A song by Vybz Kartel recorded prior to his life imprisonment sentence in the now infamous murder case has been getting a lot of attention in recent times. The trial diverted the public's attention and perception as to the song's message but harcore followers knew it word for word. I happened to be at a dance last night and the DJ played it, he had to 'pull it up' as we say in Jamaica a full seven times. The reaction was telling.
In recent times the analytics is reflecting a lot of renewed interest as well; taxis are playing it and social media, Soundcloud, Mixcloud and other platforms are playing it. Given the racy lyrics radio will not take the chance to play it in full but those DJs will use the one-liner trick as in the old days when they play a neutral sounding line or hook that does directly state violence to homosexuals; but is enough to give an indication of the song, hence a forward.
I suspect that given the major backlash to the parliamentary opposition spokesperson on youth Lisa Hanna's suggestion to ban his ability to record news songs while incarcerated and by extension from the airwaves with some support from others the push back includes antigay songs. We must not forget this is the same man who blurred the lines of male aesthetic and was himself at one point had his sexuality questioned after he bleached his skin and introduced the tight pants phenomenon.
The song was also a push back by Kartel to defray the rumours about his sexual orientation linked to his metrosexual image and exaggerated skin lightening.
Here are the lyrics and look what it commences with, the Levitical imperative: (the harsh lines translated in colour)
Leviticus 20 Verse 13
Say any man weh lydung wid a next man
Hold on now
Dem a get too bright
(they are getting too presumptuous)
Suh mi bun battyman and sodomite
(So I burn gay men & lesbians)
A coulda Selassie-I
A coulda Christ
Me haffi swear pan mi bloodclaat life
Jamaica
Jamaica mi nah go fuck no man (Jah know)
Dem thing deh wrong
Cause if a man go lay dung wid anotha man
How di fuck di baby born
Send me every kind a gyyaaaal
Mi love dem all
Cause if a gyal go lay dung wid anotha gyal
('cause if a girl go lay with another)
How di fuck di baby born
(How is baby to born?) [suggesting the procreation imperative]
Hold on now
Dem a get too bright
How two man fi a play sword fight
None a dem cya walk inna Portmore
(None of them can walk in Portmore) [Kartel is from Portmore hence declaing a kind of turf control or donmanship role of the area known as Gaza]
And dem run like dog if dem go a Standpipe
(They run like dogs when they go to Standpipe) [Standpipe is a popular ghetto where numerous gunmen frequent or live]
Sodomite gyal mi nuh like unu style
Do you ever think bout stiff cocky more while
Spaldin people bun out pedophile
How big rass man fi a fuck a likkle child
(Lesbians I don't like your style, do you ever think about an erect penis at times, how is man to fuck a little child) [the conflation of male consensual homosexuality with paedophilia often used to justify violence and opposition to rights and so on]
Jamaica mi nah go fuck no man (Jah know)
Dem thing deh wrong
Cah when a man go lay dung wid anotha man
How di fuck di baby born?
Send me every kind a gyyaaaal
Fi love dem all
(Send me every kind of girl to love them all) [the bravado element, power in the penis, bragadocious verility linked to hypermasculinty, women are seen as mere sex objects]
Cause if a gyal go lay dung wid anotha gyal
How di fuck di baby born
Vannesa Bling seh
Batty business fi cease
Said it inna di west and it red inna di east
If a nuh gyal lay dung inna yuh bed
When time unu dead yuh cya rest in peace
And a buy dildo a buy batty grease
My son cya tun inna nuh catholic priest
(They buy dildos and lubricants, my son cannot be a Catholic priest) [Suggesting safer sex implements and anal hygiene products should not be sold and again the consenting homosexual man conflated as a paedohpile, question how is Kartel to know about such details?]
Badmind a di wickedest sickness
But batty business a diwusses disease
Jamaica
Jamaica mi nah go fuck no man (Jah know)
Dem thing deh wrong
Cause if a man go lay dung wid anotha man
How di fuck di baby born
Send me every kind a gyyaaaal
Mi love dem all
Cause if a gyal go lay dung wid anotha gyal
How di fuck di baby born
Leviticus 20 verse 13
Say any man weh lydung wid a next man
Hold on now
Dem a get too bright
Suh mi bun battyman and sodomite
A coulda Selassie-I
A coulda Christ
Me haffi swear pan bloodclaat life
Seh Jamaica mi nah go fuck no man
Neva will
Mi nah gih weh pussy fi no batty
(I'm not giving up my like for pussy for no anus) [That is for a public presentation but the downlow phenomenon is another matter]
Di words from Addi
Di Emprie seh
Black Street
Numba one song
Big up Don
Di ladies man
And Addi Di Teacha
Di Last Man Standing
Out...
ENDS
In as far as the ban is concerned the previously released materials are out there already, the unreleased recordings pending release there could be some considerations taken as to the lyrical content but that may have implications for the 'freedom of speech'
The part that gets me is the ability to record while in prison bearing in mind he is serving a life sentence yet he is more popular that freed artistes. Lisa Hanna missed that part it seems and never broke it down as I did. Precedent has been set however when it comes to incarcerated DJs releasing and recording music such as Jah Cure in recent memory and older artists, so how can the practice be stopped?
More anon
Peace & tolerance
H
also see:
Dancehall meets house music: Is Tolerance already there in the fusion but unrecognised? and a follow up entry that same year Jah Cure goes techno with Never Say Never ..... remember the dancehall meets house post?
Kartel on lockdown and that suggestive cartoon ... [the toon suggest prison sex with him being the passive partner in any sexual arrangement]
Who is a real man? ...."Males who do not fit this "new" hegemonic view of masculinity
Reggae Compassionate Act signed by Vybz Kartel ....... courageous move by the DJ 2010 but one year later the captioned song was released
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