List of songs that denounce slackness and/or violence in dancehall music
Inna Dance (2005) – Anthony Cruz (aka: No Gun A Dance)
.....Album: Strictly The Best vol.34 (November 21, 2005) (VP Records)
.....Album: Mama's Blessing (April 25, 2006) (JetStar Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....NOTE: –
Lock It Down (2005) – Freddie McGregor
.....Album: Strictly The Best vol.34 (November 21, 2005) (VP Records)
.....Album: Comin' In Tough (July 19, 2005) (VP Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....NOTE: A perfect song to illustrate the meaning of this section.
Selector (1991) – Culture
.....Album: Three Sides To My Story (1991) (Shanachie Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....NOTE: Interesting to know that as early as 1991, Jamaican singes were criticizing the slackness of dancehall. Some of the lyrics: "Now a days when you go to dance, you'd really love to hear a little classic, but the music that they play is so deplorable, that you cannot even play it for the children in the house. Let the good music play. Please selector let the music play!"
Walk Like Rasta (2009) – Solo Banton
.....Album: Walk Like Rasta (November 5, 2009*) (Reality Shock Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....Link for the videoclip: Walk Like Rasta
.....NOTE: Introduction takend from YouTube: 'Walk Like Rasta' is the title track of Solo Banton debute out now on Reality Shock Records. It's available for download on iTunes/Amazon with a dub version. *The album seems to be oficially available for download in November 2009, even if the YouTube intro says in July 2009 that the album is out now... The videoclip was inserted on YouTube in July 2009. There is even a seven inch single that was issued for the song probably in August 2009 (even if Discogs.com says July 2010).
Work (2008) – Alborosie
.....Album: Soul Pirate (August 5, 2008) (Forward Recording)
.....Lyrics: Found
.....NOTE: Subtile but positive it talks current lyrical contents in Jamaican music.
If you know a song that criticize slackness or violence in dancehall, please email it to me and I will include it:
irieites72 (at) yahoo (dot) ca
List of songs that criticize dancehall homophobic lyrics
DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell) (2011) – Mista Majah P
.....Album: Tolerance (July 29, 2011) (KOKM Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....Link for the videoclip: Don't Ask Don't Tell
.....NOTE: This speciafic song is not related to homophobia in dancehall music, but I included it here as it's Mista Majah P's third single for the album Tolerance. The complete album features eleven songs dealing with tolerance and acceptance of the gay community. The list of songs is: 'Love And Tolerance, Gay Adoption, Hating, I Am Who I Am, Letter To Bruce Golding, Gay Bullying, Done With It, Gay Marriage, Pedophile/Predator, Rights (released as a single in October 2010) and DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell). At time of writing, there was three official videos: Rights, Gay Bullying and DADT. Mista Majah P mentionned that he was working on the fourth video: letter To Bruce Golding. See below for the cover art of the album and the link to purchase it.
Do You Still Care? (2006) – Tanya Stephens
.....Album: Rebellution (August 29, 2006) (VP Records)
.....Lyrics: Found
.....NOTE: Could this be the first Jamaican dancehall song that make people reflect on homophobia? On August 29, 2006 Tanya Stephens released her new album 'Rebelution' on VP Records. On the 20 songs featured on the album, the song named 'Do You Still Care?' criticize Jamaican homophobia. Reggae-Vibes.com review the song: 'Either way don't overlook "Do You Still Care?", a wicked tune about acceptance and discrimination, in which she starts to tell about a white racist dying of liver failure being saved by the liver of a black man and ends with a homophobic ghetto youth being saved by a gay passerby after being shot. Read more details about it by visiting the HISTORY & NEWS section of this website, look under August 2006.
Gay Bullying (2011) – Mista Majah P
.....Album: Tolerance (July 29, 2011) (KOKM Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....Link for the videoclip: Gay Bullying
.....NOTE: The complete album features eleven songs dealing with tolerance and acceptance of the gay community. The list of songs is: 'Love And Tolerance, Gay Adoption, Hating, I Am Who I Am, Letter To Bruce Golding, Gay Bullying, Done With It, Gay Marriage, Pedophile/Predator, Rights (released as a single in October 2010) and DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell). At time of writing, there was three official videos: Rights, Gay Bullying and DADT. Mista Majah P mentionned that he was working on the fourth video: letter To Bruce Golding. See below for the cover art of the album and the link to purchase it.
Homoriginal (2006) – K2R Riddim
.....Album: K2 Airlines (September 4, 2006) (Sun Records)
.....Lyrics: Found
.....NOTE: Finally a reggae group that have the balls to write a positive song on homosexuality! On September 4, the french reggae band K2R Riddim launched their fourth album entitled 'K2 Airlines'. The album inlcude the track 'Homoriginal', making it, as far as I know, the first reggae song to openly criticize dancehall's rampant homophobia. Read more details about it by visiting the HISTORY & NEWS section of this website, look under September 2006.
Letter To Bruce Golding (2011) – Mista Majah P
.....Album: Tolerance (July 29, 2011) (KOKM Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....NOTE: The complete album features eleven songs dealing with tolerance and acceptance of the gay community. The list of songs is: 'Love And Tolerance, Gay Adoption, Hating, I Am Who I Am, Letter To Bruce Golding, Gay Bullying, Done With It, Gay Marriage, Pedophile/Predator, Rights (released as a single in October 2010) and DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell). At time of writing, there was three official videos: Rights, Gay Bullying and DADT. Mista Majah P mentionned that he was working on the fourth video: letter To Bruce Golding. See below for the cover art of the album and the link to purchase it.
Love And Tolerance (2011) – Mista Majah P
.....Album: Tolerance (July 29, 2011) (KOKM Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....Link for the videoclip: Love And Tolerance
.....NOTE: The complete album features eleven songs dealing with tolerance and acceptance of the gay community. The list of songs is: 'Love And Tolerance, Gay Adoption, Hating, I Am Who I Am, Letter To Bruce Golding, Gay Bullying, Done With It, Gay Marriage, Pedophile/Predator, Rights (released as a single in October 2010) and DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell). At time of writing, there was three official videos: Rights, Gay Bullying and DADT. Mista Majah P mentionned that he was working on the fourth video: letter To Bruce Golding. See below for the cover art of the album and the link to purchase it.
Pedophile/Predator (2011) – Mista Majah P
.....Album: Tolerance (July 29, 2011) (KOKM Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....NOTE: The introduction to that song uses an extract of interview of Beenie Man where he wrongly compare gays with pedophiles. This songs put in perspective one of the biggest challenge that gay men face in the Caribbean, being wrongly labeled. The complete album features eleven songs dealing with tolerance and acceptance of the gay community. The list of songs is: 'Love And Tolerance, Gay Adoption, Hating, I Am Who I Am, Letter To Bruce Golding, Gay Bullying, Done With It, Gay Marriage, Pedophile/Predator, Rights (released as a single in October 2010) and DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell). At time of writing, there was three official videos: Rights, Gay Bullying and DADT. Mista Majah P mentionned that he was working on the fourth video: letter To Bruce Golding. See below for the cover art of the album and the link to purchase it.
Rainbow Coloured Rizzla (2007) – Jahcoozi
.....Album: Blitz 'n' Ass (October 1, 2007) (K7 P&D Records)
.....Lyrics: Found
.....NOTE: Jahcoozi is a trio from Berlin that decided to express themselves on Jamaican homophobia on one of their song: 'Rainbow Coloured Rizzla'. The song is part of their Blitz 'n' Ass album, released on October 1st 2007. Their bio in Wikipedia describe the trio's sound as 'consisting of abstract electronic beats within ragga, hip-hop, blip-hop, re and electronica'. Read more details about it by visiting the HISTORY & NEWS section of this website, look under October 2007.
Rebelles (2006) – Irie Révoltés
.....Album: Voyage (March 23, 2006) (Skycap Records)
.....Lyrics: Found
.....NOTE: French song. Translation of a French article: "As the title of the group suggest it, the perspective is to combine the 'Irie' spirit with commitment; to make people dance on conscious riddims. That is why in the song Rebels, the group defends homosexuality. Position not always easy to assume in the Ragga sphere, but falls within the fight against intolerance. Extract from the song: "The rebels are there for a redefinition of Reggae-Ragga [...] I don't accept intolerance, [...] I still rebel against the sexual abuse, [...] I'm still a rebel, I defend homosexuals." Revolted against the state and revolted against some reggae mans. This same song look back on the role of Haile Selassie in history. We can not accuse them of wanting to please everyone. (Militant Vibes)
Rights (2010) – Mista Majah P
.....Album: Tolerance (July 29, 2011) (KOKM Records)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....Link for the videoclip: Rights
.....NOTE: Introduction takend from YouTube: Mista Majah P telling reggae artists and pollitians to stop the hate and discrimination against gays uplifts the world with a song that promotes kindness, equality, equal rights and justice for all people with a very strong plea to Stop The Hate and bullying against homosexuals and other gay and lesbian transgendered or sexual preference... He expects a lot of controversy to come out of this song since so many still feel animosity towards gay and lesbian lifestyle or equality.
Song of interest for this conflict
I Love Girls Who Love Girls (2010) – Busy Signal
.....Album: My Way Mixtape – Busy Signal (October 1, 2010) (label: unknown) ••• no official album •••
.....Single: I haven't found a single. Available for (legal?) download since October 1, 2010
.....Lyrics: Found
.....NOTE: Urban Islandz ran an interesting text when that song came out. This is the link: Urban Islandz
List of songs that denounce violence in Jamaican society
A Beer And A Girl (2010) – Marcia Griffiths
.....Album: Strictly The Best vol.42 (December 4, 2010) (VP Records)
.....Album: A Beer And A Girl (July 2010) (riddim: Big Stage) (label: Penthouse)
.....Lyrics: Not found
.....NOTE: –
Articles that critics violence in dancehall
No to 'kill people' music
WRITER: Carolyn Johnson and Krista Henry
DATE: June 1, 2007
WEBSITE: Jamaica Star
LINK: article
Dancehall's betrayal of reggae
WRITER: Ian Boyne
DATE: February 24, 2008
WEBSITE: Jamaica Gleaner
LINK: article
Ninja Man defies 'Borders'
WRITER: Basil Walters
DATE: February 25, 2008
WEBSITE: Jamaica Observer
LINK: article
Ninja Man promotes One Umbrella Movement
WRITER: unknown
DATE: June 24, 2008
WEBSITE: Jamaica Observer
LINK: article
The Gully-Gaza war
WRITER: Ian Boyne
DATE: September 20, 2009
WEBSITE: Jamaica Gleaner
LINK: article