Are Rastas forgetting the teachings of Rastafari?

Are Rastas Abandoning the Teachings of Rastafari?

By Shaun Cain 

Emerging Reggae artiste, Ras Kaneo, has expressed despair at what he has described as an apparent lack of desire among some members of the faith to uphold righteousness. Speaking with host, Shaun Cain, on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Show this week, he has argued that one of the main factors driving this trend is that some members are simply using Rasta to achieve their ulterior motives.  

"They are just exploiting Rasta and what it can give or bring them. They are forgetting what the mission is all about and what you should do as a Rastafarian, as a little bingy man, as a Bobo Ashanti or a Twelve Tribes. We are forgetting our duty," he lamented.  Ras Kaneo has emphasised that the prevailing attitude thrives because, "we are forgetting ourselves and our spirituality, chasing after visas and other material things."

He has noted on the show's on YouTube, "we used to sing about the suffering and how people feel, but as soon as we get there we get comfortable, we forget all about that." 

Ras Kaneo

Ras Kaneo has pointed out that the behaviour of some of the most prominent Rastafarian figures in the music are clearly drifting from the teachings of Rastafari. The Linstead native has expressed disappointment in these artistes' apparent abandonment of the Rastafarian values. According to him, they can be seen on social media excessively indulging in alcohol and other practices that undermine the movement.

Ras Kaneo has revealed that when he was growing up, he used to look up to these artistes as role models. He saw them as Rastafarians that were firmly grounded in the faith. The "Say A Prayer" artiste recalled that his decision to become an artiste was influenced by some of these entertainers. He said they gave him hope and made him very proud to be a Rastafarian. 

When the Star Gazing host, Shaun Cain asked Ras Kaneo how can Rastafarian teachings be brought back to the the forefront of the socialisation of the nation, he offered, "our Rastafari brothers and sisters and the elders need fi gather back the fire, the unity, the love, the joy. Mek we rise that forward again. We need fi see the love from the Rastafari community a spread, not just locally but universally, internationally. We need fi see the Rasta community getting up and pushing forward because the battle is not yet won."

The Linstead-based entertainer, a graduate of the Dinthill Technical High School, maintains that he will always to make righteous music that reinforces the teachings of His Majesty. His latest album is due to be released in another few months. 

Click the link below to watch Ras Kaneo's full interview on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Show.

Ras Kaneo speaking on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Show.

Prominent record producer calls for adaptation of dancehall music for international audience

By Shaun Cain 

Prominent Jamaican record producer, Akiem 'Quanboss' Bingham, has argued that the dancehall needs to adapt its output to suit a wider international audience. In an interview on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Show on YouTube, the Quanboss', Chief Executive Officer of Quantanium Records, has urged Jamaican artistes and producers to modify the language and lyrics, expeditiously.

Akiem 'Quanboss' Bingham

The Quanboss, who founded Quantanium Records in Spanish Town, St  Catherine, Jamaica more than 10 years ago, has produced records for Govana, Vitch, Chronic Law, Nvasion, Siva Hotbox, Nervz, Laa Lee, Navaz,  Charly Black and Jahmiel.

The Quanboss is the genius behind Jahmiel's breakout songs, "Gain the World" and "Great Man", Laa Lee's "Quack Quack" and Govana's "Bake Bean" and "Dozen". 

He has told the show's host, Shaun Cain, that the music will become more appealing and accessible if a greater number of people outside of Jamaica can understand the language in which the songs are recorded.

He was responding to a question prompted by the recent furore among dancehall acts, who believe that they are being overlooked for Grammy nominations/awards (Best Reggae Album).

Language barrier

The Quanboss contends that language barrier could be a major issue for potential consumers that do not speak Jamaican. He has proposed that the artistes use more English on the records that are being marketed internationally. He has pointed out, "although our language is a significant part of our heritage, we have to decide if we are going to export a standard product (dancehall music) to a market that cannot access it, or adapt it to suit their needs." In terms of the lyrics, the Quanboss maintains that, just as there are clean versions and uncensored options, a similar strategy could be pursued for the export market. According to him, this makes commercial and cultural sense, as the needs of the main constituents of the music are being satisfied simultaneously.

Limited lyrical themes

The Quanboss, whose latest releases include "Chappa Fi True", a collaboration between Navaz and Nervz and Jahmiel's "Unbroken", has observed that the recurring themes that seem to define dancehall music are too narrow and predictable. He says he thinks this myopia is restricting the ability of the genre to fly freely, break through new frontiers and gain more fans. "To me, I think it's the content. A lot of us don't study the songs [album's] that get Grammy and go number one. If we did, we would ensure the issues addressed are broader," the Quantanium Records CEO argued.

You can watch the Quanboss' full interview by clicking the image below.

Click the image above to watch the Quanboss' full interview on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Show.  

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Shaun Cain is a journalist, author, voiceover talent and the producer/presenter of the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Interview Show on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain YouTube channel. Check out the content on the channel today. 

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Dancehall artiste, Siva Hotbox, calls for a return of righteousness to Jamaican music.

By Shaun Cain 

Dancehall artiste, Siva Hotbox, is calling on Jamaican artistes and musicians to clean up the country's musical heritage.  He wants Reggae and Dancehall music to return to its original purpose of being a vehicle to disseminate righteous across the globe.

                                                                                      Siva Hotbox 

Siva Hotbox, who was born in St. Andrew in the late 1990's, is this week's guest on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Show on YouTube.  He laments that there is too much negativity in the music and it is not helpful to the country and humanity as a whole. "Reggae music in Jamaica now is not moving like the root [origins of the genre], it is moving like the stem.  Our music needs  be more conscious, so it can motivate the people to improve themselves and be more respectful and generous towards each other," he argues.

In reflecting on his own journey, the entertainer considers himself to be someone that has climbed very slowly from the abyss of poverty on a tattered string of hope that threatened to yank him back several times. The artiste says life was so difficult for him as a child, he sometimes wonders how he and his family survived.  However, he says he thanks God every day for those mercies.

The March Pen Road, Spanish Town artiste told the Star Gazing with Shaun Show that he has since managed to reframe his childhood experience, which has made him mentally, spiritually and physically tough.

         Siva Hotbox on the Star gazing with Shaun Cain Show.  Click the image above to watch the full show. 

His educational journey started at the Excelsior High School in Kingston. After the family moved to Spanish Town, he had to make the daily commute to and from Mountain View Avenue.  The distance was just too much for him, so his mother asked for him to be transferred to the Spanish Town High School.  

 

After finishing school, he did odd jobs, but, aside from the wages, they did not bring him much satisfaction.  That was when his enterprising skills took over and he started his first entrepreneurial pursuit.  He began selling clothes on the streets of the old capital.  He quickly learned to apply the business concepts of costs, revenue, value added and profit.   According to the “Game Haad” entertainer, he did very well in business. He is planning on commencing a new business venture very soon.  

 

But while he walked the streets hustling, he kept humming, singing and toasting.  He even toasted for some of his customers and they loved it, and sometimes they even bought more of his products than they had originally planned.

 

The “Ransom” artiste remembers that one day a friend told him that he knew a very good local producer that might be able to help him launch his career.  Siva Hotbox was puzzled as to who the producer was.  When he learned that it was Akiem ‘Quan Boss’ Bingham of Quantanium Records, he instantly became excited.  He told himself that he had to write an impressive song to bolster his chances of working with the Quan Boss.  

 

That meeting turned out to be the gateway to the hit song, “Piece A Dutt”, which simply means that most challenges, if approached carefully and thoughtfully, can be as easy as a piece of cake to solve.  Since that productive start, he is still associated with the Quantanium label. He has contributed to the recently released “Ghetto Superstars” medley featuring Vitch, Nervz, Navaz and Jayeleah.

 

With a catalogue that includes popular tracks such as 50 Bars, Life Liva, Line Affi Jerk and Ransom, Siva Hotbox is on the verge of a breakthrough.  His next release is expected to be his highly anticipated collaboration with fellow St. Catherine artiste, the “Great Man”, Jahmiel, who also records on the exemplary Quantanium label.  

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Shaun Cain is a journalist, author of the Reggae Larger than Life Fun and Games Book, voiceover talent and producer/presenter of the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Interview Show on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain YouTube channel. 

Check out the channel today.  Please remember to subscribe, like, share and leave a comment.

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Vybz Kartel: Adapting Dancehall Music or Just A Grammy Compromise?

By Shaun Cain 

Dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel

The lack of dancehall representation among the recent Grammy nominations has dealt a heartbreaking blow to our dedicated and prolific toasters. Many social commentators and fans view this event as a travesty to artistes that have been ‘putting in the work’, that is, spending a lot of time making records.

Vybz Kartel and Pop Caan are two of the biggest casualties of the recent Grammy announcement. Pop Caan subsequently took to social media and vociferously vented his disappointment. The comments that Pop Caan and others have posited in the public domain reveal a haemorrhaging wound that is both wide and deep. 

Dancehall music is arguably at a crossroads and the indicators are signalling that some degree of introspection is required going forwards. This would mean that the practitioners in the genre might need to make some changes to the way the music is created, packaged and presented for our consumption. The main apparent flaws in the current model of what we have come to know as dancehall music surround what appear to be the only issues that our artistes seem to have eyes for. 

Dancehall artiste, Pop Caan

Eureka! We might be about to experience a crowning moment in the genre, as it is alleged that the Worl' Boss, Vybz Kartel, appears to think a different approach is in order. 

In a Gleaner Online article published on November 30, it was reported that a post by the person in charge of one of Vyzb Kartel’s social media accounts  indicated that Kartel might be planning to record a reggae album. The Gleaner article headlined, 'Dancehall yet to get respect in Jamaica - PR Specialist', further added, “in another post, the account holder said the next album from the Worl’ Boss will be a reggae album called Kartel Marley and will feature ‘Rasta Pop Caan’.”

Have you noticed how the language has shifted? I don't know about you, but I can hear the tone changes. Let's examine what this might mean, in terms of Jamaican popular culture. Everything about the proposition is loaded and might be more earth shaking than the Grammy announcement itself. The word ‘Reggae’ has clearly supplanted the term ‘Dancehall’. Did you detect that seismic shift? If not, I hope you have been more discerning in spotting the trademark dreadlocks with his guitar in hand! Yes, that is what I am alluding to. Marley has been drafted in - Kartel Marley. I suspect this inclusion is a strategic move either to guide the selection of themes that will shape the project or simply to heighten the target market's expectations of roots, culture and righteousness from the promised new collection of music. Better yet, could it mean that the 'Kartel Marley' album might be hoping to draw some winning inspiration from whatever it is that has made the name, Marley, one of the most frequently occurring on the Grammy's Best Reggae Album Award’s list of winners?  Whatever the reason, the idea must have emanated from a mind that is on a mission to blaze a trail that could transform the course of history.

What implications would this strategy have for the original Vybz Kartel brand of music? Could this move signal a shake-up that might reconfigure the current status quo in Dancehall? Could the Kartel Marley project strengthen the global image of dancehall music, so it might be repositioned as the Greenpeace of social and economic justice for the human race? Who is better to lead the charge than the experienced 'teacher'? Wake up every artiste, no more sleeping in dancehall. Wake up 'mi' teacher, time to teach a new way. 

A number of readers commented on a recent post on my blog captioned, "Dancehall needs to haul and pull up and fix up” - a Wake up Call? Some of the critics argued that the absence of dancehall representation from among the Best Reggae Album nominees is no wake-up call to our artistes, as the Grammy organisers have always been like that. In order to reinforce my point, I have decided not to ignore this flippant utterance by the critic. I cannot seem to find any evidence to support it. Shabba Ranks took the Best Reggae Album award twice, in 1992 and 1993. Shaggy was victorious in 1996 and again 2019 [the latter with Sting]. Beenie Man in 2001 and Sean Paul 2004 have also had their names etched among the winners. Although he did not win, Bounty Killer received a nomination in 2002. Therefore, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy, Beenie Man and Sean Paul's victories have negated any claim that 'the Grammys have always been like that' [overlooking dancehall music and artistes as worthy winners of the enviable award].

Despite this revelation, I will still give the benefit of any doubts that might still be lingering to anyone that does not wish to embrace the position I have presented. While Kartel Marley could, in essence, be an experimental strategy to invoke the Grammy voting panel, it is a necessary one. It could provide valuable insights into the problem of dancehall music's apparent lack of global appeal and influence, but equally so, it could worsen the seemingly negative vibe that the aggrieved Dancehall artistes feel toward the Grammy decision makers. If Kartel Marley manages to grab a nomination, and go even a step further to win the award for the Best Reggae Album, then a new day would have dawned in the dancehall kingdom.

Vybz Kartel

Let us compliment Vybz Kartel for having allegedly proposed a solution. While  he might be busy thinking of a way to surmount the apparent snag in our dancehall artistes’ way to the Best Reggae Album Grammy Award, most of his contemporaries are simply sulking. In fact, they are violently tossing their toys out of the pram and kicking frantically at the air with lips pouted, arms folded and faces grimaced. I will end by paraphrasing a line from one of Konshens’ songs, “Mi no like oonu style, oonu too spoil.”

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Shaun Cain is a journalist, author of the Reggae Larger than Life Fun and Games Book, voiceover talent and producer/presenter of the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Interview Show on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain YouTube channel. 

Check out the channel today.  Please remember to subscribe, like, share and leave a comment.

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