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The Cultural Impact of Jamaican Dancehall Music: From Bob Marley to Contemporary Dancehall Stars

Table of contents, the evolution of jamaican dancehall music: a historical overview, the influence of jamaican dancehall music on global pop culture, the role of jamaican dancehall music in shaping jamaican identity and society, the controversies surrounding jamaican dancehall music: censorship and homophobia.

“ Jamaican Dancehall Music : A Vibrant and Influential Cultural Force”

Jamaican dancehall music has had a significant impact on the cultural landscape of Jamaica and the world. From its roots in the 1970s to its current popularity, dancehall music has evolved and changed over the years, reflecting the social and political climate of Jamaica.

The origins of dancehall music can be traced back to the late 1970s, when reggae music was at its peak. Dancehall emerged as a new genre of music that was more upbeat and focused on the dancefloor. The music was characterized by its heavy basslines, fast-paced rhythms, and catchy lyrics.

One of the pioneers of dancehall music was Bob Marley , who is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of all time. Marley's music was a blend of reggae and dancehall, and his songs often addressed social and political issues. Marley's music was a reflection of the struggles of the Jamaican people, and his message of peace and unity resonated with people around the world.

In the 1980s, dancehall music continued to evolve, with artists like Yellowman, Shabba Ranks, and Buju Banton becoming popular. These artists brought a new energy to dancehall music, with their fast-paced rhythms and provocative lyrics. Dancehall music became more explicit and controversial, with songs that addressed taboo topics like sex, violence, and drug use.

Despite its controversial nature, dancehall music continued to grow in popularity, both in Jamaica and around the world. In the 1990s, dancehall music became more mainstream, with artists like Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, and Sean Paul achieving international success. These artists brought a new sound to dancehall music, blending it with hip-hop and R&B to create a unique sound that appealed to a wider audience.

Today, dancehall music continues to evolve, with artists like Vybz Kartel, Popcaan, and Spice leading the way. These artists have taken dancehall music to new heights, with their innovative sound and provocative lyrics. Dancehall music has become a global phenomenon, with fans around the world embracing the music and culture of Jamaica.

The impact of dancehall music on Jamaican culture cannot be overstated. Dancehall music has become a way of life for many Jamaicans, with its infectious rhythms and catchy lyrics permeating every aspect of Jamaican culture. Dancehall music has influenced fashion, language, and even the way people dance.

Dancehall music has also had a significant impact on the political and social climate of Jamaica. Many dancehall songs address social and political issues, and the music has become a platform for artists to express their views on these issues. Dancehall music has also been used as a tool for social change, with artists using their music to raise awareness about issues like poverty, crime, and corruption.

In conclusion, the evolution of Jamaican dancehall music has been a reflection of the social and political climate of Jamaica. From its roots in the 1970s to its current popularity, dancehall music has evolved and changed over the years, reflecting the struggles and triumphs of the Jamaican people. Dancehall music has become a global phenomenon, with fans around the world embracing the music and culture of Jamaica. The impact of dancehall music on Jamaican culture cannot be overstated, and it will continue to shape the cultural landscape of Jamaica and the world for years to come.

One of the most significant figures in the history of Jamaican dancehall music is Bob Marley. Marley's music was a blend of reggae and dancehall, and his lyrics often addressed social and political issues. Marley's music was not only popular in Jamaica but also in other parts of the world. His music had a significant impact on the civil rights movement in the United States, and he is still considered a cultural icon today.

In the 1990s, dancehall music experienced a resurgence in popularity, thanks in part to the rise of artists like Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, and Beenie Man. These artists brought a new sound to the genre, incorporating elements of hip-hop and R&B into their music. Their music was popular not only in Jamaica but also in other parts of the world, including the United States and Europe.

Today, dancehall music continues to be popular, with artists like Sean Paul, Vybz Kartel, and Popcaan leading the way. These artists have taken the genre to new heights, incorporating elements of EDM and trap music into their music. Their music has been featured in movies, TV shows, and commercials, and they have collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Drake.

The influence of Jamaican dancehall music can be seen in many aspects of pop culture. One of the most significant ways that dancehall music has influenced pop culture is through fashion. Dancehall fashion is characterized by bright colors, bold patterns, and oversized clothing. This style has been embraced by many in the hip-hop community, and it has become a staple of urban fashion.

Dancehall music has also had an impact on language. Many words and phrases that originated in Jamaica have become part of the global lexicon. Words like “irie,” “yaad,” and “ting” are now commonly used in the United States and other parts of the world. Dancehall music has also influenced the way that people speak, with artists like Sean Paul and Shaggy incorporating Jamaican patois into their music.

In conclusion, Jamaican dancehall music has had a significant impact on global pop culture. From Bob Marley to contemporary dancehall stars, the genre has influenced music, fashion, and language. Dancehall music has become a cultural phenomenon, with its fast-paced beats and catchy melodies capturing the hearts of people all over the world. As the genre continues to evolve, it will undoubtedly continue to have a significant impact on pop culture for years to come.

Jamaican dancehall music has been a significant part of the country's cultural identity for decades. It has played a crucial role in shaping Jamaican society and has had a significant impact on the country's music industry. From Bob Marley to contemporary dancehall stars, Jamaican music has evolved over the years, but its cultural impact remains as strong as ever.

Dancehall music emerged in Jamaica in the late 1970s, and it quickly became a popular genre among young people. The music was characterized by its fast-paced beats, catchy melodies, and lyrics that often addressed social and political issues. Dancehall music was a reflection of the struggles and challenges faced by Jamaican society at the time, and it provided a voice for the marginalized and oppressed.

One of the most significant figures in the history of Jamaican music is Bob Marley. Marley's music was a fusion of reggae and rock, and it addressed issues such as poverty, inequality, and social injustice. Marley's music was not only popular in Jamaica but also gained international recognition, making him a global icon. Marley's music was a reflection of the Jamaican identity, and it helped to shape the country's cultural identity.

In the 1980s, dancehall music became more popular, and it began to dominate the Jamaican music scene. The music was characterized by its raw and explicit lyrics, which often addressed issues such as violence, sex, and drugs. Dancehall music was controversial, and it faced criticism from some quarters for its explicit content. However, the music continued to be popular, and it played a significant role in shaping Jamaican society.

Dancehall music has had a significant impact on Jamaican society, and it has helped to shape the country's cultural identity. The music has provided a voice for the marginalized and oppressed, and it has addressed social and political issues that are relevant to Jamaican society. Dancehall music has also played a crucial role in the country's music industry, and it has helped to create a vibrant and dynamic music scene.

Contemporary dancehall stars such as Sean Paul, Shaggy, and Beenie Man have continued to build on the legacy of Bob Marley and other pioneers of Jamaican music. These artists have taken dancehall music to new heights, and they have helped to make it a global phenomenon. Contemporary dancehall music has evolved over the years, and it has incorporated elements of other genres such as hip hop and R&B. However, the music remains true to its roots, and it continues to address social and political issues that are relevant to Jamaican society.

In conclusion, Jamaican dancehall music has played a significant role in shaping Jamaican identity and society. From Bob Marley to contemporary dancehall stars, Jamaican music has evolved over the years, but its cultural impact remains as strong as ever. Dancehall music has provided a voice for the marginalized and oppressed, and it has addressed social and political issues that are relevant to Jamaican society. The music has also helped to create a vibrant and dynamic music scene in Jamaica, and it has made a significant contribution to the country's music industry. Jamaican dancehall music is a reflection of the country's cultural identity, and it will continue to be an essential part of Jamaican culture for years to come.

Jamaican dancehall music has been a significant cultural force since the 1970s, with artists like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh paving the way for a new generation of musicians. However, the genre has also been the subject of controversy, particularly when it comes to issues of censorship and homophobia.

One of the most significant controversies surrounding Jamaican dancehall music is censorship. The genre has been criticized for its explicit lyrics, which often contain references to violence, sex, and drug use. In some cases, these lyrics have been deemed too offensive for public consumption, leading to calls for censorship.

In 2005, for example, the Jamaican government banned several dancehall songs from the airwaves, citing concerns about their violent and sexually explicit content. The move was met with mixed reactions, with some arguing that it was necessary to protect young people from harmful messages, while others saw it as an attack on free speech.

Another controversial aspect of Jamaican dancehall music is its treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals. The genre has been criticized for its homophobic lyrics, which often promote violence and discrimination against queer people. In some cases, these lyrics have been linked to real-world violence, with LGBTQ+ individuals in Jamaica facing high levels of harassment and even murder.

In 2018, for example, Jamaican dancehall artist Buju Banton faced backlash for his song “Boom Bye Bye,” which contains lyrics advocating for the murder of gay men. The song was released in 1992 but continued to be performed by Banton for years afterward, leading to protests and calls for him to be banned from performing in certain countries.

Despite these controversies, many argue that Jamaican dancehall music has also had a positive impact on culture. The genre has been credited with promoting Jamaican identity and pride, as well as providing a platform for marginalized voices to be heard.

In recent years, a new generation of dancehall artists has emerged, many of whom are pushing back against the genre's more problematic elements. Artists like Koffee and Chronixx, for example, have gained international acclaim for their socially conscious lyrics and positive messages.

Overall, the cultural impact of Jamaican dancehall music is complex and multifaceted. While the genre has faced criticism for its explicit lyrics and homophobic content, it has also played an important role in promoting Jamaican culture and providing a platform for marginalized voices. As the genre continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how it navigates these controversies and continues to shape the cultural landscape.

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The role of dancehall music in Jamaican society

Music is one aspect of Jamaica’s vibrant culture, which is known for its vibrant culture. Dancehall music is a style of music that was created in Jamaica at the end of the 1970s. Since then, it has become an important part of life in Jamaica. Dancehall music isn’t simply a type of diversion, however it is likewise an impression of Jamaican culture, and it plays had a fundamental impact in molding the nation’s way of life.

The use of Jamaican patois and the quick-paced beats of dancehall music set it apart. Love, sex, politics, and social commentary are common themes in this genre, which is popular with young Jamaicans. Beenie Man, Shaggy, and Sean Paul are just a few of the artists who have made it big in the music industry.

Dancehall music’s capacity to give marginalized Jamaicans a voice is one of its significant contributions to society. The genre has been used to highlight issues like poverty, crime, and police brutality that affect the poor and disenfranchised in Jamaica. Bounty Killer, Capleton, and Buju Banton are just a few of the musicians who have used their music to protest the country’s social injustices and give people who might not otherwise have one a voice.

Jamaican culture has also been significantly influenced by dancehall music. Jamaican fashion reflects the vibrant colors and patterns of dancehall culture in clothing and accessories, demonstrating the genre’s influence. Dancehall artists have popularized a number of Jamaican slang terms and phrases, which has also had an impact on the country’s language.

Dancehall music has a significant impact on Jamaica’s economy. Record producers, sound engineers, and musicians can all take advantage of the numerous job opportunities provided by the genre in the music industry. Also, the fame of dancehall music has prompted an expansion in the travel industry in Jamaica, with guests coming from everywhere the world to encounter the country’s dynamic culture.

However, dancehall music has also come under fire for the sexually explicit and frequently explicit lyrics. Some have contended that the class’ verses are corrupting to ladies and advance brutality and homophobia. Some artists have tried to make music that is more socially conscious and has positive messages in response to these criticisms.

In conclusion, dancehall music has had a significant impact on Jamaican society, from giving marginalized people a voice to shaping the culture and economy of the country. Even though some of the content in the genre has been criticized, it is still an important part of Jamaica’s identity and will continue to have an impact on the country’s future.

• Chang, K. (2016). Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music. Temple University Press.
• Cooper, C. (2018). Decolonizing the Ear: Examining the Role of Dancehall Music in Jamaican Society. Journal of Pan African Studies, 11(2), 40-55.
• Moskowitz, D. V. (2006). Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. Greenwood Publishing Group.
• Stewart, B. (2013). The influence of Jamaican dancehall music on contemporary society. The Caribbean Writer, 27, 255-263

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Dancehall’s influence

Dear Editor,

The influence of dancehall music on teenagers has impacted their minds negatively. This contributes heavily to crime and violence, sexual behaviours, and causes a drastic increase in drug use among youth.

I, myself, have been scorned for listening to “sick music”, as some tend to describe it. Most ask: “How do you understand what is being said by those crazy people?”

Dancehall music in today’s society exposes young minds to violence. This influences the youngsters to behave violently and it seems acceptable in their minds.

The glorification of sexual immorality is also a popular topic of dancehall music. The promotion of promiscuous behaviour and sexual acts are a common fixture in the genre, and the lyrical content tends to influence the young listeners. Songs like Mavado’s Neva Believe Yuh and Vybz Kartel’s Dumper Truck accompany lewd images of how women, in particular, and men should behave. Women are also degraded in these songs, referring to them as “gyal” in a demeaning and derogatory manner.

Is this what we want our teens to be emulating? “Backing it up” on each other to loud music in public displaying sexual acts? Artistes fail to take responsibility for their strong influence on the nation’s youth.

I implore parents to play your role and educate your children. Monitor their behaviour and ensure that they maintain a level of respect for themselves and towards others. There is a need for parents to control what their children listen, and broadcasters should also regulate what they air to protect the society from absorbing behaviour that is not of good morals or values.

Britanya Bonner

Tarrant High School student

[email protected]

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Beyond dancehall: Exploring its influences, impact, and identity

I’ve heard it said that dancehall isn’t a style—it’s a place.

Well, originally it was a place, but it’s also a genre, and perhaps even more than that, a movement and a lifestyle. Dancehall has become a vehicle for the latest news, trends, slang, dance moves, and fashion coming out of Jamaica, as well as a snapshot of the lifestyles, feuds, and practices happening between dancehall artists and their camps and in Jamaica’s inner cities (though certainly not limited to those areas or their residents).

More than merely a beat or a rhythm, dancehall’s roots can be found in the early eras of Jamaican popular music. But, precursors to the wit, grittiness, and often bawdy nature can be found in Jamaican folk music—just as the integration of dance and fashion is foreshadowed by the trends we exported internationally via Jamaican immigrants seeking work and a better life for their children in North America, the UK, and Latin America.

Dancehall has influenced and been influenced, innovated and collaborated, and been a source of pride as well as contention and controversy. As it grows and morphs and reinvents itself, dancehall and several dancehall artists have been the “it” flavor in various communities at different times. It has been borrowed from and has borrowed. Some have even announced that dancehall is dead, or dying—yet it’s still here, contributing to local and international trends and brands.

Let us take a look beyond what you might already know or see, for a more vibrant picture of this mighty, morphing genre of Jamaican popular music. The journey will not be linear, as we’ll go back and forth in time, following the pathways to dancehall and attempting to track its influence, offshoots, and international progeny.

The history of dancehall

The Quadrille, a social dance of the French and English, was introduced to Jamaica in the early 19th century. There were two forms of the Quadrille: the Square (which became know as the Ballroom style and was mostly performed by elites such as those in the Planter class and the aristocracy) and the Long Way Set (which became known as Camp Style). The Quadrille is performed in four movements called figures, and a fifth was later added called the Mento.

As the added figure to the Quadrille, Mento became Jamaica’s first popular music form (now considered folk music), combining African and British elements. Mento really gained prominence in the 1940s and ’50s with some early recordings by Lord Flea, Lord Fly, and Sugar Belly.

Two important elements to note with the Quadrille and Mento are the aspect of social dance and the explicit tone and subject matter of many Mento songs. The social nature of the Quadrille as dance expression can be viewed as a direct line to the dance crews present in dancehall today.

Neila Ebanks, Director of Studies at The School of Dance, EMCVPA in Kingston observes, “Dancehall’s social nature has run the gamut from celebration of individual expression and style within the community to engendering group belonging (albeit strongly segregated according to gender).”

Dancehall was (and is) a place

As a place, the dancehall was where we would gather to dance ska, and before that, the Quadrille. The meaning of dancehall has since expanded from being the place where inner city communities would gather to have fun, celebrate, and express to being the vibrant, trendsetting movement we’re currently experiencing. Its distant folk roots are still evident and sometimes show up in the music, like that of Lloyd Lovindeer, Buju Banton, Chalice, and Gyptian, as well as in the dance and choreography of those like Bogle and Ding Dong.

Michael Holgate, Head of the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI and Artistic Director for The Ashe Company says, “Dancehall is present-day folk dance. It is the dance of the folk. It is the dance of the people. The dancehalls of the past held the dances of the Quadrille and they continue through to this day now as remnants of history. The modern dancehalls are streets that live and breathe with the music, dance, and culture of dancehall as a social force.”

Deep connections with fashion

In the 1960s, the slang “rudeboy” gained prominence with ska and rocksteady to describe discontent youth in the Jamaican inner city. The slang and the rudeboy subculture would eventually find their way to England, among disenfranchised youth of Caribbean descent as well as poor British youth. This would eventually spawn the early skinhead culture.

Rudeboy (and rudegirl) fashion was influenced by the style of U.S. jazz and soul artists. Rudeboys often wore sharp suits and thin ties with trilby hats. Skinhead fashion would also include straight-leg jeans, steel-toe work boots, suspenders or braces, and slim-fit, button-down collar shirts.

Elements of these fashions are still evident in dancehall today, and varying philosophies of the rudeboy lifestyle can definitely be found in the lyrical content of dancehall. Dancer / choreographer Bogle’s fashion sense was most certainly influenced by skinhead and punk.

Though there was a brief departure in the ’80s, with dancehall fashion becoming colorful, larger-than-life, and at times outrageous (see ‘Dancehall Queen’ Carlene and dancehall designer Biggy), the rudeboy element never really left and now might be called “yardie,” “gangster,” or “badman,” and even more recently, “choppa.”

Dancehall is the sound of today and the movement is a trendy one. It has always had that spirit of fashion and it sets the trends for dance moves and the popular lexicon of the young and fashionable.

Contradictions

The dancehall space can be a conundrum. The subject matter can be uplifting as easily as it can be raunchy or offensive. Dancehall is cis male dominated. Many of the songs are about women, and many times in an explicitly sexual way. The dance crews are mostly men, and there are few mixed crews and crews of women.

The environment can feel androgynous at times, but for the most part that’s also one of the contradictions, as the space also tends to be a ‘macho’ one with all that comes with it.

Female dancehall artists almost always have to do more than their fair share of work and compromise to break in. “As a female in dancehall, we work twice as hard for half the pay and sometimes a quarter of the support,” dancehall artist Stacious shares. “We are held to higher standards but yet very little is expected from us. Very contrary. However, the love and passion for music allows us to cry, laugh, and fight at the same time, for the ability to produce music that inspires and entertains the masses. All while paying attention to the ‘age clock’ that society places on the heads of female acts. This… is a tiny summary of my love / hate relationship with [dancehall] music, or should I say the music industry.”

Mijanne, an accomplished violinist (who has toured with the likes of Jah Cure, Richie Spice, and KING DIANA), producer, and LGBTQ+ activist, shares her impression: “By my experience of it… it’s brash, aggressive, arrogant, and nuanced. [It’s] for the streets but exclusive, Christian but criminal… It’s [also] brilliant, intelligent and instinctive.”

KING DIANA (formerly known as DIANA KING) also shares their story: “I started pretty early in the business. I was between 13 and 15 years old… For me, it was mostly a toxic environment… where I was constantly managing my feelings in order to remain calm and just do the work. I didn’t know the correct wording for what I was experiencing at the time, but now I can say it was an extremely sexist and homophobic environment. I knew [given my identity] as a woman (now non-binary) and a closeted lesbian at the time… I would not flourish there, especially with my need to be authentically myself.”

System of a sound

In the 1950s and ’60s, sound systems provided the music in the dancehalls, and then they eventually found their way to the streets. These systems would have a turntable and large sets of speakers, and play records chosen by selectors. As the selectors would play early ska, rocksteady, and R&B, they would employ rudeboys and other musical hopefuls as “toasters,” who would fill the gap between records with lyrical rhyme and slang. The toasters would later become known as DJs, whose roles evolved to providing new lyrics over the instrumental versions of the records.

The sound of dancehall has evolved from the early sounds from toasters such as U-Roy and Sugar Minott to the DJs of the ’80s like Yellowman, Junior Reid, and Gregory Isaacs. In the ’90s, digital dancehall saw innovations in the sound and expansion of the genre. Producers like Bobby Digital, Dave Kelly, Donovan Germain, and Steely & Clevie pushed the boundaries of what came before with drum machines and synths.

Dancehall isn’t just one thing

In the ’90s, Cleveland ‘Clevie’ Browne took a basic rhythm (in 4/4: a dotted 8th note, 16th note, 8th note rest, 8th note, dotted 8th note, 16th note, 8th note rest, and 8th note) found in folk music across the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and Europe and distributed it to the kick and snare (the dotted 8th and 16th assigned to the kick drum, and the following 8th note assigned to the snare). This rhythm and its variations would become the basis for the identifiable sound of dancehall in that decade.

Variations on that rhythm (Dem Bow Riddim, Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam,” “Murder She Wrote,” etc.) would go on to inspire other genres like reggaeton and dembow, and in turn, moombahton.

As mentioned, dancehall has been influenced and also influenced. In fact, those influenced by dancehall would in turn come back to influence and propel its sound. DJ and producer Diplo would collaborate with fellow DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums (also Switch and Jillionaire) under the name Major Lazer, infusing an EDM aesthetic with sounds of the Caribbean.

This collaboration introduced elements like the risers, falls, drops, and a plethora of synthetic sounds and samples to dancehall. The genre was already no stranger to experimentation and the use of sound effects, with electronic and vocal noises in its direct lineage via the dub studio experimentation of the likes of Lee Scratch Perry. The popularity of trap music has now also introduced those hi-hat patterns in trap dancehall, a polarizing new sub-genre.

Over the years, we’ve heard dancehall mixed with rock (Tessanne’s “Hide Away”), samba batucada (Busy Signal’s “Up in Her Belly”), classical (Chalice’s “Dance Hall Monic”), and more. The combinations and collaborations continue today with an almost cyclical influence between dancehall and Afrobeats.

Pinning down dancehall

With dancehall accepting influences and going on to birth or shape so many other styles and genres—from hip hop and garage to reggaeton and moombahton—how do you define it?

“Dancehall has some basic pillars [just] like hip hop: fashion, riddim, lyrics, artwork, and dancing,” DJ Walshy Fire says. “Dancehall is a drum pattern. It usually sits between 94 and 100 BPM. The bassline is the driving force to the sound. It even drives the lyrical direction, even though lyrically anything can be said over it. The bassline drives the energy. The energy is what makes dancehall so special—it’s put into a space uniquely its own.”

“Culture is a big part [of it],” producer and sample creator krs. adds. “The era or decade that the music is being made in kind of defines the sound. Growing up, I was hearing more melodic and produced beats that appealed to a more international crowd. I think that is less the trend currently. I would say the beat and the approach of the producer and artist come together to make something that showcases their local [Jamaican] environment—a slice of life. The story or subject matter would reflect their unique Jamaican story.”

From my own perspective as a musician, Jamaican, and consumer of dancehall, I would echo much of what has been said by krs. and Walshy Fire. I would also add that language is important, but not necessarily that it needs to be patois. The rhythm and cadence of the Jamaican language also drive the rhythm of the music and contribute to the energy and sense of culture that become palpable in the song. In addition to the inherent elements in the language and the musical and poetic adjustments made by DJs to establish unique musical identities within a vocal performance, there is also a veritable lexicon of slang, rhythmic phrasing, vocal texture, tone color, and attitudes inherited over the years which have become dancehall canon.

This vast palette of options for dancehall vocal performance allows someone singing in a completely different language to explore the lexicon and employ Jamaican cadences (specific to the genre), tonal inflections, and tried-and-true rhythmic patterns, thereby imbuing it with that dancehall energy.

With the many variations in beat and riddim, the stylistic fusions, and the international reach of dancehall, there needs to be at least one element of the production (many of which I mentioned here) that anchors the dancehall energy in the song.

You’re ultimately left with options. Will you research and study? Will you use hardware or software emulations for a vintage sound? Will you explore the cultures within Jamaica? Will you do a deep dive into the dancehall communities, fashion, and dance? Will you live and explore with a dance crew, as many now do? Will you experiment and attempt to push the music further? Will you be the one that inspires a new sub-genre? Discover the dancehall sounds below and start your journey.

Looking to explore dancehall in your own music? Check out exclusive sample packs from krs., Di Genius, Jaxx, and more:

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• Sound Culture Series

A Reader on Jamaican Music and Culture

Edited by Sonjah Stanley Niaah

Contributions by Bibi Bakare-Yusef , Zachary J.M. Beier , Louis ChudeSokei , Carolyn Cooper , Joshua Chamberlain , Robin Clarke , Lena Delgado de Torres , Nadia Ellis , Julian Henriques , Audene S. Henry , Ray Hitchins , Andrea Hollington , Donna P. Hope , Dennis Howard , Kate Lawton , Erin MacLeod , Larisa Kingston Mann , Peter Manuel , Wayne Marshall , Bruno Muniz , Andrea Shaw Nevins , “H” Patten , Joseph Pereira , Anna Kasafi Perkins , Agostinho Pinnock , Tracey Skelton , Norman Stolzoff , Krista Thompson , Marvin D. Sterling and Garth White

Series: Sound Culture Series

• 9789766407506
• Published: October 2020
• Buying Options
• Description

Dancehall: A Reader on Jamaican Music and Culture contextualizes the emergence of the globally popular dancehall genre, while tracing the complex and often contradictory aspects of its evolution, dispersion and politics. This collection of foundational essays places dancehall in context with cutting-edge analyses of performance modes and expression, genre development, and impact in the wider local, regional and international socio-political milieu of struggles by black Jamaicans in particular and cultural adherents more broadly.

Dancehall is one of eight musical genres created in Jamaica and, in the past two decades, it has become one of the most influential Jamaican cultural exports since reggae. The impact of dancehall extends far beyond Jamaica and is evident in music genres (such as hip hop, trip hop, jungle, reggaeton, South African kwaito and Nigerian Afrobeats) and international fashion, film and dance.

This interdisciplinary volume documents various aspects of dancehall’s global impact, evolution and influence in gender, political economy, geography, ethnomusicology, spirituality, music production, fashion and language. Each selection interrogates the range of meanings ascribed to dancehall culture, a phenomenon which has been seen to be associated with violence, crime and debauchery. This collection exposes the immense cultural work towards self-expression and identity in post-colonial Jamaica which takes shape through dancehall and the contributors apply a new level of seriousness, depth and academic rigour to dancehall studies.

Acknowledgements and Permissions

Introduction SONJAH STANLEY NIAAH

Part 1: Early Reflections

The Development of Jamaican Popular Music GARTH WHITE

Slackness Hiding from Culture: Erotic Play in the Dancehall CAROLYN COOPER

Murderation: The Question of Violence in the Sound System Dance NORMAN C. STOLZOFF

Gun Talk and Girls’ Talk: The DJ Clash JOSEPH PEREIRA

Part 2: Negotiation, Urban Space and Experience

Post-Nationalist Geographies: Rasta, Ragga and Reinventing Africa LOUIS CHUDE-SOKEI

An Archaeology of Dancehall: Garrison Life at Fort Rocky ZACHARY J.M. BEIER

Sampling City: Kingston in the Social Imaginary of Jamaican Popular Music ANNA KASAFI PERKINS

Tommy Lee as “Uncle Demon”: Contemporary Cultural Hybridity in Jamaican Dancehall ROBIN CLARKE

Dancehall Political Patronage and Gun Violence: Political Affiliations and the Glorification of Gun Culture DENNIS HOWARD

Part 3: Engagement, Spectacle and the Language of Performance

Video Light: Dancehall and the Aesthetics of Spectacular Un-visibility in Jamaica KRISTA THOMPSON

“Spar wid Me” and Other Stories of Civic Engagement in the Sound Clash Arena JOSHUA CHAMBERLAIN

Death before Dishonour: Language and the Jamaican Sound System Clash AUDENE S. HENRY

Part 4: Sexual Politics and Aesthetics

Out and Bad: Toward a Queer Performance Hermeneutic in Jamaican Dancehall NADIA ELLIS

Fashion Ova Style: Dancehall’s Masculine Duality DONNA HOPE

Ghetto Girls/Urban Music: Jamaican Ragga Music and Female Performance TRACEY SKELTON

“A Uman Wi Niem!” Sexual Desire and the Poetics of “Badness” in the Works of Lady Saw and Tanya Stephens AGOSTINHO PINNOCK

Part 5: Sound System, Riddim and Practice

A Caribbean Taste of Technology: Creolization and the Ways of Making of the Dancehall Sound System JULIAN HENRIQUES

The Riddim Method: Aesthetics, Practice and Ownership in Jamaican Dancehall PETER MANUEL AND WAYNE MARSHALL

“‘Sleng Teng’ Dominate Bad, Bad”: Understanding Jamaica’s “Computerized” Riddim Craze ERIN C. MacLEOD

Sleng Teng: Redefining Jamaica’s Digital Riddims RAY HITCHINS

Part 6: Ritual, Celebration, Space

Ritual and Community in Dancehall Performance SONJAH STANLEY NIAAH

Egúngún in Disguise: The Jamaican Nine Night Ceremony LENA DELGADO DE TORRES

Representations of “Obeah” and “Bad-Mind” in Contemporary Jamaican Dancehall KATE LAWTON

Part 7: Adornment, Embodiment and Style

Fabricating Identities: Survival and the Imagination in Jamaican Dancehall Culture BIBI BAKARE-YUSUF

Dancehall Bodies: Performing In/Securities “H” PATTEN

Born in Chanel, Christen in Gucci: The Rhetoric of Brand Names and Haute Couture in Jamaican Dancehall ANDREA SHAW NEVINS

Part 8: The Dancehall Transnation

Music and Orality: Authenticity in Japanese Sound System Culture MARVIN D. STERLING

Zimdancehall: Jamaican Music in a Transatlantic and African Perspective ANDREA HOLLINGTON

Black Music, Popular Culture and Existential Capital: The Relationship between Appropriation and Originality BRUNO BARBOZA MUNIZ

White Faces in Intimate Spaces: Jamaican Popular Music in Global Circulation LARISA KINGSTON MANN

Part 9: Tribute to Bogle

“Bogle ah di Order fi di Day”: Dance and Identity in Jamaican Dancehall SONJAH STANLEY NIAAH

Contributors

Sonjah Stanley Niaah is Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies and Director of the Institute of Caribbean Studies, the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica. Her publications include the books Reggae Pilgrimages: Festivals and the Movement of Jah People and Dancehall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto.

Andrea Hollington  is a postdoc researcher at the University of Mainz, Germany.

DONNA P. HOPE is Senior Lecturer, Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Reggae Studies Unit, the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Her publications include Inna di Dancehall: Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity in Jamaica and Man Vibes: Masculinities in the Jamaican Dancehall .

Anna Kasafi Perkins is Senior Programme Officer, Quality Assurance Unit, Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies, the University of the West Indies, Vice Chancellery, Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Her publications include Justice as Equality: Michael Manley’s Caribbean Theory of Justice and Justice and Peace in a Renewed Caribbean: Contemporary Catholic Reflections (co-edited with Donald Chambers and Jacqueline Porter).

INTRODUCTION

SONAH STANLEY NIAAH

THE ORIGINS OF WHAT IS TODAY REFERRED TO AS “DANCEHALL” go back to mid-nineteenth century Jamaica, before the international community had heard of reggae or any of the other musical genres that have made the island a worldwide musical juggernaut. The dance- hall has always been and continues to be a space of celebration (Stanley Niaah 2004). It is a location where communities come together to dance to music played by sound systems, the mobile discotheques which are the backbone of Jamaican music, providing entertainment in Kingston, throughout the countryside and increasingly in what can be referred to as the “dancehall diaspora”.

From these spaces a range of different musics have been developed, from mento to ska and rocksteady to reggae and dub to dancehall. Dancehall has moved from referencing a place for enjoyment to being both a genre of music as well as a culture. The Jamaican genre of reggae has received significant treatment in multiple works, be they scholarly books or more popular, non-academic publications. This anthology, however, is the first work to bring together thinking about this multifaceted concept of dancehall from the perspectives of history, sociology, cultural studies, geography, anthropology, ethnomusicology and more.

Dancehall culture is vibrant and dynamic, a demonstration of the richness and resilience that is Jamaican creativity. Over the past decades, it has presented the world with innovations in music production and fashion design and illustrated the expression of politics, sexuality, spirituality, community, and both sexual and gender identity. Dancehall is entertainment and competition, lifestyle and novelty. However, given that many of the prevailing sentiments about dancehall point to slackness (meaning vulgarity), violence and debased values, dancehall has been persecuted as much as it has been praised. There have been complaints in local papers over the years, with but one recent example being a 2015 article in one of Jamaica’s national newspapers, the Gleaner , stating “Dancehall Is the Source of Evil” (Thompson 2015). There have also been reactions and protests locally and internationally against moral codes expressed in dancehall’s lyrics, particularly around same-sex relationships. This has led to Time magazine’s infamous characterization of Jamaica as the “most homophobic place on earth” (Padgett 2006). While there are changing attitudes, what is clear is that dancehall music and culture have become easy avenues through which we can read the pulse of Jamaican sensibilities around a variety of everyday cultural norms.

So as to encompass the kaleidoscope of attitudes, opinions and ideas about dancehall, this collection brings together scholarship from the early days of analysis of the genre in the 1980s to recent work presented at the Global Reggae Conference under the theme “Dancehall, Music and the City” in 2017. The reggae studies conferences have been the source for published works, including Carolyn Cooper’s edited collection of work from the 2008 conference, Global Regga e (2013), and International Reggae: Current and Future Trends in Jamaican Popular Music (2013), edited by Donna Hope. This anthology takes account of what could be referred to as both positive and negative perspectives and does not shy away from discussions of controversies surrounding dancehall as space, genre and culture. In addition, this anthology has been divided into the following sections, each providing relevant focus on the many attributes of dancehall that will allow for a broad understanding.

EARLY REFLECTIONS

Though dancehall is the most recent development in Jamaica’s musical history, there has been scholarship on the subject since the early 1980s. Beginning with Garth White’s seminal 1984 essay, one that has not been widely available until this publication, the history of what is now referred to as dancehall is told. White provides an outline of dancehall’s predecessors and influences, not just musically but also in terms of dance itself. Carolyn Cooper, who was the first scholar to take the lyrics of dancehall seriously, demonstrates her approach and a means of reading the poetic significance in the music. For Cooper, slackness is not a barrier to cultural understanding, but actually part of the culture itself. In this section, there is also Norman C. Stolzoff, anthropologist and scholar, who completed ethnographic work on dancehall sound system culture. His chapter provides insight on the sound system dance and looks at the role of violence in the dancehall space. Complementing this is work on lyrical clashes from Joe Pereira. Pereira’s analysis of the “talk” of dancehall performers – alternately referred to as “DJs” or “deejays” – asks questions about lyrical content that edges toward violence and slackness.

NEGOTIATION, URBAN SPACE AND EXPERIENCE

As dancehall is an expression of a space, a space that is produced, as Henri Lefebvre would see it, by society and community (1991), this section deals with the creation and negotiation of the dancehall space, beginning with Louis Chude-Sokei’s “Post-Nationalist Geographies: Rasta, Ragga and Reinventing Africa” that looks at the shift from the universal themes of reggae in the 1970s (promoted internationally by Bob Marley) to the much more spatialized and individualized focus of dancehall. Instead of a complete move away from cultural consciousness, Chude-Sokei argues for the specificity of the Africanness of the dancehall space. Still focused on space, but from a different perspective, Zachary J.M. Beier provides an archaeological view of one specific space that has been transformed through dancehall music: Kingston’s historically significant Fort Rocky. This fort in the Port Royal region is the first declared entertainment zone in the Kingston Metropolitan Area, as part of the modern era of cultural industries’ regula- tory frameworks and reforms.

Anna Kasafi Perkins takes a wider view of Kingston as a whole, as expressed through Jamaican popular music, with specific focus on the ways in which dancehall has shaped Kingston and vice versa. The final two chapters in this section deal with other influences of dancehall and the negotiation of space and experience. Robin Clarke describes how dancehall artist Tommy Lee has brought together a range of influences to develop his Caribbean, urban-gothic character of “Uncle Demon”, and Dennis Howard illustrates the ways in which the reality of politics and crime impact and are described by dancehall artists.

ENGAGEMENT, SPECTACLE AND THE LANGUAGE OF PERFORMANCE

The interaction between dancehall artists and the interaction between sound systems and their audience, or “massive”, are key to the environment that is the dancehall. Notably, the dancehall is a space in which the “massive” is as much spectator as performer. One of the most significant elements of any sound system event in Kingston (and internation- ally) is the role of the “video man”, a person hired to record the proceedings. The camera takes into account not only performances but the entirety of the dancehall event, from fashion and dancing to the comments of the sound system MC and those in attendance. This section underlines this dynamic phenomenon, beginning with Krista Thompson’s work on the role of the video light and spectatorship.

The dancehall provides opportunities for audiences to involve themselves in many ways, and Joshua Chamberlain’s work on civic engagement and the sound clash demon- strates a different type of involvement on a broader, community-based level. Rival sound systems have competed using both the power of their sound as well as the content of the music they play. Chamberlain describes this phenomenon and how it also allows for the development of civic culture through the clash. Rounding out the section is Audene S. Henry’s look at the language of the sound clash: communication between sound systems as well as communication between audience and sound system.

SEXUAL POLITICS AND AESTHETICS

Given dancehall’s reputation for discussions of sex and sexuality, there is a need to include some of the important research and commentary on these topics, as well as the issue of gender. It is also important to review and expand the conception of dancehall as a simplistic and monolithically homophobic space. Nadia Ellis motions toward a different way of seeing the role of queerness in dancehall by thinking about how to interpret certain forms of masculinities in dancehall. So too does Donna Hope, who provides an analysis of male identity as it functions in the dancehall space. Hope’s contribution to this volume looks specifically at how dancehall shapes the image of the man in Jamaica. Turning to women’s identities, Tracey Skelton discusses the performance of femininity and Agostinho Pinnock focuses on Tanya Stephens to illustrate the discourse of and around women in the genre.

SOUND SYSTEM, RIDDIM AND PRACTICE

Of course, dancehall is music, and this music is heard, primarily on sound systems. This section looks at the actual sound of dancehall, beginning with Julian Henriques’s look at the sound system as creolized cultural form. Henriques is known for his analysis of the sound system and the dancehall as sound event. His work connects sound system practice with systems of understanding and discursive practices. This is complemented by the three other chapters in this section, including Peter Manuel and Wayne Marshall’s thorough analysis of the practice of making dancehall. They describe how the system of “riddims” (the instrumental foundations of dancehall music that are used and reused by vocalists and recreated by producers) is shaped by and shapes dancehall music. Both Erin C. MacLeod and Ray Hitchins discuss the phenomenon of riddims from the same starting point: the sleng teng. MacLeod looks at the derisive discourse surrounding the riddim and Hitchins takes a musicological look at the development of dancehall music, specifically the use of technology in the creation of riddim.

RITUAL, CELEBRATION, SPACE

Dancehall is rooted in history, but it is also rooted in spirituality. The three chapters in this section take the sacred as a starting point. Sonjah Stanley Niaah’s work, from the perspective of social and cultural geography, investigates dancehall event practice as ritual. Yes, the space is that of celebration, of music and dance and fashion – but there is a specific process to the dance. By enumerating different dance events, Stanley Niaah illustrates the commonalities and the ritualized nature of dancehall culture. Lena Delgado de Torres and Kate Lawton continue in this vein. De Torres turns to the funereal ritual of the Nine Night, underlining its relation to Yorùbá-based ancestral worship and the relationship of these older cultural practices to the present popular culture of dancehall. Lawton also connects ancestral practices with dancehall by drawing a comparison between the spiritual practice of obeah and the present-day conception of “bad mind”, a much discussed concept in dancehall lyrics.

ADORNMENT, EMBODIMENT AND STYLE

Fashion and style are huge elements of dancehall. There is some discussion of fashion in the section dealing with sexuality and gender identity, but these three chapters demonstrate how dress shapes both dancehall and its participants. Bibi Bakare-Yusuf views fashion as a survival tactic, a means of shoring up identity. “H” Patten’s work is on dance style and how it reflects both community and self-perception. Dealing with the pressure to sport international brands is Andrea Elizabeth Shaw. Her work on the discourse of luxury fashion brands in the dancehall and in dancehall lyrics illustrates how colonial hierarchies continue in dancehall.

THE DANCEHALL TRANSNATION

Dancehall is, of course, an international phenomenon, with artists from Africa to Europe to Asia to Australia and across the Americas all versioning and voicing riddims and attempting to express themselves in a dancehall style. All chapters in the section turn to dancehall sound, culture and practice in a difference space. Marvin Sterling provides insight into the role of the sound system in Japan and how Japanese culture has connected with dancehall. Andrea Hollington turns to the African continent to investigate the development of dancehall in Zimbabwe. Bruno Barboza Muniz, on the other side of the globe, draws connections between Jamaican sound system culture and Brazilian funk, asking questions about appropriation, authenticity and originality. The idea and impact of international audiences is discussed by Larisa Kingston Mann, who wonders about the result of dancehall’s circulation through the wide range of technological platforms now available.

TRIBUTE TO BOGLE

As a final addition to the anthology, this tribute provides not only a fitting eulogy for the famed dancer Bogle but also an understanding of the importance of dance in the dancehall. The desire to remember those who have contributed to dancehall is also the purpose of this anthology. This tribute represents the first of what could be many tributes to those who have helped to develop dancehall, and this collection is itself a tribute to the many who have been at the foundation of dancehall practice and scholarship. But as dancehall – the space, music, style, dance and lifestyle – moves forward, there will always be a need to continue the analysis of this dynamic part of Jamaican culture. This is but one collection and a long overdue one.

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Dancehall Music Impact On Society

Dancehall Music Impact On Society - Dancehall music has always been very influential since its inception/production.

The music have the power to hypnotize you if you allow yourself to be fully engulfed. One main reason for the musical impact is because artist are seen as idols or role models. Another reason is that persons crave attention and always want to be ahead all the time. Proving their status and stamina. Ever since the 80s artist will command their fans to do dances, say crazy phrases and act a certain way. This is all for the hype and status. Everyday, you will hear someone express that crime and voilence is a major factor affecting our society in the Island of Jamaica. Some persons link this behaviour to the lyrics being used in songs and dancehall. In my opinion, it does presently 2010. One of the most influential group/artists in Jamaica today is the Portmore Empire and Vybz Kartel, the leader of the group. Most young dancehall and reggae lovers consider this group/artist as their idol. The type of music lyrics put forward by this group can be voilent and explicit for the most part. I am not hitting out at the Portmore Empire nor Kartel, but the truth is just the truth. To prove my point, in 2010 when the Vybez Kartel collaboration with Popcaan "Clarks" hit the airwaves, most if not the entire nation from young to old, sung the song, wear the clarks and even steal clarks. The price of a pair of Clarks shoes doubled in an instant. Apart form the violent gun lyrics there are also the outrageous dance moves and dancehall slangs. Most of the hardcore dances are even known by kids as young as four (4) years old. One such dance is the ever popular dance hall skinout. Here are some artists who have a large impact on our society today.

• Bounty Killer
• Busy Signal
• Sizzla Kalonji
• Vybz Kartel
• Shabba Ranks

We at dancehall reggae world are not saying that these artists are bad people, but what ever they do or preach becomes the practice of the younger generation in our society today. It is with these and more findings that I've made my conclusion that dancehall music does impact our society's behavior.

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Impact of dancehall music on society

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Dancehall, like most music, is a form of self-expression. It is an art form through which the artiste can relate to events and issues of their lives. Its popularity forces its involvement into most events with its pulsating rhythms and catchy lyrics. The influence of dancehall music on society has contributed heavily to the violent and sexual behaviour and increase in drug use among youth. Dancehall music is a culture which impacts fashion, style and body language. Its elevation of sexual immorality, drug abuse and violence to the young impressionable minds, who adopt these things as part of their daily lifestyle, shows how it has influenced their behavioural pattern. Dancehall music in today’s society exposes the minds of young people to violence. It is believed that the lyrics in the music influence violent behaviour on a subliminal level. This influences the youth to behave violently and deem it as acceptable behaviour. The more the youth listens to the music the more their actions are influenced and persuaded to be involved and even encourage violence. The lyrics in the songs play a vital role in shaping the listeners as well as giving some insight on the kind of person behind the lyrics. Many artistes have found themselves in trouble with the law, ranging from misdemeanours to felonies, and their backgrounds and their lyrics are usually correlated.

The Term Paper on Rap Musics Negative Influence On Children Today

Rap Musics Negative Influence on Children Today Rap music influences children in several different ways these days. Many people feel it can persuade people to do violent acts or sets a bad example. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) says that, listening to rap music leads to antisocial behavior like juvenile delinquency, breakup of the family, rise in satanic cults, and teen suicide.(PMRC#3) ...

The glorification of sexual immorality is a popular theme in dancehall music. The promotion of promiscuous behaviour and sexual acts are a common fixture in the genre and the lyrical content tends to influence its youthful listeners. The immoral sexual behaviour of the youth is due to the stimulating effect of sexual music and they tend to gravitate towards it believing that it is acceptable conduct. In turn this raises public health concerns in regards to sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy and the human immunodeficiency virus and gives an unhealthy view on sex. Research has shown that there is a correlation between dancehall music and the proliferation of sexual activities. The findings revealed that females more than males were more likely to respond psychologically to the lyrical content of the dancehall genre and that the music is highly influential and can create negative impacts on youths, who imitate these negative acts. The evidence indicates that another negative message dancehall music is promoting are drugs and drug abuse especially that of marijuana. Dancehall music is having a negative impact on youth through drugs because various youth who listen to dancehall are smoking drugs or are being influenced to smoke drugs. The influences are derived from the lyrical content of the music or by friends who were influenced before.

The promotion of marijuana on the market for students causes them to go out of their way to smoke or sell to others to earn money and sometimes make a living. At present adolescents are forming gangs, abusing drugs, fighting, showing a lack of respect to elders and creating pornographic movies on mobile phones as well as altering uniforms to match fashion trends. These behavioural patterns not only have a massive negative impact on the academic performance of the youth but also on their health and lives. There is no doubt that the influence of music on a whole on people is phenomenal. Therefore there is no reason to doubt the extensive effect of dancehall music on the minds of the youth. There is a strong relationship between dancehall music, sexual immorality, drug abuse and violence. Music plays an important role in the development of youths and the admiration of the sexual and violent behaviour which are portrayed by dancehall artiste damages our society and the youth are at risk of falling into that lifestyle. The impact of dancehall cannot be denied. There is a need for parents to control what their children listen to while broadcasters should also regulate what they air to protect society from absorbing a behaviour that doesn’t support good morals and values.

The Essay on My Music Teachers And There Positive Influence On Me

Were supposed to do an essay on a person who has had a positive impact on our lives but that is a big list of people. So I decided on 3 people who have all had a contribution on my life. Music has always been in my family. Ever since I could speak I was probably singing. It has come easily to me to read music and play it on the piano or sing in different tones or rhythms. Only 3% of the world's ...

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Impact of dancehall music on society Essay Example

• Pages: 3 (692 words)
• Published: August 26, 2017
• Type: Essay

Dancehall. like most music. is a signifier of self-expression. It is an art signifier through which the artiste can associate to events and issues of their lives. Its popularity forces its engagement into most events with its throbing beat and catchy wordss. The influence of dancehall music on society has contributed to a great extent to the violent and sexual behavior and increase in drug usage among young person. Dancehall music is a civilization which impacts manner. manner and organic structure linguistic communication. Its lift of sexual immorality. drug maltreatment and force to the immature waxy heads. who adopt these things as portion of their day-to-day life style. shows how it has influenced their behavioral form. Dancehall music in today’s society exposes the heads of immature people to force. It is believed that the wordss in the

music influence violent behavior on a subliminal degree. This influences the young person to act violently and hold it as acceptable behavior. The more the young person listens to the music the more their actions are influenced and persuaded to be involved and even promote force. The wordss in the vocals play a critical function in determining the hearers every bit good as giving some penetration on the sort of individual behind the wordss. Many artistes have found themselves in problem with the jurisprudence. runing from misdemeanor to felonies. and their backgrounds and their wordss are normally correlated.

The glory of sexual immorality is a popular subject in dancehall music. The publicity of promiscuous behaviors and sexual Acts of the Apostless are a common fixture in the genre and the lyrical content tends to act upon its vernal hearers.

The immoral sexual behavior of the young person is due to the exciting consequence of sexual music and they tend to gravitate towards it believing that it is acceptable behavior. In bend this raises public wellness concerns in respects to sexually familial diseases. teenage gestation and the human immunodeficiency virus and gives an unhealthy position on sex. Research has shown that there is a correlativity between dancehall music and the proliferation of sexual activities. The findings revealed that females more than males were more likely to react psychologically to the lyrical content of the dancehall genre and that the music is extremely influential and can make negative impacts on young persons. who imitate these negative Acts of the Apostless. The grounds indicates that another negative message dancehall music is advancing are drugs and drug maltreatment particularly that of marihuana. Dancehall music is holding a negative impact on young person through drugs because assorted young person who listen to dancehall are smoking drugs or are being influenced to smoke drugs. The influences are derived from the lyrical content of the music or by friends who were influenced before.

The publicity of marihuana on the market for pupils causes them to travel out of their manner to smoke or sell to others to gain money and sometimes do a life. At present striplings are organizing packs. mistreating drugs. contending. demoing a deficiency of regard to seniors and making adult films on nomadic phones every bit good as changing uniforms to fit manner tendencies. These behavioral forms non merely have a monolithic negative impact on the academic public presentation of the young person but besides on their wellness and

lives. There is no uncertainty that the influence of music on a whole on people is phenomenal. Therefore there is no ground to doubt the extended consequence of dancehall music on the heads of the young person. There is a strong relationship between dancehall music. sexual immorality. drug maltreatment and force. Music plays an of import function in the development of young persons and the esteem of the sexual and violent behavior which are portrayed by dancehall artiste amendss our society and the young person are at hazard of falling into that life style. The impact of dancehall can non be denied. There is a demand for parents to command what their kids listen to while broadcasters should besides modulate what they air to protect society from absorbing a behavior that doesn’t support good ethical motives and values.

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