Tony Rebel makes plea to cleanse dancehall
I have been arguing for a minute that for dancehall music to thrive economically on the international level, the artists have to move away from the “girls, guns, ganja” monotony. Tony Rebel said similar things a few weeks back at Rebel Salute’s launch, but we differ in that I definitely am not telling any one to ditch dancehall for roots and culture just because that’s whats selling. Here’s a piece from Steven Jackson, writer at the Jamaica Observer, reporting on Tony Rebel arguing for a clean up of dancehall for the sake of making it a money maker:
Germany’s Adolf Hitler, France and the US taught the world about violence and sex, charged event organiser Tony Rebel in a plea to cleanse dancehall of explicit lyrics. Explicit dancehall, his argument suggested was not marketable in Europe and contributed to poor US sales in 2009.
“You can’t preach violence in music and expect the people of Germany to accept it. Because Hitler already show them what violence is. You cannot teach the French and the Americans about sex. A dem mek it,” Rebel who spoke at the recent launch of Rebel Salute stated.
The top deejays of 2009 were Mavado and Vybz Kartel whose explicit recordings and tribalised fans fuelled the ‘gully versus gaza’ divide. But Kartel and former mentor Bounty Killer also traded lyrical curses along with Flippa Mafia and Elephant Man. The music remained mainly underground but formed the subtext of poor sales in 2009: A year in which no dancehall artiste sold over 80,000 copies in the US market, according to Soundscan.
Rebel added: “What they love about us, is when them going through hardship and terrible times dem hear ‘don’t worry about a ting’. That is what they want…don’t apologise for endorsing and loving and support the real authentic side of Jamaica music.”
International reggae charts continue to be dominated by non Jamaican reggae artistes. For instance iTunes reggae charts in Japan, Germany and New Zealand, on January 1, had only one Jamaican-born artiste — Bob Marley — in the top ten, signalling to some pundits that Jamaica is losing influence on reggae.
Top sellers in the US market were Sean Paul’s Imperial Blaze (Atlantic Records), Matisyahu’s Light (Epic Records) and Reggae Gold (VP Records), which sold some 69,700, 56,700 and 40,000 respectively in North America. Conscious reggae group Morgan Heritage and dancehall producer-turned-singer Serani, made first week sales of 300 and 1,200 units respectively, but were still able to chart on Billboard.
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EmpressDoms Says:
i think there is a TON of reasons why reggae isn’t making the big $$$. Of course we can start out with the recession.. then we can go to piracy, then we can move on to the fact that most of the people who listen to dancehall buy mix CDs because for some reason we just can’t stand listening to the entire 4 min track… either that or we can’t stand listening to one artist sing on 15 tracks… straight.
And honestly, when I realized I can download a good mix CD.. buying wasnt even an option.. but regardless 0% of the money go to the artist anyway.
hmmm, what else?? The people who BUY CD’s don’t understand the lyrics. I think roots and culture wins every time not only because it sounds good and have a good msg but also because its slower so its easier to comprehend.
Rap music is only about girls, guns, and ganja — but they’re making mucho dinero!
Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 5:34 AM
Honeii Says:
I totally agree with him!!
Posted on January 27th, 2010 at 10:38 AM
Malaika - WorldFlavas Says:
This is such a difficult subject for me to be objective, On one hand I am all for freedom of speech, whether it be the KKK, Hitler, The Black Panther Party,etc…
I want to protect their right of speech so that mine can be protected. Sure I don’t agree with the glorification of violence and such but like a movie or a book I understand that it is art, and often more than not art imitates life.
I want to scream let parents guide their children and show them that it is not to be glorified, but some children have no parents and not everyone like I subscribes into the belief that “It takes a village to raise a child”.
So whats the answer? no seriously, what’s the answer???
Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 12:45 PM
Admin Says:
Doms – you’re so right >>>roots does have an edge over dancehall becuz of msg and tempo. I mean was there ever a dancehall ‘industry’ anyway. The money making in dancehall began in the actual location with the weedman and the stout man, the sound system etc etc. Now its not that different except that stage shows are bringing in money for the artists and promoter and printers etc. so i guess thats a step forward except thats its sooooo local that it barely makes a dent. People were never buying dancehall records so as Mah-Lie-Kah said (lol) “seriously, whats the answer” because I dont expect to hear Munga singing Jah this and Jah that on a dancehall riddim (am I the only one who is upset with the irony of a ‘gangsta ras’) but at the same time its like where is the limit, where do we draw the line on the bullshit that is spit out to us under the guise of ‘art’ and dancehall.
hmmmm rap artists are on the ‘girl, guns and ganja’ stuff for real>>>> wonder why they make it and we cant. any ideas??
Posted on January 29th, 2010 at 1:11 PM
H Says:
I can agree with most everything said here. Dancehall is dancehall, it has always been “underground” and has always contains elements of “guns, girls and ganja”; Spragga Benz even has a song by that exact same title. I feel Tony Rebel is calling for a cleansing of the lyrics because as the increasingly popular genre of Jamaican music, it (dancehall) reflects on all Jamaican music.To make reggae/dancehall more marketable, globally, dancehall would need to clean up a bit. Also, after seeing that infamous video of actual sex in a dacehall session (do people still use the word session, lol), I do feel things are going too far downhill. Dancehall, Reggae and Jamaica as a whole have so much more to offer the world than some of the fuckery being put out these days. Remember the days of Shabba and Maxi Priest? Trailer Load a Girls was di tune!
Yes rap artists (if you can call some of these guys artists) are on the “guns, girls and ganja” stuff heavy but they see success because trap is part of America’s largest export, pop culture.I feel there is more nonsense and gimmicks in rap than music/artistry these days and I have always preferred dancehall to rap.I would love to see Reggae, Dancehall, and UK Grime artists (had to throw that last one in there, lol) see some of international success.
P.S. You aren’t the only one upset with the irony of the “Gangsta Ras” but he’s entertaining so I guess he’s granted a pass. Personally, I think people use Ras/Rastafari too loosly these days, but maybe that’s just me…
Posted on January 30th, 2010 at 3:42 AM