All too often, what passes off as a critique of our “cultural heritage’ and offerings, is nothing more than
institutionalized affectations, especially, when it comes to our theatre and our music.
And it seems, with each graduating generation, that self-indulgent abasement just gets worse, rather than more enlightened.
Today, there’s lots of supposed educated chatter from many from their gated lofty perches, speaking down from high, seeking to condemn our music for what they proscribe as its crudity and debasement of our women…Sadly, not only do they condemn our Artists for their output, but they also condemn our women for daring to ignore them and their pronouncements and going out to enjoy the music and celebrate themselves, in the face of what some presumptuously condemn as ‘Ghetto-Music”, by other mellifluous words.
Truth is, Jamaican music has always been driven from the groin up; as well as from the bottom up – meaning from the bowels of our rural communities as well as our urban ghettoes.
And curiously, it is those who produce naught, who it would appear, from our very beginning who have been busiest lambasting those who exercise their artistry and mastery, by putting their experiences, struggles, aspirations, sexual prowess, and conquests, to music, and sharing it with their peers and the wider community, in the hope of breaking out of generational and institutionalized poverty and hopelessness.
It is hilarious at times to see those who condemn the loudest, trying the hardest to “perform” the latest dance-moves, that are generated by these same artists they seek to exile, whilst dancing to the same songs, in the confines of their homes or that of those they consider their social equals…or Betters.
One truth that needs telling is that Jamaican popular music from the “People”, has always been “Vulgar”, in that it has always had at its ‘baseline’ graphic sexual content – However, what has changed over the years, is not the lyrical content (so much), but more the language!
The language used in the music has always been fit to the generation of the day, and ‘back in the day’ when the language might have used “Softer” words, as against the language of today, the intent and content have been consistently sexually themed all throughout its history.
Whether the word used to describe sex or sexual desires, was “Soldering”, “Duggu-Duggu”, “Ramping-Shop”, “Daggering”, or “Battering”; Or whether the word used to describe the Male genitalia was “Cocky”, “Hood”, “Big-Bamboo”, “Gimlit”, or “Pianis”; the Vagina described as “Glory-hole”, “Frunt”, “Wrenking-meat”, “Under-neet”, or “Pussy-hole”, – the intent and context has been consistent – It speaks directly to its audience and extended audiences, without the sophistry associated with conformists.
Jamaican music, for all its constituents genres, has never been about expressing the opinions of the Oppressors. And it was and is most certainly not structured to represent or ape, what Europeans and others vaingloriously refer to as “Classical-music” or to massage the presumed sensibilities, of those who sit in judgment of the artform; as that would betray the genius and creativity of free-wheeling artistry.
Our Music is indeed many things, and one of those many things is the fact that it is the very essence of the people; their experiences, and the language of the day. But more importantly, the music is perhaps the only avenue open to its exponents to express their sexual desires, sexual frustrations, and sexual fears, whilst celebrating their sexual conquests, gratification, and a supposed sexual machismo – And don’t be fooled, the dancehall is the new ‘romanesque arena’, its performers, the new gladiators, where men perform to assert their individuality and win over the crowd publicly, and in so doing, win their Freedom. That is Freedom from the Ghetto; Freedom from poverty; Freedom from the Influence of the Politicians, the Dons, and Influence peddlers. And in the end, the champion not only gets his pick of the women, but he also has the adoration of the crowd, and curiously, he too joins the ranks of the influencers, and he too is now celebrated by those who first sought to condemn, but like the true ‘waggonists’ they are, now seek to identify with the “New-Star”, to raise their own profile and street creds…
That the music is going through a metamorphosis, is not in question. But like The Caterpillar, it too will emerge from its ‘cocoon’, like a beautiful butterfly. After all, those who have prescribed the Socially and politically ‘correct’ straight-jacket for the music before, have been proven wrong, time and time again. And lest we forget, the music did not Buss internationally, because of their support, as history will show, they did all they could, to stifle and retard its growth. So, why should the artists heed their social posturing now?
