Conscientious reggae singer Mikey General has pleaded with residents to stop using violence to resolve differences.The British-born Jamaican said he’s seen a huge change in the community since he first visited in 1997.Youths involved in warring gangs in particular, are tarnishing Bermuda’s reputation as a “peaceful and loving” jurisdiction, he said.“I’ve been to Bermuda five times and the Island has always been one of the most peaceful places I’ve been,” he said. “But I hear now there’s a lot of violence that’s creeping up and that’s not the Bermuda I know. So my simple message is to stop the violence.”He added: “Violence does nothing for us and only kills and the thing is, we are killing our own people. It’s not like we’re fighting a war so we do not have any reason to be doing this and it’s usually over some simple things.”Mikey General, whose real name is Michael Taylor, said there are other ways to settle disputes.“We don’t have to fight for everything, we can talk things over,” he added. “You don’t have to draw a gun or knife for everything. Let’s talk and reason and see if we can find a compromise.“That’s one thing I would want the youth to try to do more. Try and reason out things because some of the things they are fighting for and killing each other for is not worth it.”The artist performed with long-time friend Luciano at Veterans in Action, a Bob Marley tribute at Bermuda Athletic Association.“I first came here in 1997 and all the times I’ve been here it’s been with brother Luciano and we’ve always had good reception and good vibes from the people,” he said. “The Country is nice and green with fresh air and all of that but the most important thing about Bermuda is the people. The people are so receptive to reggae music and they’re so loving.”He met Luciano in 1992 after moving back to Jamaica from Britain and a year later the two friends became mainstays in Phillip (Fatis) Burrell’s Xterminator Crew that toured America and Europe “exterminating slackness” in reggae music.In 1998, the pair formed Jah Messenjah Productions with the aim of providing people with “spiritually uplifting music in these times of degradation”.“This is something we’ve been doing for almost 20 years all over the world,” Mikey General said.Saturday night’s sold out tribute proved to be a big hit.Event organiser Declan Harris said: “Luciano and Mikey General not only delighted the crowd on the evening, but also delivered a message to a group of students at CedarBridge Academy as well as comforting a number of patients at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. The show itself was sold out by 5pm on Saturday but a limited number of patrons were able to pay at the door.”He added: “Over the years, we have attempted to bring a selection of reggae artists from ‘yesteryear’ and the annual Bob Marley tribute has grown over the past few years from 650 patrons to almost 1000 this year. It has struck a chord with a mature demographic who aren't out every weekend given their responsibilities.“Our hope is to continue to provide quality entertainers for the Bermuda public at an affordable price. This wouldn't be possible without the generous support of our sponsors who believe in the proliferation of the arts in a safe and conducive setting.”