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. 

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Dancehall desperately needs a lyrical pull up and fix back!

By Shaun Cain

Current, relevant and trending as they may be, not one contemporary dancehall artiste that emerged over the last decade and a half has made the Grammy nominations for the 63rd renewal of this prestigious global music event.

The nominations for the Best Reggae Album category were announced on November 24. The albums deemed worthy of the top prize are:

• UPSIDE DOWN 2020 — Buju Banton
• HIGHER PLACE — Skip Marley
• IT ALL COMES BACK TO LOVE — Maxi Priest
• GOT TO BE TOUGH — Toots & the Maytals
• ONE WORLD — The Wailers

The winner will be announced on television on Sunday, January 31, next year.

But the absence of a new age star from the list of nominees clearly shows that something is wrong with what is going on in the dancehall. Dancehall needs a massive 'haul and pull up'. The genre is bawling out for a revamp to save a significant aspect of our musical heritage. And, I don't think these artistes even realise what is happening, mi Genna.

They are miles out of touch with the mainstream market. There is a blinding mismatch of expectations, as the mainstream consumers are clearly rocking to a different tune.  Dancehall artistes have fenced themselves into an almost infertile field where the thematic seedlings are confined to sex, drugs, violence and bad mind. Nothing else 'nah plant' and nothing else 'nah' grow 'inna' the dancehall space, 'yu zeet'!

Why is the mainstream market not feeling dancehall music? The issues addressed by dancehall music must encompass a much wider human, not just a Jamaican, experience.  There is so much happening in our communities, but our artistes are just not interested in anything that is devoid of drugs, sex, violence and bad mind. For example, how many dancehall artistes were falling over each other to record a song to strengthen and extend the reach of the Black Lives Matter key campaign messages? Dancehall missed a massive trick there, mi G.

Our dancehall artistes are living in a bubble where they are constantly being motivated by the need to impress or, better yet, 'diss' their fellow entertainers. While such engagement might create a temporary hype among die hard fans, the approach is underpinned by chronic myopia. The needs of all the stakeholders must be met, so it is imperative that the artistes study the different situations with which they interact and identify the most important stakeholder at any given point in time. The aim is to prioritise the interest and satisfaction of that group. If the expectations of the mainstream consumers were being addressed, there would be more support for the genre at the very top of world music.

No amount of money pull up is going to reverse this debilitating trend and preserve dancehall from the pervasive lyrical and moral decay it is currently suffering.  A different kind of haul and pull up is required, 'mi' general. The themes that have become staples in the dancehall must be broadened to connect the music with new international audiences. The universal human needs are love, unity and equality. In fact, this knowledge resonates so eloquently in the title of The Wailers' nominated album, "One World [One People]".  

Maxi Priest shows he is on the same wavelength by driving home the point firmly. On his nominated album, he reminds us, and I presume this includes our dancehall actors, that after everything is said and done, "It All Comes Back to Love". 

Why have these messages escaped dancehall music so badly? Their underrepresentation in that space is very alarming, 'mi genna'.

Some artistes complain that people with money are not investing in them. We all know that every investor goes after options whose risks are worth the gamble because of the chance of realising a significant return. So, if they are committing their investment money elsewhere, could that be giving a hint about the quality of dancehall's output and its ability to command widespread international support and consumption? To me, the biggest questionable dimension is the lyrical elements. Dancehall 'nah pree' love, unity and equality. 'Mi nah lie, mi G', if anything is true, dancehall is violating love, unity and equality.

Let us not forget the perennial argument that marketing is a limiting factor for the artistes. While I would agree that poor marketing or the lack thereof can be a barrier to the success of any product or service, social media 'bun dung nuff a de' barriers that kept dancehall music out of the mainstream, 'yu zimmi'. 

Many dancehall artistes have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, yet the popularity and influence of their music is not blaring on a global scale. If we love the music, we must haul and pull up dancehall and put it right,'mi G'.  'Fling weh' the 'tings' that are undermining the music, so the genre can shed the excess baggage, fly freely across the world and perform the role it was originally intended to do. That is, delivering hope, peace, love, unity and our cultural heritage to mainstream music consumers.

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

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American R&B hit-maker reaches out to Jamaican singer, Acain.

By Shaun Cain

Jamaican singer Acain, who recently appeared on Auntie Donna’s Facebook Live Stream Love Connection, got the biggest shock of his life when he received a note from international singer, Major, for performng one of the American’s hit songs.

Jamaican singer, Acain on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain

Major, a Grammy nominated international artiste, has enjoyed moderate successes, as his single,  “Why I Love You”, has peaked at number 5 on the Adult R&B Billboard charts. 

The R'n'B singer congratulated Acain on a rendition the Jamaican did of “Why I Love You". Acain, whose real name is Adrian Klane, told the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain Show that he was at home one day and decided to sing and entertain himself.  He said he recorded a video of himself and his son singing the song and posted it on social media. The Jamaican was ecstatic when he realised the video instantly went viral, attracting more than 50,000 views within just one week, which eventually climbed to 100,000 views in a month.

Major, who was born Major R. Johnson Finley in Texas in the United States of America in 1984, eventually saw the viral video and shared it with his family. According to Acain, “I even got a call from the original artiste, Major, and he commented on the video to say, oh my god, this is my favourite,” Acain explained. The Jamaican added that Major congratulated him and told him that he sang the song really well and he [Major] was in tears when Acain’s son started hitting the notes. “It was a pleasure hearing from him,” Acain revealed.

The video of Acain and his son singing “Why I Love You” has so far amassed more than 15 million views worldwide on both the Facebook and YouTube platforms combined.

Acain currently hosts live streaming events on Facebook where he shares his vocal gifts with the world. He has managed to attract more than 360-thousand followers on Facebook alone.

Watch the second of this 2-part interview with Acain on the Star Gazing with Shaun Cain You Tub channel here.

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Shaun Cain is a journalist, author, 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 content on the channel today. 

Please remember to subscribe, like, share and leave a comment.

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