Gods Don’t Die: By Neka Neekes
Remembering A God
Controversy knows no bounds…it knows no limitations; It is the perfect balance between truth, pain, and comedy. Whether you knew him by his lives, his chip toothed smile, his catchy Dr. Seuss like flow, his many tag lines, or his charismatic bop, one thing is for certain - love him or hate him, you can never forget him.
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Khamal, known by many as “Petty God” or often times just “Deh God”, was an up and coming music mogul under GongLight Management Co from the USVI, and was a controversial public figure without a doubt. I’ll never forget my first time running into one of his lives many years ago which were often times the equivalent to a virtual crowded room. He was somewhere in Florida and I couldn’t understand how I could sit on any live for over an hour with the same level of energy and attention as when it started - often times holding in my laughter to avoid disturbances at work. He lived life on his own terms and as controversial as he was, you couldn’t help but to laugh at the comical way he would often draw perspectives beyond the box of societal norms and thinking. More often than not, he expressed the very things that we all think and feel, but never have the right words to say. But, here’s the thing about controversy…..
Its raw…uncut…unfiltered…and unapologetic; all of which perfectly depict the essence of this young mogul.
Whether you agreed with his views and opinions or not, you knew you could always count on him to speak his truth. Something that I for one, will always appreciate and value from the redbone dude from Tutu who’s always rhyming with the color blue.
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When RLD Entertainment & Promotions was born in early 2018, he was right on board with the vision. Pushing, supporting, and partaking in anything we had to offer to the public. Long before he even took himself seriously as an artist, he was vested in quality music and influencing the masses with music from upcoming local talents.
Fast forward to his musical career, I remember when I got the call one afternoon from Dwayne Hodge, publicly known as “Redman” or “Red Angel” stating:
“I’m bout to send you two numbers, we have some work to do…with this particular artist, we have to allow him to do it his way and on his terms. I’ve fought with him a lot to even get started so we have one shot to get this right!”
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One of the numbers sent was for Jawfy Joe who believed in the vision so much he was willing to collaborate with RLD and put up whatever it would take to give this raw talent a chance. Tho other being for Deh God himself, and I was proud to know that the artist was him. We spent months drafting concepts, building content, branding, and coordinating a promising path for his future. One day while he was on his way to a scheduled performance in Florida…all of it got put to a screeching halt. Controversy had caught up with Deh God himself. Weeks past and the mantra “Free Deh God Until Deh God Free” replaced the presence of the controversial public figure online. Silently we continued to work and build content, but even after his return to the world-renowned blue app, we would never get the chance to hit “GO” on this young moguls career.
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As the second eldest son of “Whadablee”, he often joked that he could never escape his inherited ties to music and often revered at the fact that his parents came out to witness his first ever live performance. With singles such as “Doubted me” & “No Fakes” he organically generated over 800,000 un-marketed streams on SoundCloud in under a year - proving that his potential was unprecedented to say the least. Still, most of his energy in music went into bridging the gap between rival neighborhoods while simultaneously connecting the British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands musically. He was well known for pushing and supporting BVI artists such as “Priceless” & “Da General” alongside USVI artists such as “P-Nut Deh Real Nut, UYG Flizop, “Deh Wapp”, “Dapp Deh Youngin”, “BZB”, “Cash”, & “Deh Dramaz,” to name a few. In his lives he would often “Leak” upcoming releases for the public to hear and weigh in on the creativity, wordplay, and intoxicating vibe of what I like to call “Kulcha Rap”. It’s a unique form of creative expression rooted in survival, hustle, and the laws of the land – delivered in raw Virgin Islands twang. Virgin Islands culture is expressed in many forms and this young legend was known for many things, but his influence and unspoken contributions to the Virgin Islands Music Industry will take the game by storm for years to come!!
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Khamal, in our last convo a few days ago, you told me you really don’t believe there is any happiness left in this life and that it seems like despite all the good, there is even more bad. True or not, you committed your life and energy to creating a lane for Virgin Islands Hip Hop artists to be heard and represented. Even in international markets, you had a following that adored you and loved to display that love for and to you in countless ways! You touched a generation of kids that truly see you as a God musically, so for me, I feel like life and happiness (much like this article) is more about where you put your focus. It was always a joy “vibing” with you on a real level the way we did. The team and I genuinely appreciate you for riding with RLD Entertainment & Promotions and now GongLight Management Co through and through. This was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever written knowing we were just really getting started back on paving your path after facing so many trials.
To the family, fans and all those who have been affected, we extend our deepest condolences and respects. He may not have been always right, but he was always unapologetically real. To the public, If he touched your life in anyway, read this 2X and drop some blue signs!!
Till we meet again, we will keep your fire burning and it’s always “see you later” because in all actuality…
GodsNeverDie!!! #TutuBeTheWave #Yow #Everything2X
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