PEMBROKE — Harvey Godwin’s inauguration as Lumbee tribal chairman was supposed to begin with a performance of the national anthem by Alexis Raeana Jones, but the reigning Miss Lumbee was not allowed on stage.

The Lumbee Regional Development Association, which sponsors the annual Miss Lumbee pageant, suspended Jones’ services after learning of her appearance in a music video by Cliff Powell, a Pembroke rap artist who goes by the stage name Feli Fame.

Filmed outside Jeko’s Kwick Stop in Pembroke and posted Jan. 3 to YouTube, the video shows Jones in the passenger seat of a red sports car.

“The problem is the video’s message,” said James Hardin, executive director of LRDA. “We feel it has negative overtones.”

The song, “Big Face Hunnits,” is laden with profanity and includes descriptions of gun violence and sexual acts. According to Hardin, Jones told LRDA representatives during a meeting this week that she was unaware of the video’s “message” and that the lyrics were dubbed in after it was filmed.

Jones was told Tuesday that her services as Miss Lumbee had been suspended. Jones, who could not be reached for comment, defended the rapper, a former classmate at Purnell Swett High School, on Twitter.

“Shoutout to @FeliFame for having my back! You’re such an awesome friend! Continue to dream big and represent Rob Co. to the fullest!” she wrote in a tweet.

The 20-year-old was crowned Miss Lumbee during a pageant held in July as part of Lumbee Homecoming Week. A $5,000 scholarship is among the benefits that are attached to the title.

Jones has since represented the tribe through appearances at several conferences and events. Shortly after she was crowned, Jones attended the first Tribal Youth Gathering in Washington, D.C.

A section pertaining to social media in the Miss Lumbee pageant application says that any “conduct found unbecoming by Lumbee Regional Development Association Inc. could result in [the contestant’s] disqualification from the competition.” Social media websites singled out in the section include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Voy Boards. YouTube is not mentioned.

The association’s board of directors will meet Tuesday to decide if there will be additional sanctions against Jones, including the loss or her crown. Although previous Miss Lumbee winners have had “conflicts” addressed by the association, Hardin said that “no one has ever lost a crown.”

Hardin told The Robesonian he is sympathetic to Jones’s predicament, calling her a “victim” of social media.

In a tweet shared Wednesday, Jones voiced frustration with the controversy.

“I would love it if people would refrain from texting/calling me, stay out of my inbox, and if you have nothing good to say … don’t say it,” she wrote.

Powell has perhaps gained some publicity from the controversy. The video has been viewed 26,909 times since it was posted to YouTube.

In a tweet, the rapper describes it as “the video that has everyone in Pembroke talking.”

Courtesy photo | The Lumbee Regional Development Association, which sponsors the annual Miss Lumbee pageant, suspended Jones’ services after learning of her appearance in a music video by Cliff Powell, a Pembroke rap artist who goes by the stage name Feli Flame.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_still-8.jpgCourtesy photo | The Lumbee Regional Development Association, which sponsors the annual Miss Lumbee pageant, suspended Jones’ services after learning of her appearance in a music video by Cliff Powell, a Pembroke rap artist who goes by the stage name Feli Flame.

Photo by Frank Daughtrey | Alexis Raeana Jones is crowned Miss Lumbee during a ceremony at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_FDP_3977_9X6-8.jpgPhoto by Frank Daughtrey | Alexis Raeana Jones is crowned Miss Lumbee during a ceremony at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Staff report