The Gaza is such a wonderful place. From the majestic causeway, rising above the pristine waters of the Caribbean sea, to the sweet song of mosquitoes singing lazily by your ears; who could deny the beauty of the Gaza? That most wondrous place in Portmore, St. Catherine has given Jamaica some of its best dancehall talents. The Gaza is a place where stars are made. Who could forget being taken to the Ramping Shop? Who would dare forget the thrill of wearing a Clarks? Or the absolute pleasure of jumping in the benz punani and taking it for a ride? Such fun times. In more recent times, Tommy Lee has invited us to ancient Greece, to the era of the great Greek warriors, the Spartans.
I believe art is one of the most powerful forms of communication, mobilisation and ultimately, indoctrination. I’ve always been mindful of the influence of music, particularly dancehall music, on the young and impressionable minds of our society. Those who have been following my blog for some time now would know my personal objection to “The Gaza Empire” and most, if not everything it produces. The latest “talent” the Portmore based empire has produced is the now infamous Tommy Lee. Since the incarceration of their god, Kartel, on murder charges the fans of Gaza have consistently repeated the refrain “Free Werl’ Boss”. When it became evident that the wheels of justice would turn desperately slow for the self styled “Werl Boss”, his fans craved a saviour for dancehall, a rebound figure to continue the influence and impact of the Gaza, that task fell to Tommy Lee. His methods have proven even more controversial than those of his boss. Of all the themes available, why choose a demonic one? And is that really “art”?
Rape is a serious issue and must never be trivialised. Homosexuals have sex because they choose to, a woman has no choice in being raped. Tonight on Twitter, I came across the lyrics of a popular dancehall song which has been making the rounds on local airwaves. The song, titled “A Yah Suh Nice”, contains a line where the artiste declares “Before mi tun a battyman, mi wudda tun a raper”. I find the lyrics deeply troubling, not only because the artiste has poor grammar (I’m not aware that “raper” is a word), but because of the alarming message. I wish to share my thoughts on this.
There have been few other dancehall artistes in my lifetime that has so pushed the boundaries of normality than Mr. Adijah Palmer, popularly known as Kartel. Whether it’s his graphic sexual lyrics or his ability to get the population to accept bleaching as something positive, one thing remains true; Kartel nuh play enuh.
Many of you would already be familiar with my views on Kartel, I think his influence over our population is largely negative and he reinforces social ills. [Clarks, Benz and Cake Soap : The Kartel Syndrome] However, it is the artiste’s latest alteration to his appearance that has me downright baffled. Apparently, Kartel has put in hair extensions or weave or false hair. Whatever you wanna call it. And I just have one question, what the hell is up with that?? He already has the bleached, skinny, look down, why would he put in a weave? He looks like little more than a ghetto gyal now. I’m sorry, that’s just what I think.
“Gimmie di benz punnani mek mi gwaan drive it out, all taxi pum pum gwaan guh cool out.” – Adijah Palmer
I was recently apart of a debate which sought to assess the “blackness” of Mr. Adijah Palmer, more commonly known as Vybz Kartel; in light of his tampering with the pigmentation of his skin. And while driving home on the yellow JUTC bus, the A/C type, (yup, maw #Hottaz), Kartel’s voice blared from the speakers, inviting all young ladies who felt their vaginas were synonymous with his benz to come forward so that he might “drive it out”. I began to reflect on the unprecedented influence Kartel has on the young people of this country and I became deeply saddened.
I shook my head in disappointment because I believe Kartel’s most popular songs of the last two (2) years have done nothing but glorify promiscuity, commercialism and disrespected the female body, indeed the black race. While the beats of his songs are engaging and stimulating, I have to draw a line where a child refuses to go to school because he or SHE (sas crise!) does not have a pair of Clarks. I have to draw a line where a woman is persuaded into believing that it’s cute to tattoo “benz punany” across her mid section. A strong line must be drawn!
I’ve heard an argument that it has nothing to do with Kartel’s influence, or what I call ‘Kartel syndrome’ but rather it has everything to do with choice, the choice of the individual. I’ve considered that argument and found it wanting. You see, for whatever reason a significant portion of the Jamaican population is swayed by “di teacha”. Whatever he states is taken as damn near law and in a society where our youth fear being rejected by their peers, they will fall in line with the views of “di teacha”. I need not mention that any dissent against Kartel could get you stabbed (see Gully vs Gaza saga). On second thought, I should probably watch my back once this is posted.
And then there is the issue of altering the pigmentation of his skin. Frankly, that is his prerogative and I wouldn’t want to offer an opinion on that, but I’m compelled to argue against his endorsement of “di cake soap”. It cannot be acceptable that someone who is looked up to is actively promoting bleaching and encouraging our young people to follow suit. How is this beneficial? How does this advance our society? Oh, but wait; his aim is to make money, screw societal advancement. Isn’t that so? BULLSHIT! Whether Kartel wants to own up to it, he is a role model, he needs to set an example, a GOOD example for those who look up to him.
And then there are the idiots who say “a wi culture” & “art mirrors life”. To you I say, shut the hell up & have a seat! It’s our culture until your son or daughter steals to buy a pair of shoes! It’s our culture until your daughter’s vagina becomes a taxi because she believes “when mi say gimmie pussy, yuh fi holla yes boss…”! And it certainly is our culture until the black child you brought home from the hospital turns white, or some horrible variation of white. (Non-smile).
So yes, I think Kartel needs to be more responsible about what he puts out. His audience won’t diminish, they’re like mindless drones. He could do gospel & they’d ‘dagga’ to it. Too many people have the “Kartel syndrome”, we need a cure.
“Cool like mi wash mi face wid di cake soap. Every time mi f%@k my c%@ky get suck!” – The Gaza Governor, Kartel
