Jamaican music is beautiful. The bass riffs from reggae tunes are sweet to the ears. The slow pace of Rock Steady made it easy to listen to and enjoy. Ska caused people to move their feet, owning a moment in time. Mento had its own vibe and flavour. Dancehall could tell a story. Our genres are so transcendent, millions from all over the world fall in love with what we have to offer. We locals do not appreciate our own as much as foreigners do. In fact, non-locals have gripped this aspect of our culture while we opt to demonize it.

Growing up, I was one who was “caught” in the Gully / Gaza feud. Strange, I know. I used to hear this content in public transportation and I caught on to the music quickly. That’s how my brain works. I will forever maintain that Vybz Kartel is one of the best lyricists of our time. I even shared that with my pastor once. As a Christian girl, I was not supposed to or expected to listen to those songs. However, this experience made me equipped to speak with my peers. I was having deep conversations with my neighbours about the beauty of musicality and how some lyrics promoted a lifestyle I would never cling to. I suddenly had an audience with young men who had never stepped in a church building. I could point them to good local content from my world. I can never regret that. It is unfortunate that we are cursing the artform because of a few bad eggs. This can be akin to refusing to go close to any tree because you witnessed a dog peeing on one. Not all is bad. I guess Vybz Kartel’s song “Emergency” resonates with me till this day.

Yes, our local content can be lewd and vulgar. But so is calypso. Have you heard some of the suggestive lyrics in that music? If we think that Square One’s “Turn It Around” is about a plumbing job, we have fooled ourselves. We elevate the music from other countries, including those from our Caribbean neighbours and shun our own. Take it a step further. Calypso and Dancehall have similar sexual content, which has the ladies skimpily clad and men reveling in the hedonistic frolic. Why is Dancehall the black sheep of the family and Calypso considered “good entertainment”? May I dare say that this is hypocrisy? Since both are in like manner, we need to either accept both or reject both. I know which side I am on.

It is for this reason dancehall should never be used as a scapegoat from crime and violence in this country. It is not the only reason we are in the state we are in. Before dancehall was considered a genre, guns and gangs were in effect, aligned to political factions. Jamaican artistes such as the late U-Roy and Yellowman were considered to be godfathers of the genre. Was their content in support of rivalry and donmanship? Correct me if I am wrong. Again, we have a problem of the heart here.

The disparity is also seen in the way we worship. The 1990s Grace Thrillers music was steep in calypso beats and loved by all. Reggae at the time, not so much. Why? The genre of reggae is embraced by people all over the world from all walks of life. Why can’t we do the same? 

I consider myself to be an eclectic music listener. I still listen to Handel’s “Messiah” at Christmas time. I sometimes bounce to 80s disco to improve productivity. I love my hymns and Beres Hammond joints. However, not everyone is like me. Church, not everyone will learn to love hymns and ballads. In fact, many might be more likely to relate to a DJ Nicholas’ “Divine Mathematics” because it comes from their space. It resonates with them. Our local genres cannot be deemed as substandard in comparison to hymns and ballads. God gave us these genres as gifts. It’s for us to choose to make them wholesome. Use them for His glory.

I believe this is an approach we should all take with all genres of music, including our own: Embrace it what is wholesome, reject which is damaging. Our children need good stuff to hear. We also need it too. What we feed our minds on can have long lasting consequences on how we live. Let’s choose to love what we have, support what we have been blessed with and share it with the world.

^{Photo by Ajala Kings (IG: @ajalakings)}