Alfred Dawes | Dancehall get chop

Whap! Whap! Whap! Whap! Whap! Whap! Whap! That’s the sound of the Glock that we won’t hear anymore. Well, at least on radio. The dancehall trap songs are still on YouTube, streaming platforms, party playlists and blasting from souped-up Hondas. The usual battle lines have been drawn, with some singing the same sankey that dancehall is once again being used as a scapegoat for the crime wave gripping the country. Others believe it’s a first step towards limiting our exposure to violent, crime-promoting music. At the heart of the matter is whether this is art imitating life, or art influencing a culture with violence. It is most certainly not a means of limiting our exposure to these types of lyrics. The banning of dancehall songs glorifying violence, scamming and drugs is purely symbolic.

Music has long progressed beyond radio play and CDs. Social media platforms such as YouTube substitute for subscription-based streaming services. It explains why many of the top-viewed videos are music videos. Dancehall music is still rooted in the party scene where regulators wield very little influence. Recently, there was a viral complaint that there was very little dancing music to be listened to in parties and clubs, because the selectors were continually being paid to “pull up” the scamming and gun tunes. These are the songs that make the crowd go wild.

The artistes and producers know that deviating from this “sub genre” is dangerous to their pockets. Some of them are actually quite perturbed by the singular message of violence and hard drugs. They realise that this music has no place on a world stage where copycat sounds have leapfrogged our cultural significance in the global industry. They know this, yet they can do nothing about it.

TRAPPED IN A SYSTEM

The dancehall music creators are trapped in a system that makes it difficult for any individual producer or deejay to disrupt. They would immediately be ostracised or worse, bankrupted. Yu can’t ride on cow back and cuss cow. More importantly, you can’t switch to singing only songs that go against the wave of popular demand. Their situation is akin to the politicians who feel compelled to do something about crime, yet cannot summon the political will to break the ties with the dons they rely on for electoral victory. The police as well are trapped in a system that is in dire need of reform, but where nobody is prepared to bell the cat.

The solution is therefore not to limit airplay on radios. That method is the least effective solution to limiting the influence of music on our psyche. Radio is not the key to fame or earnings in the music industry. Some artistes don’t even bother to voice clean versions to their lewd songs. That is how little regard they have for radio play. The people are clamouring for the banned songs. They will find ways to hear them. Aspiring producers and deejays know that this is the type of content that will “buss” them. The Jamaicans of 2022 crave violent music. We adore the scammer lifestyle. We turn a blind eye to corruption if it is within our circle. This defines who we are as a society, and is what upholds the decrepit systems in politics, music and law enforcement.

Our culture has evolved from revolutionary anthems to this, this … chop music I call it. In between were the wifie versus matie era, the clash culture, the dance and feel-good turn of the millennium vibes and the graphic sexuality mixed with badmanship that defined the Gaza versus Gully war. At every step of the way, the music was heavily criticised for its violent and lewd character. This time around seems to be different. A recent RJRGLEANER Group-commissioned poll showed that 82 per cent of Jamaicans believe that there is a connection between dancehall music and the incidence of crime.

CRIME-WEARY

We are generally becoming crime-weary and are slowly waking up to recognise the tiny pieces of the puzzle that are contributing to our disorderly society. It is now the individual internal battle against what we like, versus a desire to chip away at violence contributors, that will determine if the popularity of chop music will fade.

Researchers from Iowa State University and the Texas Department of Human Services found that aggressive music lyrics increase aggressive thoughts and feelings, which might contribute to aggressive behaviour and contribute to aggressive personalities. If this is true, then we need to curb our appetite for violent music. This conscious decision by the populace must lead to further demands from the other parties who are trapped in the aforementioned self-sabotaging systems, the police and the political establishment.

The decision to withdraw support from violence-producing artistes must be rooted in self-awareness and the genuine desire for change. It cannot be mandated. The industry is pushing back because they know any external route to restrict popular content will be a blow to their earnings. The calls for the industry to self-regulate is specious at best as demand drives supply. Focusing attention on dancehall music’s link to crime is detracting from the self-regulation of the political system that is urgently needed. Because our demand for self-regulation of the latter is so weak and inelastic, dancehall music will continue to be the scapegoat for our own failings as a society, to transcend our selfish needs for gratification from chop music and scarce benefits.

Dr Alfred Dawes is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and CEO of Windsor Wellness Centre. Follow him on Twitter @dr_aldawes. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and adawes@ilapmedical.com.