Tashany Thompson

Newspaper article

The rise and fall of dancehall

FROM the heady days of Wear you to the ball to the raucous Rampin' Shop, the home-grown

musical genre of Jamaican dancehall has risen to respectable prominence and fallen to the

depths of decadence. No amount of philosophising and sanitising by academia and apologetic

stances by wannabes desperately trying to identify with a popular cultural practice can deny

the fact that this musical form is in serious trouble.The guilty verdict handed down to

dancehall artiste extraordinaire Adidja Palmer, better known as Vybz Kartel, along with his

alleged cronies Andre St John, Kahira Jones, and Shawn "Shawn Storm" Campbell, with

respect to the August 2011 murder of Clive "Lizard" Williams, has elicited a variety of

responses as to the good, the bad and the ugly of the "haul and pull up kulcha". Kartel was no

ordinary citizen. Indeed, one well-known talk show host opined in the aftermath of the

celebrated trial that not even a member of parliament could have attracted so much

interest.Well, the die is cast and it remains now to see what will be the severity of the

sentence when Justice Lennox Campbell delivers his decision next Thursday, March 27,

2014. Of course, there is no doubt that Kartel will have instructed his lawyers to appeal the

verdict, but no matter what transpires from now on the jury has spoken and justice has been

served. In any event, a close scrutiny of some of Kartel's lyrics provide for the discerning eye

what may be referred to as the mens rea, described in law as "the intention or knowledge of

wrongdoing that constitutes part of a crime". In the final analysis, it is not for me to pass

judgement, but clearly this could well be a case of "cock mouth kill cock".And, in this

context, what is most frightening for me is the revelation that attempts were made to bribe the

jurors. This act to pervert the course of justice is the ultimate corruption of our justice system

and brings into sharp focus the reliability of the jury system in a country whose unofficial

national hero is Brer Anancy. I shall be following this case very closely, because an example

must be set if the juror in question is found to be guilty. What is even more important,
Tashany Thompson
Newspaper article

though, is for the police to do their work and trace this dastardly act to its origin, because

such a practice does not augur well for transparency and accountability in the courtroom.

In the meantime, it is safe to say that dancehall will be haunted by this unfortunate

comeuppance for a long time to come. Very few dancehall artistes have been as prolific as

the "Worl' Boss". He has shown himself to be a shrewd businessman, an author, a lyrical

master churning out hits like an automated machine, but most significantly an icon who

gained a tremendous following of young men and women, both here and abroad — as far

away as Africa — who believed in his way of life, his pronouncements and his actions. The

show of support last Thursday in downtown Kingston and at his base in Portmore is ample

evidence that he is the idol of many Jamaicans who see him as someone to emulate.It can be

said without fear of contradiction that many of our young males sought to ape Kartel's

behaviour. Bleaching, saggy pants and tattooing are but some of the things that defined the

dancehall giant's persona. Against this background, there are many Jamaicans who feel that

because of this perceived deleterious influence on young minds in the country, what occurred

on March 13 was not just "bad luck" or "obeah", but poetic justice. After all, to the average

Jamaican, dancehall has become synonymous with indiscipline, sexual promiscuity, violence,

gangsterism, anti-establishment behaviour, and moral decay.

When one considers that the average age of the jurors was 40, it may well be argued that it

was not only Vybz Kartel that was on trial, but dancehall. Many well-thinking Jamaicans

have become fed up with dancehall as they feel that it has corrupted our youngsters to the

point where certain artistes are referred to as "god". I recall visiting recently an inner-city

community popularly known as a ghetto, and during a conversation with some "yute man" I

asked them if they follow the news in order to have a better appreciation of what was

happening in their country, some of which may have a direct impact on them. And the glib

reply was, "No, boss, ah Beenie Man and Bounty Killa we get fi wi news from!" This telling
Tashany Thompson
Newspaper article

response confirms the great, overwhelming influence that our dancehall artistes have on the

young minds in this country. It is therefore incumbent on them that they use that influence for

good rather than evil. But are they in all instances?I well recall when Rampin' Shop was in its

heyday; even the little children coming from school could be heard delivering the lewd lyrics

with much aplomb. No longer is it a case of "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild..", it is more a case

of "Come inna mi rampin' shop..." Juxtapose dancehall with reggae and it becomes clearer

and clearer that the former belongs underground, while the latter should be promoted and

extolled. Bob Marley's immortal lyrics are evidence that good will always triumph over evil,

because decades from now millions of people all over the world will be singing One Love as

against how many will be chanting any of the dancehall songs that have a relatively short

shelf life.The current fall of Jamaican dancehall should be a wake-up call to its many

practitioners that it cannot be business as usual. They need to "wheel and come again!" Yes,

there are artistes who have tried to clean up their acts, but they do not get the "forwards",

"lighters", airplay, and performance gigs that those who promote slackness and violence get.

So it is also incumbent on the followers and patrons to clean up their acts, not to mention the

disc jockeys and radio stations who feverishly and unscrupulously go after ratings and

popularity at the expense of destroying a nation in the process.After this Kartel debacle,

dancehall must rise again, with or without him. However, even from his jail cell, he can begin

to be part of a new day for that musical genre. From now on, his lyrics must embrace

forgiveness, redemption, positive vibes, love and unity. He can make a difference, and if he

does he will play a pivotal role in bringing back the love in dancehall.

The rise and fall of dancehall

Lloyd B SMITH

Wednesday, March 19, 2014 Jamaica observer

Tashany Thompson
Newspaper article