It appears that Dancehall superstar Mavado will be back in Jamaica at least for the new year, after a protracted absence from the island.
However, sources at the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) have confirmed to DancehallMag that a warrant issued circa June 2018 for David ‘Mavado’ Brooks is still active.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) is making its own checks with regards to the outstanding warrant, in lieu of an application seeking approval from the court for Mavado—who lives in the US—to give testimony via video link in a high-profile $30 million fraud case, where the deejay is the complainant.
The court will only grant approval for video testimony if Mavado, 41, has no outstanding warrants in Jamaica.
The ODPP will return to court on September 29, 2022, to present its findings.
The deejay’s lawyer, Oswest Senior-Smith, told DancehallMag today that there’s been no word on the inquiry, but he should have an update before September 29.
Mavado and Boom Boom.
In the meantime, there was excitement and anticipation after Mavado’s close friend, Dancehall selector Boom Boom, shared a flyer on his Instagram page yesterday, showing that the Gully Gad will be hosting his 38th birthday party at Uptown Mondays HQ on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
“The return of the gad!” one fan wrote, while another declared: “Come tek back yuh grung 1 Gully Gad”.
In September 2019, Boom Boom had told The Star that Mavado, had recruited him to become his DJ, in 2007 when the Settle Down artist’s singing career took off.
He said Mavado took him and his sidekick Harry Hype “all over the world” where he played the tracks for the artist and opened his shows. It resulted in him growing into a full-fledged star that eventually got his own overseas bookings without Mavado, but with the Gully Side artist’s blessing.
Mavado, who hails from the Cassava Piece community in Kingston, began singing in church which he attended with his grandmother. He has in the past pointed out that as a youth, he was influenced by Bounty Killer’s music. The Warlord, whom he idolized, became his mentor at age 15 and showed him the ropes of the music industry.
He cemented himself as a staple in Dancehall with the follow-up song titled Weh Dem a Do, on the Red Bull & Guinness riddim, and following a series of hits in 2005 and 2006, he released the album Gangsta for Life: The Symphony of David Brooks in July 10, 2007, on VP Records.
The Warrant.
On June 6, 2018, the Constant Spring Police issued a notice for Mavado to report to the police station by midday the following day.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force, which had posted the notice on Twitter, noted at the time that Mavado was wanted for questioning in an “ongoing investigation” regarding a flare-up of violence in Cassava Piece, St. Andrew.
The flare-up had its origins in a June 2, 2018 incident, where Mavado allegedly got into a physical confrontation with a man in the community, who was reportedly involved in a dispute with the artist’s teenage son. Mavado reportedly had to beat a hasty retreat to his car in the face of a gun attack. He escaped unscathed, but the vehicle transporting him was peppered with bullets.
Before the day (June 2) ended, Ian Robinson, otherwise called ‘Gaza Man’, a Cassava Piece resident, who was known to be a friend of Mavado, was shot and killed. Robinson came under gun attack at the nearby Constant Spring Market at about 9:30 p.m.
Three days after, on June 5, 2018, Lorenzo Thomas, otherwise called ‘Chulups’ and ‘Israel’, was killed by a group of armed men, who invaded his Cassava Piece, St Andrew home.
The police stepped in and made several arrests.
In March 2021, the entertainer’s son, Dantay Brooks and Andre Hinds, were ultimately convicted for the murder of Lorenzo Thomas, and sentenced to life behind bars.
Brooks, who was 16 at the time of the murder, will serve 22 years before being eligible for parole for the murder. He was also sentenced to 20 years for illegal possession of a firearm and sentenced to 15 years for arson.
Hinds, who was 23 at the time of the murder, was sentenced to life in prison for murder. He will not be eligible for parole before 17 years. He was also sentenced to 15 years at hard labour for illegal possession of firearm and 15 years at hard labour for arson.
Both received discounts for time already spent in custody.