Dancehall was developed as a novelty genre. While reggae artists Bob Marley and Pete Tosh wrote about ‘One Love’ or ‘Shitstem’ respectively and ska spawned an often militant punk offshoot, it was vocal about wine, women and money.
Dancehall, in its 30-year history, has eschewed these trivialities for only two subjects, which (unfortunately) are homophobia and violence. Several times in the past decade, its artists have spoken about their anti-homosexual beliefs and written lyrics that plead with listeners to assault homosexuals.
Unbelievable as it may seem to confer upon an artist as flippant as Orville Richard Burrell aka Shaggy the job of spokesperson for a genre as wide as dancehall, it is necessary. Not only is he innocent of homophobia, his street credentials are admirable.
Burrell was raised in Ray Town, one of the roughest neighbourhoods in Jamaica. As a teenager, he moved to another rough vicinity, Brooklyn, with his single mother. While the States had a major impact on him, he made sure his music was decidedly Jamaican. He performed with the local Jamaican-style sound system Gibraltar Musik, but was not successful.
Choosing to earn a steady income, he joined the Marines at 20. He served for four years, and even credits the Marines with helping him find his voice. But the army also served as a hindrance. Two of his singles – ‘Mampie’ and ‘Big Up’ – received some recognition, but a quick follow-up was not possible as Shaggy was posted for six months in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
After his return, though, Shaggy took his music very seriously. He recorded a dancehall version of ‘Oh Carolina’, which found some success. But the record that brought him into the scene was the duet with Maxi Priest, ‘One More Chance’. In 1992, he signed a deal with Virgin Records.
Since then, Shaggy has always been steady. Two of his albums – Boombastic and Hot Shot – have been certified platinum six times, while hits like ‘In The Summertime’, ‘Boombastic’, ‘It Wasn’t Me’, ‘Angel’, ‘Strength Of A Woman’, have been commercially successful all over the world. This, however, shouldn’t be mistaken for artistic prowess.
Shaggy’s tunes are lauded for their hooks, but these giant hooks are usually shamelessly lifted from older R&B and reggae songs. ‘Boombastic’ is based on a Levi’s advert. ‘Angel’ is ripped from Merilee Rush’s ‘Angel Of The Morning’, while ‘In The Summertime’ is a remake of a sixties song. Other songs like ‘Luv Me, Luv Me’ and ‘Dance & Shout’ are also based on a sixties song ‘Oh Boy’ and the Jackson 5’s ‘Shake Your Body’ respectively.
So why does Shaggy still make a good candidate for ambassador? Isn’t that usually assigned to more serious artists? Like Bob Dylan and Neil Young in folk rock and Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan in rap? The reason is that there just aren’t any worthy candidates in the genre who are both recognised and have unimpeachable political views.
Many of dancehall’s hardcore artists advocate violence as a solution to their problems and are strictly anti-homosexual. Buju Banton’s ‘Boom Bye Bye’ incites the torture and murder of gay men, with lyrics such as ‘Anytime Buju Banton come/Batty boy get up and run’. In 2004, he was charged in connection with an incident in which he, as part of a group of about a dozen people, allegedly beat six men believed to be homosexuals.
Shabba Ranks, once believed to be Shaggy’s main rival, has since squandered the opportunity with homophobic lyrics present in a number of his songs, like ‘No Mama Man’ and ‘Wicked Inna Bed’. He also supported Banton’s ‘Boom Bye Bye’. In 2003, a British LBGT group OutRage! called for the arrest and prosecution of Elephant Man, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man for violation of hate crimes statutes. A year later, Elephant Man was dropped from the MOBO awards.
In recent years, many dancehall artists’ shows have been cancelled in the States and the UK for the same reasons. For now, it’s just Shaggy and after he gains more experience, Sean Paul will probably replace him.
Via: Planet Radio City
Popularity: 4%
Related posts:
1,119 Fans Like
47 Subscribers Subscribe
1,345 Followers Follow
600 Subscribers Subscribe
