Death by Dancehall

Reject violent dancehall lyrics and live

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When was the last time you took the time to listen to the lyrics of some of today’s dancehall music? Well, when next you listen, you are guaranteed to hear most of the artistes spitting rhymes that blatantly call on us to maim, mob, and murder others, with the assumption being other Jamaicans. Or you will hear artistes bragging about crimes that they committed. Or you will hear them sending threats to anyone who dares to diss them, or any of their family members and friends. Our dancehall artistes are well armed, and they make it very clear to us that we too should bear illegal arms. Our dancehall artistes are murderers, and they encourage and implore us to be murderers too. Our dancehall artistes are lawless, and irresponsible, and they deliberately disregard the role they are playing in fueling aggression and violence in Jamaica. These are the only conclusions that must be drawn after listening to the things they say. Unless they expect us to believe that they do not mean what they are saying. Or better yet, do they want us to believe that they should not be taken literally, since their tunes are supposedly artistic expression? Of course, they will say that their art captures their reality. You know, the whole art imitating life thing. But could it be that they are creating, and continue to create, their own reality with this kind of so-called art, and in the process helping to keep us all trapped in this nightmare of aggression and violence?

Profiteers, Not Patriots

Last year, over 1,600 Jamaican men, women, and children were murdered. How many more Jamaicans must be killed for us to rise up individually and collectively to address our crisis? And yet, Jamaica has been very sparing of dancehall artistes. Besides the murder of dancer and quasi-dancehall artiste ‘Bogle’, in January 2006, there has been no killing of a dancehall artiste in recent memory. Dancehall music started out as entertainment for the poor, who used it back then to help take their minds off their plights and struggles. It has since transformed into a persecutor of the poor, and everybody else, since it calls on us to maim, mob, and murder each other. Indeed, it has lost its way and has been fueling our serious and urgent problem of aggression and murder in Jamaica. Dancehall artistes are prepared to say just about anything in the name of artistic expression and they use the most cleverly created musical beats (rhythms) to deliver their usually catchy messages. It is a gross abuse and misuse of free speech and of their talents. These perpetrators are profiteers, not patriots, which make them no different than the politicians and the ‘system’ that the music once fought against. So what was to be a part of the solution is today a major problem.

We Are All Guilty

How does a dancehall artiste expect fans to respond to a song that is constantly calling for gun brandishing and gun touting, and for the killing of anyone and everyone who dares to disrespect in any way, shape, or form? Or do they not stop to think about the possible repercussions of their violent lyrics? Where are their pride, and their love and respect for people, country, and self? Is it that they hate Jamaica and their fellow Jamaicans? Or is it that they lack creativity and have no other lyrical ideas? From the most recent newcomers to the veterans in the business, most are guilty. And the guilty ones know themselves. But we too are guilty. We attend their shows and cheer them on as they call on us to be killers. Our radio stations scratch out some of the more shocking parts of their lyrics and spread their call for us to be assassins across the public airwaves. The sounds systems take delight in playing these ‘deadly’ tunes to dancehall’s loyal disciples, who wait with cocked guns and firecrackers to salute the tunes that are the deadliest. So, indeed, we are all guilty, and have abdicated our responsibility, to each other, to our country, and to ourselves.

Reject Violent Dancehall Music

Be not confused. This is not a call for censorship. That may worsen the problem. This is a call for all of us to take a look in the mirror and re-find our lost love for our people, our country, and ourselves. The dancehall was very nice before violence hijacked it and it can be very nice again without violent lyrics. For many years Jamaica has been losing the very difficult fight against aggression and violence. We have become a nation of trigger happy gun slingers, who are willing to kill no matter what the conflict is about, and in some cases, shots will be fired even when there is no conflict. Poverty, economic hardships, and drugs and gang activities are all major factors that are contributing to our high murder rate. However, let us not ignore or underestimate the power of music; and we know that dancehall music is well loved in Jamaica, especially in poor and underserved communities. Please, stop beseeching us to kill each other. Give us music that is about hope and encouragement, and lift our spirits with tunes that call for truth, equal rights, and justice. Each of us only has one life and we must do everything possible to safeguard it. We should also be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Until we are able to arrest and control the problem, we are all at risk, even dancehall artistes. We therefore must work together. But as we search and wait for solutions, it is not to our benefit to glorify or advertise violence in our homes, in our cars, over our airwaves, and in the dancehalls. The line must been drawn in the sand. The beats are beautiful and are very tempting, but we must listen very carefully to the lyrics. Reject violent dancehall music, as you reject violence in all other areas of society, and live.

LIFE IS SACRED.