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Beenie Man’s new management company says its first item on the agenda is to secure a US visa for the artist to travel and work.
Beenie Man hinted earlier this year that he wanted to travel to the United States to work, and he has also been booked for summer events in the North American country. However, it seems that the artist has not been re-issued with his visa, and now his St. Croix-based management company wants to change that.
According to the Jamaica Star, Beenie Man’s new management company is Ciga Records, owned and operated by Shawn Baptiste. According to Baptiste, the artist previously had communication issues with his management, which is now fixed with their deal, but his ability to travel and earn is still affected.
“I recognised that he has not been able to travel to the US, which has limited the opportunities,” Baptiste, also known as Ciga, said. “Running a business without communication, you end up lose [sic].”
He added that the artist’s career had been impacted by poor management in the past.
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“The communication part was a big downfall because a man with a career like Beenie Man needs a team of persons who not only manage his music, but understand the business, and handle the travel arrangements,” he said.
Meanwhile, fellow dancehall artist Shane-O has also been signed by the label, and Baptiste has expressed a positive outlook for his career with the management team. As for Beenie Man, he has not held a US visa for more than a decade after the embassy in Kingston revoked the visas of several artists. It’s unclear the reason for the revocation, but an American visa is not a right but a privilege, and it comes with responsibilities for the holder. In recent years though, the US government appeared to relax the issuing of visas to Jamaican artists, many of whom are now able to travel and work.
Baptiste believes that Beenie Man has much to offer his American audiences since his music is well-known among generations of fans.
As for Beenie Man, he has high hopes for the deal. “My expectations are always on the positive side because of which part me career deh already and he is a good businessman. So, let us see,” the Doc said.
Beenie Man remains one of the biggest dancehall artists in the history of the genre with a vast catalog dating back to the 1990s. The legend, whose real name is Moses Davis, currently hold bookings for a few upcoming shows in the United States including the 2023 Lovers and Friends Festival in Las Vegas where he is set to perform with Sean Paul, Shaggy, and Wayne Wonder among the Jamaican acts on the lineup. Beenie is also on the lineup for the three-day event, ESSENCE Festival of Culture set for June 30 – July 3, and another show set for August 21 in Queens, New York.
