Dancehall is dead

Anybody who says Dancehall is the same as it was nine months ago is lying.  No disrespect to Potential Kid but when the number one song is "A Yah so nice" we have a lot of work to do.  No doubt it is a fresh new style and the symbolism and vibe of the song catch on at home but it doesn't scale to the Dancehall loving corners like Trinidad, Ghana, Tokyo or Berlin.   Something is missing and we are going to explore it a little.

I'm not an advocate of Dancehall music in all its forms and flavours but I do appreciate and enjoy key aspects of the music - If anything, its ability to arrest the pop culture of millions of youth not just in Jamaica and the Caribbean but as far as Harare and Lagos.  It is a movement that has the potential to do more in terms of influence than any politician could dream of.  If only content could be shaped towards the positive side.  Hip-hop had a similar allure in the 90's but Dancehall really took off with the rise of the Gaza Empire.

Love him or hate him, nobody can deny the creativity of Vybz Kartel.  He developed an almost cult following during his reign at the apex of Dancehall music.  He really changed the game through his antics and daring personality.  Vybz Kartel has pushed the boundaries of the art form to the point where popular acts who used to dominate the game have become irrelevant - at least until they can redesign their act.

While we wait for the re-incarnation, I believe Magnum Kings and Queens of the Dancehall is doing a great job to unearth talents.  The government needs to do more however, because we have seen the value slipped away to more savvy exponents in the business who milk the industry without much benefit to Jamaica.  Folks who don't even speak English making dancehall music - not that English is the language of dancehall anyway

We need to be more serious about intellectual property, management of talent and copyright as well as professional development of artists.  For a country which is built on natural resources (including the people and beautiful landscape) culture and entertainment we should have many institutes dedicated to developing it.  No matter how many artist we produce, once the quality is good there will be demand for them. So why not guarantee the quality through policy?

The government should provide the vision by way of policy and put things in place that will irk out all the talents and potential talents from the bowels of poverty, help them to develop their professionalism and their craft and make it a real industry.  There is no limit to the number of entertainment professionals provided that the quality is good and given our history we have a guaranteed market for our popular products - both reggae and Dancehall.  I have seen artist who couldn't even spell their name now giving great interviews and starting charities to help other youths. 

Dancehall is in a vegetative state but there is hope if we can seize the opportunity quickly.  We need a Defibrillator.  Artists have become too lazy, too comfortable and that remains the root of the problem.