12.5.06

No "Rapping" In The Dancehall

I remember the days when my friends and I used to argue about who was the wickedest DJ, and we weren't talking about radio personalities. Almost everyone I knew called the artistes DJ's, however, I have noticed that we no longer called artiste DJ's but instead we call them rappers. Common-sense would tell me that a rapper raps; nothing to do with the craft of the Dancehall. Calling a dancehall artist a rapper is not fair to the artist or the trade. The title diminishes the independence of Dancehall/Reggae, it puts dancehall under the umbrella of rapping, which I think should be the other way around. For too long the industry denied itself upliftment, it is time to be bold and uncompromising. By doing the same things as rappers we not only blend ourselves in but we have to play catch-up because we not be setting our own goals but rather reaching for someoneelse's. Our uniqueness is our highlight and that is what we should emphasize, not the "watered-down" music which is intended to cross-over successes.

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