By shermac—

Busy Signal—-

So even the people who work in dancehall are saying the genre is dying…so who or what is to be blamed?? Kartel name definitely can’t call fi tek blame fi dah one wah . He seems to be the scapegoat of most of Jamaica’s societal problems at present, from the medical problems caused by the side effects of bleaching, to the rise in the crime rate.  But if you feel differently check the man’s music  catalogue,  which  now seems never ending  as he releases at least one chune a month even under lockdown.  Not to mention the rising success of his ummm ‘off springs’, and his powers with the help of just ‘one mic’ to propel and raise unknown and struggling labels and production houses to even billboard success. But that’s another subject matter all together, so back to the decline of dancehall and to what some are calling the ‘resurgence’ of Reggae Music.

It seems that everyone else does Reggae better or should I say seem to be prospering more from our home grown music, that is with the exception of the Marleys, Jimmy Cliff and a few others. Check the various reputable and popular international music charts to see who is in the top 5. It is usually a name that you have either never heard of, or acts who have ‘defected’ from their own genre of music to Reggae. Of course there are the usual one and few familiar Jamaican names (as mentioned above ), that you would expect to be there anyway. But  in my opinion I think the shine and rise in popularity of Reggae has less to do with ‘Snoop Lion’ but more to do with names like Busy Signal and even Buju Banton. Busy, because of the excellent reviews he has received for ‘Reggae Again’ and Buju despite his legal troubles overshadowing his career; he still managed a Grammy nod.

So the buzz within the Jamaican industry is about Reggae music, the one drop riddim and the race to show who can dominate. A few things to point out though, not every dancehall producer and or composer has the talent, experience and most importantly the feel for what Reggae is all about, and what good Reggae music conveys; the good vibes, the messages of upliftment, the story of the struggle of a people, and the expression of love and intimacy without the ‘slackness undertones’.

So it will be an interesting 2013 to say the least, as we will probably see labels like multitalented Chimney records dominating the scene,  while others will be forced  to buy their riddims from over the European side. But what about some of these popular dancehall artistes who neither possess the writing talent of a Buju Banton or the musical diversity of Busy Signal?  Will they struggle or fall flat on their faces trying to keep up.

On a positive note, the focus on Reggae will highlight some the rising stars like Chronixx a favourite for taking Reggae to new heights and projecting a positive role model for the youths. And Jah 9 the deep prolific female songstress who is creating waves on a global scale. And if you all never knew, her career is in the hands of the now ‘dreadlocked’ Rory Gillian aka Rory from Stone Love.

So whether dancehall is in fact dying or there is just a general shift to consciousness and a yearning for some good ‘ole Reggae music’ similar to what Bob, Peter, and what even Busy is giving us, the music scene for 2013 promises to be a rather interesting one. Selah!