Ninja Man in his war garb at Sting. - File

Sting boss Isaiah Laing is still looking forward to seeing the 'Original front teet, gold teet Don Gorgon', Ninja Man at Sting this year, despite the deejay's ongoing murder trial.

Whether he is in top form verbally slaying a rival or tickling the ladies' fancy, Ninja Man is a staple at Sting. This year, however, a jail cell might contain Desmond Ballentine and his alter ego, Ninja Man, will be missed at what promises to be an avalanche of lyrics at Jam World, Portmore.

The deejay alongside his two co-accused, his son Janile and Clayton Dennis, are currently being tried for the murder of 20-year-old Ricardo 'Ricky Trooper' Johnson.

When THE WEEKEND STAR spoke to Laing on Wednesday, he was in a hopeful mood saying, "I spoke wid Ninja last week and he said he will be appearing in court on December 14 so we're looking forward to see if he might make it. If he doesn't make it we wish him well with his trial."

Allegations are that on March 16 Johnson was sweeping his yard in the company of a friend when a motorcar with three men aboard drove up. An argument developed between Johnson's friend and the men. The men later drove off but reportedly returned later with guns blazing. Johnson was fatally shot in the incident. Ninja Man turned himself in to the police after they expressed an interest in him, while his son and the other accused were held during a police operation in St Ann. The trio is also charged with consp-iracy to murder and illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

LARGER THAN LIFE

The larger than life Boxing Day event seems tailor-made for a larger than life deejay such as Ninja Man, and there are parallels between the two - full of surprises; controversial, capable of instan-taneous, dramatic mood swings; arouse intense emotions and seemingly near immortal through ups and downs.

While he might not be there, the Sting fans who have seen him over the years will no doubt recall some great Ninja moments, while those who did not actually see them will hear tales of the legend. Sting celebrates 26 years this December having started in 1984. According to Laing, Ninja Man has been a staple at Sting since 1988 having only missed one year in 1997 when he was incarcerated.

"We dubbed him 'Mr Sting', 'cause there has never really been a Sting show and Ninja Man isn't there if he's not alive and well. He has been a major part of promoting the show over the years; he's almost a shareholder," said Laing.

And there are many Sting moments with Ninja Man, including the victories in clashes, one being with Supercat in 1991 where Ninja slashed the Don Dadda with, "reverse the hearse make ah put een di dead." For Laing, that 1991 clash is his most memorable Ninja clash to date. "It was the biggest crowd we've had attend a reggae festival which was 42,000 paid people. It was really because of his promotional activities with us that did that and when he went on the stage is like Super Cat never exist," Laing said.

CLASHES

Other Ninja moments include Shabba Ranks in 1990 with the line, "Imagine, I gwine have to teach my own student and kill it in front of de people!." Then there were the tussles with debatable outcomes - Merciless taking Ninja Man, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer at Sting 2000, as well as the onstage pummelling during the clash with Vybz Kartel in 2003.

Even in 2008, when the clash between Mavado and Vybz Kartel was the focal point of the night, Ninja Man had his battling moment. Coming onstage when the lyrical gunpowder was still rich in the air, he responded to an offstage barb with "me nuh mi modda, but yu modda me".

It is not only the clashes that have made Ninja 'Mr Sting'. There was the unforgettable public presentation of a Glock to then Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams at Sting 2002, then, three years later, his demand that Adams return the firearm. At Sting 2005, he said "Adams haffi gi mi back mi gun! Him charge fi innocent murder, me no charge fi none!"

Ninja Man was also always one to dress for the occasion and has arrived in some spectacular Sting outfits, among them the professorial cap and gown he wore in 2003 and his smashing martial arts get-up last year.