Reggae artist Sizzla Kolanji recently posted a video on social media in which he disrespectfully smashed and burned the platinum plaques he received in recognition for participating on Albums with renowned American pop artist, DJ Khaled. In the video Sizzla can be heard saying, “Khalid, you dissed me” as he stepped on, smashed, and later burned the remains of the Platinum plaques.

Reaction to the incident on social media was swift, with many fans of Sizzla saying that he was wrong for doing what he did. “Sizzla gone mad”, was a common sentiment, which in Jamaican vernacular means that a person has lost his or her mind. Sizzla has been known for being a rebel who draws justification for his behavior from his Rastafarian faith, which is not widely respected by the government or elite class of Jamaica.

Sizzla is known as a “Conscious Artist” who holds true to Foundation Reggae, which is a genre of Reggae that romotes morality in society. It is the same genre that produced Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and many more artists of substance as opposed to Dancehall Reggae, which is all about Sex, Guns, and Money. He has been in the industry for over 25 years and has released dozens and dozens of albums.

Everyone is speculating about the real reason why Sizzla did what he did because him and DJ Khaled have been collaborating on music for many years. In fact, Sizzla received his first plaque for collaborating with DJ Khaled in 2017. Based on social media and conspiracy pushers, Sizzla burned the plaques because of several reasons. The first is because they say Sizzla didn’t like the fact that he did not get more recognition on the plaques.

There has been simmering discontent among artists within the Reggae music industry for many years. The consensus is that foreign players have always sought to exploit Reggae music for financial gain without giving back. It began way back in the 60s with Ska music then early Reggae when British producers and Rock n Roll artists would use Reggae artists and didn’t give them proper compensation.

This trend continues today by foreign artists who are referred to in the Reggae music industry as Culture Vultures. It is said that these artists only come into Reggae because they know that Reggae is popular and it will give their careers a boost. They either use Reggae rhythms or featuring Reggae artists on their tracks and don’t give proper credit to the music or the artists.

The second reason why they say Sizzla burned the plaques was because of mounting peer-pressure after it was revealed that DJ Khaled had placed him on the same track alongside a homosexual artist. Homosexuality is considered a sin in Jamaican culture, particularly by Rastas who never want to be even mentioned in the same breath with a homosexual, let alone being heard collaborating on a song together.

In the 90s, Dancehall artist Bounty Killa cut ties with “No Doubt”, the multi-platinum selling Pop group that featured Gwen Stephanie, after finding out that they placed him in a video that also had a naked band member in it. Such acts are taken by Reggae artists as a severe form of disrespect and they will abandon a project no matter the stature of the foreign artist or the amount of money involved.

Being seen as a rebel garners a lot of clout in Jamaican society. Those who fight government, the police, and the rich are revered as heroes. There is also a deep belief in the conspiracy that Jamaicans are suffering because they are refusing to accept things that are ungodly. In reality, burning immoral things will never solve the issue. All it does is drive them back underground where they will continue to grow and spread like roots.

Sizzla will first have to give up his religious blinders to see that though but I don’t expect that he will.