The next edition of the Reggae Carifest, to be held on 6 July in Queens, New York, will definitely not welcome Eek A Mouse. The decision follows the racist remarks made by the veteran deejay at the event's launch press conference on 4 June, and his flat refusal to apologise to the artists he attacked, Matisyahu foremost among them.
The organisers considered that Eek A Mouse was out of step with the Reggae Carifest's message of peace and drive for the emancipation of Caribbean culture, which this year has teamed up with the organisation Keep a Child Alive, whose main mission is to fight the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Let us recall that, apparently frustrated at seeing his career at a standstill for years, Eek A Mouse launched at that press conference into a violent diatribe against the white artists who have made a place for themselves in the reggae business over the years, attacking without distinction Bob Marley, Sean Paul, Shaggy, UB40 and even Ace Of Base (!), but above all Matisyahu, who is also on the festival bill and was consequently sitting next to him that day.