‘Save unnu money’, Heavy D warns entertainers - Urges them to ditch large entourages

Popular artiste manager Heavy D is imploring artiste to "cut down" on the number of people they often parade in their entourages in order to save more for rainy days.

"Save unnu money. Artiste a travel wid 50 people. Unnu nuh need 50 people fi spend pon every night. Mi tired fi warn dem 'bout it because when di show done, di 50 people dem gone 'bout dem business and left yuh bruck. Yuh nuh need so much people because dem ago milk yuh dung and drag yuh dung [sometimes] without even knowing. Because everybody deh deh, suh dem ago want a juice, food, supm fi drink, and when di show done yuh nuh have no money," Heavy D told THE WEEKEND STAR. "Yuh can't a live fi di hype and when yuh money done yuh a duh GoFundMe; people affi try fi save and learn from other people's mistake."

His call for artistes to plan for the future came in light of the recent reports of the ill-health faced by music veteran Stitchie, who has been diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage and is said to be unresponsive. A GoFundMe account was later organised on his behalf to assist with his medical expenses. Fans had suspected that the talented singjay was unwell after needing assistance during a performance last year. Heavy D, who clarified that he was not speaking about Stitchie's specific situation and wished him a speedy recovery, said that most entertainers don't take their health into great consideration.

"Entertainers smoke a lot and drink a lot and mi always warn dem 'bout it and tell dem seh 'Yuh can't a constantly a drink every day, it ago mash yuh up'. And sometimes is the second-hand smoking a di problem because sometime when mi go a studio, mi mek dem know seh mi a guh come in and everybody affi stop smoke because mi naah mek dem kill me," shared Heady D, who has had his fair share of ailments and went through an extensive weight loss journey as recommended by his doctor. The 66-year-old said that although he doesn't exercise every day, he eats a limited amount of things and tries to laugh as much as he can.

"Mi nuh stress over nothing because dat a one a di main ting weh help kill yuh off too - stress," he added.

He suggested that even though some entertainers might try to maintain good health, the long-term effects of travelling - including long flights, lack of sleep and not being able to find balanced meals in a foreign country - make it really difficult.

"Di hungriest days dem a my life a when mi inna Europe. Mi pocket full a money and mi can't get no food," he stated with a laugh.

Executive branch manager of the individual life department at Marathon Insurance Brokers, Otis Hamilton, said like any other occupation, financial planning should start "when you start earning your first dollar".

"If [entertainers] should front load these massive amounts of money that you get, during certain periods when you might have a big song out or yuh just going through a wave, then we have the [annuity] programme where you can structure your income so it pays you every month. Every time you get a lump sum yuh throw it in a programme like that. Suh your pay now becomes like an income that you consistently earn off over the years," he said, adding that this will also assist artistes greatly in terms of contributing to their taxes.

He said that it's "absolutely important" to have an insurance plan to safeguard themselves against the unexpected.

"If it's one thing sure to happen, is what you don't know is going to happen, because nobody plans for accidents or illness and as such, you must be prepared... so in the event that you're not around you're still able to take care of your family," he opined.