Minister Marion Hall, formerly Lady Saw, had tongues wagging on Tuesday night after a post to her Instagram page said she would be stepping away from her “calling”.
Social media users had differing views, but prominent among them was speculation that she might be abandoning her ministry to return to the dancehall space.
“To all Christians and non-Christians who’s been coming up against my ministry. Congratulations on your mission to bring me down. You’ve successfully done so. I’ve now decided to step away from my calling in order to fulfil your desires. I will no longer be preaching or keeping church on any social media platform. May God forgive me,” Hall’s post said.
However, sources close to Hall have said her comment is likely due to the flood of negative comments on her social media pages and that she has no intention of returning to the dancehall space. The debate rages on, however.
Prior to being baptised on December 14, 2015, Hall, went by the moniker Lady Saw. She established her church, the Holy Ghost Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ, online in 2020.
However, many fans have seemingly remained ready to embrace her with open arms if she chose to return to the dancehall space.
One Twitter user reacted Tuesday night with glee, posting: “Lady Saw a guh back under the Sycamore Tree wid har heels on.”
Some entertainment industry players have also weighed in on the matter.
Gospel artiste Jermaine Edwards said he is praying for Hall to go to the dancehall.
“It may sound weird, but I’m praying for God to send her to the dancehall; (not) back to dancehall, and there is a clear difference. Going to the dancehall to use the voice of influence she had, not for the raunchy, skin-out lyrics she used to sing, but for potent, holistic lyrics, skillfully penned to counteract damaging music that is messing up the minds of our next generation,” Edwards said in a Facebook post.
In the meantime, in her sermon on Sunday, Minister Hall declared that it is “reaping season”.
“People of God, the Lord said it is reaping season and I will guh down dere and reap dem. I will reap dem out of every corner, everywhere in dancehall,” she said. “If I have to come there and go and do the work, lay hands on everything, that’s where I’m going.”
Hall has faced criticism in the wake of a series of sermons in recent weeks, in which she mentioned the names of some of the female entertainers in the industry. The constant stream of negative comments appears to have had an impact on Hall, according to the usually reliable source close to her, which may have influenced the social media post on Tuesday.
A well-known producer who has worked with Minister Hall in the past told Loop News that Hall might be moving towards gospel-flavoured dancehall tracks.
In 2020, she did two such tracks, “From Mi Born (Obeah Man)” and “Mi Soon Alright”, which fared better, in terms of mainstream attention, than her reggae-gospel albums “When God Speaks” and “His Grace”.
“That’s where I feel she is going. No one has the kind of potency she has on dancehall riddims, and if she can spread the gospel on those songs, she will show how powerful she is to win souls for Christ through dancehall,” the producer, who did not want to be named, said.
Hall, 52, is best known for her Grammy-winning feature on No Doubt’s hit song, “Underneath It All”. But, as Lady Saw, she ruled the dancehall roost with a steady stream of hits such as “Man is the Least”, “Sycamore Tree”, “If Him Lef”, “Good Man”, “I’ve Got Your Man”, and “Heels On”.
As Minister Hall, she is known for the fan-favourite track, “Tun Back Christians”.
Source: Loop Jamaica
