Dancehall Music is Dying a Slow and Painful Death – Take it Back!

January 25, 2009 in Random
Tags: dancehall, music, reggae

In the early 1990’s Dancehall Music was at its peek when it gave birth to artists whose lyrical creativity allowed them to write songs that commanded the airwaves in Jamaica and across the globe. Back then, music meant something because its rich ingredients were carefully blended with a little humor, love, poetry, and politics that ignited the energy within us that made our hands and feet move to the beat. Dancehall Music amplifies the silent cries from the hearts and minds of those who live in Jamaica’s inner cities. It is a means by which artists use to share their personal experiences as well as help to bring much needed attention to the injustices that occurs within those communities by the hands of police, government and gunmen. In the last few years,it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to discover that our music is taking a serious turn for the worst, because artists are now focusing on fueling conflicts within the industry instead of writing good music.

Their approach towards entertainment conflicts often begs one to question whether or not they are fighting for ghetto people or simply trying to establish a reputation as the wickedest DJ in dancehall. And in a desperate effort to prove that they rightfully deserve such a title – physically fighting on stage or even threatening to inflict physical injuries on each other is viewed as normal. Fans of Dancehall music should never turn a blind eye to the violent behavior of a lot of these artists, because it is casting a negative shadow over how the world views us as a unique group of people.

After reading countless articles in news papers, magazines and online blogs caused me to conclude that Ignorance, lack of talent, and the implied code of the under world directly contributes to the downward mobility of Dancehall. This is partially due to the competitiveness of the entertainment industry and the larger that usual influx of new artists whose level of creativity is often nowhere to be found. In order to secure a spot on the top they often resort to creating conflict with other artists in order to grab the media’s attention. This method is perhaps one of the oldest tricks in the books to get your foot behind the walls of Dancehall’s fictitious secret society.

The conflict between two prominent figures in Dancehall music Beenie Man and Bounty Killer is perhaps one of the longest feuds in the history of Dancehall. They have been at each other’s neck lyrically from the early 90s and is getting more and more intense as the days go by. There is no telling when their conflict will end or determine who will come out victorious, but judging from the lyrical insults they target at each-other paints a never-ending battle.

The widely talked about union between Beenie Man and Bounty’s ex girlfriend added more fuel to the conflict when she (Angel) gave birth to Beenie’s child. In addition, Beenie released a song which included the line “Mouth Wata Caa Breed Har,” hinting that Bounty conducted certain sexual acts while he was in a relationship with Angel. I’m sure that i don’t have to explain in graphic details as to what type of sexual acts Beenie was referring to in his lyrical assault, but looking at the Killer’s reputation as one who is often very vocal against such acts will make people begin to question whether the allegations are true. But in any event, the words that have been going back and forth between them will reveal that their conflict is more of a personal vendetta against each other than it is a lyrical war to determine who rightfully deserve to be called the true king of Dancehall.

Vybz Kartel, at one point was caught in the middle of these emotionally entangled warbirds while trying to remain mutual and a “loyal” friend to both of them. However, his announcement that he was no longer a member of The Alliance lead me to speculate that he was simply trying to play on both courts for his own gain. His explanation for leaving the Alliance was that he wanted to spread his wings. But I believe that he just didn’t like to be told what to do and when to do it by Bounty. Nevertheless, his decision to remain friends with both artists should be commended because its obvious that Bounty and Beenie were fighting over who Angel considers better in bed or who allegedly tried to impregnate her using natural mouth water. Vybz Kartel still acknowledges that Bounty Killer helped him out a lot as an upcoming artist and on many occasions openly expressed how grateful he was of everything Bounty did for him. But predictably, Bounty’s response to the news that Kartel was leaving his camp was greeted with harsh words that were intended to tarnish his reputation. And when things couldn’t seem to get any tenser Mavado, who is a loyal member to The Alliance took sides with Bounty and dished out a few lyrical-grapes towards Kartel. In retaliation, Kartel launched a few missiles of his own commenting explicitly about Mavado’s level of gangsterism or lack thereof. Unfortunately, the conflict between the two slowly found its way outside the recording studios and onto the “gully side.” As a result of the battle between the two it was alleged that physical violence came into play. According to media sources, a poplar hang out spot of Mavado was riddled with bullets by a group of individuals traveling in a car. Kartel in response denied that he was directly or indirectly responsible for what had occurred. However, sources close to Mavado are not disputing the possibility that Kartel had something to do with it since both of them are constantly throwing lyrical jabs at each other.

The music that fans of Dancehall music grew up listening is slowly becoming the melting pot of violent treats against life. These types of behaviors should never be condoned on any levels or should we turn a blind eye to the fact that it is not only affecting how the world sees us as a people, but gravely affecting the upward productivity of our nation. Government, producers and other key figures in the industry should be more aggressive in removing those songs from the air waves. Because it is directly motivating criminals to use their guns and commit unspeakable crimes against law abiding citizens. A lot of these artists fail to understand that their words have great power and whatever they say or do often gets embedded in the minds of the youths of Jamaica. The youths of Jamaica are the future of the country and if we allow negativity to consume their minds we can expect to create a nation ten years from now that has very little compassion or respect for life. The sad thing about the effect of violent lyrics is when those words are taken serious, individuals act on them and the artist cries innocence. But in my opinion they are just as guilty as the ones who pulled the trigger or used a knife in support or defense of their favorite artist.

The line “dancehall is dead” could be used to best describe t he level at which the music is right now. Instead of spending time perfecting their craft as representatives of the “Land of Wood and Water,” they are more focused on undermining the talent and reputation of another artists. Artists such as Sean Paul, Lady Saw, and shaggy are all great examples of individuals with a clear vision of where they want to take their careers and the type of mainstream audience they would like to reach. Dancehall artists with very little talent or sense of direction are the ones that are now casting a dark shadow over dancehall music and Jamaican people in general. Its funny how a lot of new artists have released countless lyrical assaults, but are yet to make an album or have one of their songs played on mainstream radio stations.

The quality of music has declined drastically over the last 5 years and from the looks of it things will not improve unless producers and Dancehall fans begin to demand quality music. Dancehall music should never limit itself to just clashes or test to prove who is better than the other. It represents our culture, people, the silent cries of poverty and feelings of hopelessness. Producers Government and fans should take a more aggressive approach in taking back the music and mold it into what it represented a few years go when lyrics meant more than what came from the barrel of a gun.