Queen Ifrica

Ventrice Morgan, whose stage name is Queen Ifrica, is a reggae singer and disc jockey from the hills above Montego Bay, Jamaica. She is the daughter of ska music legend Derrick Morgan but was raised by her mother and stepfather. Her career began in her home town in 1995 when she won a talent competition in a local club. In 1998 she began working with Tony Rebel's record label, Flames Productions, and has since performed in such music festivals as Reggae on the River in California and Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica. Queen Ifrica, also known as Fyah Muma, drew notice when she won a talent contest at Club Inferno in Montego Bay in 1995. Her baptism in the business included a performance on Reggae Sumfest’s Singer’s Nite; coming onstage after a set by Buju Banton, Queen Ifrica's performance drew a good reception from the crowd.

Queen Ifrica joined the Flames Production camp in 1998 when, at a show in honour of the late Garnett Silk, Tony Rebel asked her to join the Flames camp. Since then, she has worked her way up to being one of the premier female cultural reggae artists in the business. Since then she has become a staple in cultural reggae events around the world.

Several of Queen Ifrica's notable recordings include "Randy" and "Boxers and Stockings". She is an active participant in several community outreach activities, including her work on the Committee for Community in the heart of Kingston’s inner-city, particularly the S-Corner community in Kingston 13. In 2001, She teamed with Tony Rebel and others in the United Nations’ celebration of the Year of the Volunteers.

A Rastafarian by faith, she is known for her work in the community and for writing songs about deeply personal subject matter in songs such as Below the Waist and Daddy.^[1][2][3] However, the subject matter of her work also has expressed homophobia, such as in Keep It To Yourself.^[4]

Homophobia

According to The Jamaica Online Star, during a performance at the Grand Gala on Tuesday, 6 August 2013, Queen Ifrica made statements glorifying male straightness and heterosexual marriage. The Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG) expressed disappointment over anti-gay statements stating that her sentiments are an example of the constant prejudice that is being allowed to take prominence on the national stage in Jamaica. They also stated that the remarks she made bears some resemblance to statements fellow reggae recording artiste Tony Rebel made at the same event last year. Her response was, "Like myself, I think they are exercising their right to speak for what they believe in. However, I think it is unfair for them to incriminate me when there is no incrimination there. I simply spoke for what I believed in. They should simply speak from what they believe in but not try to tarnish my character in the process." She went on to say, "I never caused the beheading of anyone. If I did then there would be a problem. Until a member of the gay community can give birth from their union they should not be abrasive to heterosexuals, because they came from that union."^[5]

In August 2013, a gay rights group, Jamaica Association of Gays and Lesbians Abroad (JAGLA, started an online campaign to have the Canadian government withdraw Ifrica from a concert called Rastafesta due to her history on using homophobic lyrics such as "no fish" and "no faggotism".^[6]

The Metronews Newspaper in Canada later reported that she was withdrawn from the show after pressure from the sponsors and other officials.^[7]

In May 2014 she was withdrawn from the bill of a concert in Queens, New York after protests over her homophobic lyrics.^[8]

References