibility,” Gayle said.
Eddie Edwards of the Jamaica Jerk Festival, Inc., promoters of the annual Grace Jamaica Jerk Festival in South Florida and New York, described his experience:
“Some artists really do need a large entourage – road managers, backing singers, band members and artist assistants to make sure all the logistics are in order, liaise with promoters and stage/production managers, and ensure a smooth production and performance. Meanwhile, some artists pack extra people into their travel lists and travel with girlfriends or friends who are not essential to the performance. This extra headcount increases production costs like airfare, accommodation, per diems, etc., which can inflate budgets and jeopardise the profitability of the show.”
He continued, “Some artists travel with only the bare minimum of personnel, while others act as if that’s the norm and add people without any consideration. It’s a difficult balance to strike, and sometimes you have to incur additional costs even when you know the extra people aren’t needed for the performance.”
Romaine “Luigi Society” Brown, a music producer, artist manager and events coordinator, said that being close to artists and their entourage makes interactions smoother and usually problem-free, but that might not be the case for people outside his field.
“An entourage indirectly adds a lot of value to an event by supporting the artist in many important ways. An entourage often includes essential personnel such as personal security, producers, DJs (who play the tracks), drivers… Although entourages are sometimes viewed negatively, their presence is usually beneficial and necessary for the artist. Problems only arise when the entourage includes members without a clear purpose,” Brown argued.
Music marketer Sean “Contractor” Edwards agrees with Brown that entourages are beneficial for artists.
“It’s good for a team of people who play key roles – security, personal manager, stylist, sound engineer – but if you have people in your team who don’t have specific roles and are just there, then the entourage becomes an issue. If an artiste wants a large entourage, they should have an entourage manager who keeps the team size constant and makes sure everyone understands their role and limitations…” Edwards asserted.
Reggae Sumfest vice-chairman Robert Russell said having a strong security presence to manage artist entourages would help curb the problem.
“Without strong, tight security, issues with entourage behavior can become a serious problem. We understand that artists rely heavily on the support of their entourage and that they have to make a good impression and create excitement. Some entourage members will try to get on the bus and get into the festival for free, and we keep that in mind. So, as I said, our security has to be strong and courteous to ensure a safe and smooth running. You don’t want to upset anyone, which only makes what is usually a very complicated situation even worse,” Russell said.
