But should they also be associated with cigarettes?

A company in Florida is using the Gombey image on its cigarette packets. Gombey Cigarettes are made and sold by President Tobacco LLC and the tagline is: ‘The original flavour of Bermuda’.

And some of our Gombeys, while not quite hopping mad, are certainly perturbed.

“It goes completely against what our Gombey culture stands for,” says Bilal Binns, vice-captain of Warner Gombeys.

“I don’t think they should be sold,” agreed Wayne Raynor, leader of H and H Gombeys. “It’s not a way to put forward Gombeys.”

It’s not only the Gombeys who think the cigarette tie is a drag.

Ex-Police Commissioner and former PLP senator Jonathan Smith expressed his dismay on Facebook. He wrote: “This caught my attention today. A package of ‘Gombey’ cigarettes, complete with a Bermuda tagline.

“What? Gombey cigarettes!? I looked further. Manufactured in the USA by President Tobacco LLC using tobacco grown in Virginia and the Carolinas. Nothing Gombey about Virginia and Carolinas that I know of. There’s more.

“This tobacco company is only licensed to sell in six states in the USA. Yes, six states, not the other 44. And yet, we have a tobacco company [using] our very own Gombeys. Heck, a Gombey can’t even smoke a cigarette with his face mask on!”

The product was registered in April 2012 in Aventura, Florida and the cigarettes are available in Bermuda. The white box features a small, colourful Gombey on the cover with the words: “Premier blend, full…

Bounty Killer celebrated his 41st birthday last weekend at Sugarman Beach in Portmore, St Catherine. It was during selector Boom Boom’s set that the surprise came.

“Him (Popcaan) deh Canada pon tour and him send a voicenote to him sister and tell him sister fi mek sure mi get the song. Mi mek the link wid har and she burn it off pon a CD and mi just premiere it at the party,” Boom Boom said.

In the voicenote, Popcaan said, “Yuh done know a Popcaan a represent fi Bounty Killer the legendary. Yuh done know today a yuh special day so mi just waan seh on behalf of me and the Unruly Gang, big up yuh damn self.” This was followed by an a capella version of one of his songs, Party Non Stop.

Bounty Killer told THE WEEKEND STAR that he was surprised by the birthday greeting.

“I was a bit surprised but it touched everybody. I went to his birthday party at the Quad too so there is a mutual understanding,” Bounty Killer said.
SO CAN WE EXPECT A COLLAB SOON ?