 Posted 12/22/2009 9:08:02 AM
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| Gaza vs Gully. In part or whole, is that the crux of Jamaica's problem? Is the music to be held accountable for the violent culture, and what appears to be the loss of the moral fibre in the society?
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Posted 12/22/2009 12:38:55 PM
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Most artists write about life experiences that many of us can relate to; whether it is gang related, violence, sexuality, love etc. Most of us feel so connected to the lyrics of these songs that we begin to associated many of our thoughts with these songs, this ranges from your wedding song to inspirational music from artists such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh or Mutabaruka. These artists and many more have changed our life's by using lyrics; so in answer to your question, Gaza and Gully are absolutely responsible for the lyrical content and the effect that it has had on our youth.
Please note that this did not start with Gaza and Gully and it certainly wont, lets reminisce on the career of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur whose young life's ended because of the violence that sparked from their music.
These artists(Gaza & Gully) should be held accountable. But please understand that this is not the reason for Jamaica's "violent culture", it is however another piece of wood added to the already blazing fire.
Blessup
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Posted 1/22/2010 9:20:11 AM
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Your point is duly noted, however, let us not be so quick as to give anything more than a passing glance to the music when assessing the blame. In reference to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, how quickly do we forget that at that time there wasn't a violent music culture. All that was reflected in the music was the positive, uplifting and encouraging music. The negative, degrading and violent genre wasn't born until the late 80's and early 90's with "Shabba" and "Yellowman" being the pioneers. More importantly, we should not forget that the 1980 election was bloody beyond any anticipation that we could have had. So, do we see where I am going with this? Additionally Bob Marley was shot at the peace rally in which he was using music to attempt the unification of the warring factions. Now, my point is that music is such a miniscule part of the equation that it counts for NOTHING!!!!!! The things that are relevant are often ignored because 1. They are not as visible 2. The masses are ignorant and unaware that the leaders are steering them away from the truth.
What really deermines the functionality of Jamaica is the 1. High rate of unemployment 2. Lack of education, thus high levels of ignorance 3. High levels of inflation 4. Ability of individuals to sustain their families' well being and comfort . I mean we could go on and on, but my point has already been made. The music is a REFLECTION of the society and its values and only REINFORCES the already poor existing state of affairs. The extent to which it effects deviant behavior or dare I say encourages it is miniscule to say the least.
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Posted 8/22/2010 10:08:28 AM
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| Well said, my sentiments exactly. People/politicians in Jamaica have blamed everyone else except themselves for the immorality and high crime rate in the society. When a politician goes into an already impoverished and ostracized community and all they do is distribute guns and the likes for their political gains. Then an artiste sings about it how can that person be the cause of the problem and not just the vehicle carrying the message. The average youth in a "ghetto" community grows up with three of the most depressing institutions; prison/police station, morgue and a cemetery. Think on these things...Peace, Love, Prayers.
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Posted 8/22/2010 11:56:04 AM
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| Funny enough, I have discussed this issue with the most impoverished and uneducated to the at one end of the spectrum as well as those with Doctorates and Masters at the other end. Amazingly enough, their opinion is that the music is a lot more impactful than I tend to agree. The poverty, lack of opportunity and all the others I initially stated seem to be lesser contributing factors. according to them. Now, how can anything change in the country when the miniscule, very well educated middle class is in denial and uses their emotion and sentiments to make an analysis of such a situation. I can't imagine that they have used whatever tools they should have acquired and information they should have gained while empowering themselves in school, and drew these conclusions. WE ARE DOOMED!!!!!!
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