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January 05, 2008
COMMENTARY
Dancehall nuh nice again...Need more vintage shows
By: Joan Wilson
Whoever 'dejayed' that "Dancehall nice again" needs to get their head examined as it has deteriorated to a war zone. Gone are the days when you go there, "beat two juice," jam to some nice grooves and leave there with the feeling that your money was well spent!
Just looking back at last year the many feuds that took place and the tussles that happened on stage in front of paying patrons is enough to let you "wanna puke."
Wake up dancehall industry people the only losers in all of this are the very people who are supporting your music. Instead of a bang for their buck, what do you give them in return, disrespect and a steady diet of cuss words and total almshouse on stage.
It's time that music lovers demand more for the hard earned cash they have to fork out to go see these guys on stage. Unless you, who are spending your money start setting higher standards then this foolishness will continue.
Promoters too must join the crusade for change. Face it, the only way these artistes will conform and make a change for the better is if you hit them where it really hurts. A puny fine of $1-5000 will not stop them from going on stage and using expletives or being downright offensive.
If promoters (both locally and overseas) choose instead to draw for clean artiste consistently, then sooner or later these so called hype artiste will feel the pinch and start doing what it takes to 'eat a food'.
Looking back at stalwarts such as Josey Wales, Admiral Bailey, Charlie Chaplin and the list could go on and on with DJs who set the trend... they enjoyed 'Three and four the hard ways' on stage with the crowd getting caught up in the action. There was no violence, no nasty remarks, but pure love and camaraderie.
That era has long gone and now we are faced with a crop of new breed DJs who strive on the hype generated from violence, taking no prisoners in its wake. But we can't blame them too much as the intolerable behaviour is being cheered on and sanctioned by a public who should know better or demand more for their hard earned money.
Dancehall has lost its flavour and it's no wonder many decent young people are now turning to the vintage shows. Gone are the days when these shows used to attract just the mature audience...now middle agers are jamming beside youngsters! Vintage music will live on, because of its wholesome quality while the dancehall songs remain a fad, here today, forgotten tomorrow.
Maybe the solution for 2008 is to have more vintage productions and cut back on these events that generate controversy and brawls.
Whether dancehall returns to its 'niceness' vibes is all up to you – the producer who should stop accepting crap for your top dollars; it is also up to fans to stop cheering on foolishness and set higher standards and entertainment media can play its part by refusing to promote artistes with negative messages.