As a young man growing up, I have always been cognisant of the pervious nature of the minds of most of our young people. I have also been very suspect about the lyrical content of the music that they listen to. In recent times, however, the slackness and sexually explicit lyrics that are being spewed by dancehall artists such as Movado and Vybz Kartel have really captured my attention, although in a different sense to the way it has captured many of our Federation’s youth.
It has cultivated my interest because more and more, I am observing the negative impact that the music of these “artists” is having on our community. Through their violent overtones, they have perpetuated their Gully-Gaza feud, which seems to have modified the Crips n’ Bloods affair and incited many young people to act more recklessly and irresponsibly. It is common to hear these artists (and unfortunately, many of our youth) in their lyrical expressions speak about the “Gaza” and the “Gully”; referencing their turf and their gangster mode of living.
While the laws of defamation inhibit me from expressing my frank and unconditional opinion on both Vybz Kartel and Movado, I will simply state that their presence in our society through their music is misplaced and regrettable. Their lyrics of discord and dissent do nothing but create more ‘black on black’ problems in our communities that keep us back. I know that there are many people out there who think that slavery can only be imposed upon us by other races, however, the reality that we face shows that this is certainly not the case. For when our young people allow the likes of Vybz Kartel and Movado to inform their sense of direction and ability to make a decision, they are allowing these “artists” to enslave them and in so allowing, they are enslaving themselves!
This warped sense of machoism that is being promoted by Kartel and Movado to the end that they must kill someone if they disrespect them; kill another if they are an ‘informer’, kill ‘battyman’ and to just kill incessantly without plausible reason is sending the wrong message to our youth. However, it is a message that they must resist and reject. Our young people need to understand that might is not right and strength of character does not equate to who can more readily “bus dey gun” or is a “gangsta for life”. Ambition ought to be and mean much more than who can best “protect their turf” and is “the last man standing”. In turn, these “artists” need to grow up and start acting like men; not boys. As people who wield so much influence over our youth, they need to take a serious look at the negative impact that their lyrics have on the minds of our young people. It does not matter whether the “artists” themselves take it seriously or not because most of our youth do.
This whole thing about Gully and Gaza is such nonsense because as far as I know, a gully is a passage where refuse and sewer flows so I do not know why one would want to associate him or herself with such. Additionally, I do not think that neither these “artists” nor some of the ill-advised young men who follow them have been to the real Gaza Strip, which is a virtual war zone in the Middle East and I do not believe that they would like if they were to actually live there. Furthermore, it makes a total mockery of the very real and grim situation that the children who actually live in the Gaza face on a daily basis.
While we do not live in a “Gaza” type society, we as a community must not allow the careless, lyrics of a few misguided “artists” to turn our blessed country into one. This whole lyrical feud is total hogwash and has no real value, much less entertainment value! How can it be of any value to us, when all that it is contributing to is the socio-cultural decay of our communities? How can it be of any value to us when, instead of declaring that they just got a new job that will allow them to provide greater financial support for their children or promoting Nevis as ‘paradise here on earth’, our young men are propelled to walk around with their faces looking like the Christmas Grinch proclaiming that they “Pon di Gaza” or they’re “Keepin it Gully”? How can any of this be entertaining when our young people are segregating themselves and their communities because of what they listen to? Vybz Kartel and Movado seem to think that all their lyrics do is portray the situation and describe the violence but in truth and in fact, it does nothing to alleviate the situation and rather encourages violence! It just leads to more and more of our young, bright minds who have potential, being engulfed by a swamp of negativity.
Our community must take a better stand. PARENTS must take ownership of their children! They must begin to raise their sons and daughters and stop allowing these dancehall “artists” with all their gutter lyrics to do so for them. A greater effort has to be made to filter what our youth listen to from an early age. I think it is time that all radio stations throughout the federation ban the music of these “artists” from playing on the airwaves, for it has just lent itself to a cultural penetration that is negatively impacting the perspectives, expectations and behaviour of our youth. Countries such as St. Vincent, Guyana and even Jamaica, the very country from which Vybz Kartel and Movado were born and raised, are now putting bans in place to prevent their music from being played on their radio stations. If their own country does not want them then really, why should we?
I make a plea to our young people; do not allow your minds to become warped by the slander and sewage that is constantly perpetuated by artists like Vybz Kartel and Movado. Think for yourselves and act on your own behalf, not at the behest of others. Heed the words of wisdom and warning from the most celebrated reggae artist, Bob Marley and “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery . . . None but yourselves can free your minds!”
I beseech the general populace to rise to the occasion and do whatever we can to offset what threatens to become a cultural homicide in this fair land of ours. A “Land of Beauty” where peace ought to abound and where our children deserve not the privilege, but the right to stand free! The responsibility is not one to shun, but ours to seize. Let us take ownership of our young people!
