Battyman bashing while ‘cakes’ are out ..........

a sagging example

I often asked why is it that despite the continued homophobia and fear of the feminine in certain types of hypermasculine men those men even while dressed with their pants and boxers advertising their own ‘cakes’ that they are off limits or firm round mounds they don’t realise what there are actually doing. Some men go as far as to deliberately or not allow the top of the crack to show as well in supposed homophobic Jamaica. How on one hand men bash each other sometimes out of the slightest argument in public by calling their opponents a faggot, fish, battyman and so on in the ever extending list of names and rehashing old ones such as “He’she” given the visibility of transgender persons in Jamaica; the accuser is showing the very anatomy of the body (the batty or batty jaw) to the world which often attract the straying eye of others either in revolt or quiet attraction especially by men on the down low. The matter came home for me on the extended eater weekend as I entered and subsequently exited the Tastee patty store in Spanish Town.

Upon entering the establishment outside of the juice ladies by the door asking for patronage when leaving the store, a heated argument was in action involving the DVD men and others. The usual battyman calling reductive power reducing narrative occurred as part of the public projection of strength and or enhancing bravado. The accuser making the burning out remarks was wearing a rather tight skin fight black leggings of sorts with the waist in the presently typical popular below the ass cheeks position and was in a blue also close fitting boxers and his cakes were nicely firm looking. The accused ‘battyman’ was not so dressed in terms of his jean being below the ass or buttocks lining and he responded by rebutting that the accused is the ‘more bigger battyman’ implying his mode of dress says he is gay and advertising his ass to other downlow gays. 

I have witnessed the low wearing pants types engaged in quarrels who accused other men of being gay but not the response of throwing back a response using profiling and aesthetics o effectively. I was lucky to catch that part after exiting the store and found it funny while curious. The laughter was also telling from the juice sellers by the door, the DVD vendors and other passers-by who heard the exchange.

The clearly embarrassed low pants wearing man rebutted by accusing the accuser of having AIDS and performing oral sex on women, two other masculine reduction narratives in public spats when the persons want to shift the argument in question by adding other embarrassing elements to project strength; what makes it more unique is that he was not able to pull his pants up to cover up the nice firm cakes so as not to effectively conform their accusation just by his aesthetics, he was also lightly bleached with numerous tattoos. Strangely the anti tight pants wearing men narrative as part of the homophobic and murder music narrative is still alive even as the practice has become a cultural phenomenon with some large acceptance driven by the same main protagonists being the dancehall artists mostly the older ones were vehemently opposed to the practice in the first place; strange that celebrity names such as Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and the monster Shock Crew who voiced songs using modes of dress to profile and stereotype gay men alongside effeminacy now wear the very tight pants, leggings and sometimes well below the buttocks clothes with often bright coloured boxers a practice supposedly derived by the American prison systems and African American thug culture. Several rappers have incorporated the ass showing look and it is seek as a marker of being high on the thuggery social pecking order. 

Monster Shack in 1997 braking the hypermasculine presentation rules in dancehall

The monster Shack crew were a walking contradiction in terms of their group image; even as while they coloured their hair which was not so a popular thing to do in their heyday they could be credited for slowly pushing the tight pants phenomena in men long before Vybz Kartel used his image change to the ‘Gay look’ and carrying his legions of fans with him mimicking him. 

The supposed 'Gay Look' Kartel was raked over the coals for

Other acts all have joined in a recent photo of an aging Babycham struck me given his position on gays, Beenieman and others as well, the younger dancehall acts for them it is normative despite in musical clashes the stereotype is used as ammunition to belittle musical their opponents even while dressed in the mode on stage, contradiction right before our eyes!

In a previous post (The low wearing pants issue ...) I had addressed the below the buttocks dressing as at the time legislators wanted to make it illegal.

Here is an excerpt:

The government these days feel it can just become judge juror and lawmaker for every god damn thing these days, Jamaica in my estimation does not have a lot of men wearing low cut pants anymore that style has died from last year 2009, most jeans nowadays are straight tight jeans in brands like Gucci that have very straight cut leg lengths and maybe wider waists for hip hugging.

The jeans itself just sits at the hip not below to show butt cheeks as said by many commentators and in fact the tight jeans being worn now if they were worn in let’s say three or four years ago a man would have been beaten or attacked for being gay. The notion of a man so well put together then he is considered gay or his sexuality comes into question.

This is a social issue I think and there shouldn’t be interference by the legislators on everything. This one should just play itself out but the police are already using the public decency act to arrest men coming from dancehall events especially who are well dressed. What about the events coming up like carnival where persons are scantily dressed in tights or butt showing attire, what about the dancehall outdoor events where live sex has occurred those haven’t been deemed out of place yet or we should wait until the administration decides to go there to lock up people.

Will lesbians who dress supposedly masculine in low pants as well be arrested too?

Freedom of choice in the Charter of Rights I thought was a right and why is it the lawmakers must just go around and make laws for everything to drown persons’ freedoms?

ENDS

One wonders if changing aesthetics may also playing a role in softening multi-generational stereotyping and homophobia via social media; as visibility is raised and old belief that one can easily tell one is gay by looking that is being debunked as persons from all classes and appearance and coming out gay or bisexual. Jamaica is a paradox indeed.

from 2009:

from the now defunct Observer chat

Peace & tolerance

H

International stars turn to gay bashing ......

This is not the first time although the article in the Star gave that impression, a simple Google check and voila! Missy Elliot for example in 2005 from the cookbook album where the record company was forced to pull the album from the shelves and re-release the set with other songs that were in the inventory, she then went on a media blitz to try to rectify the situation.

Dancehall music was once painted as hate music by the homosexual community due to the fact that artistes were known to release music denouncing the homosexual lifestyle. Following several appearance cancellations overseas, players in the local music industry began to feel the pressure in their pockets as a result of a strong gay lobby.

Tyga 

Ironically, the trend to lash out against the homosexual lifestyle is now the practice of some foreign artistes says the Star News but they are so off the mark on this one.

American rapper Tyga last year released a dancehall-influenced song titled 1 of 1 in which he denounced homosexuality in one specific line, stating that he was not into gay antics.

"Mi nuh love for dem b*&*y boy antics, gonna let me pull choppers (guns) out the attic," he said.

ENFORCE HIS MASCULINITY

Chris Brown 

Tyga's frequent collaborator, Chris Brown, also pulled a similar stunt in his verse on Konshens' Bruck Off Yu Back remix, where, he too, felt the need to enforce his masculinity. But Chris Brown seems to forget that he has done housemusic/EDM/Disco songs which is mostly targeting LGBTQ audiences and who follow him despite his antics and troubles; if he was so intent on 'burning out' gays he and or his team should not do other materials that are gay friendly, or maybe what the record company sometimes give artists from songwriters shopping materials he may be obligated to record them as contracts are in place.

"Mi nuh deal wid nuh ch*ch*man thing, gyal bruck off yu back mi wanna feel the ocean," he sang.

Outspoken member of the dancehall community Foota Hype says that foreign artistes pay attention to Jamaican music and know what it takes to gain respect from Jamaicans.

"They know wrong from right, and the labels will give them the green light because they know it's a song for the dancehall fanbase. Konshens song don't have nothing to do with that topic, but Chris Brown knows that it's a major topic in Jamaica, so that is why he did it. I am sure there won't be no backlash because it's Chris Brown. If it was a likkle Jamaican artiste who do that, it would have been a problem," he said.

RAW AND UNFILTERED STATE

The selector-producer said that Tyga and Chris Brown's actions is proof that dancehall in its most raw and unfiltered state can still break overseas.

Cobra the 'Flex Time To Have Sex' DJ

"Just mek music and release it. Look pon Press Trigger by Cobra and Gimmie Di Light by Sean Paul. They never made those songs to crossover, but they still did because foreign always a pay attention," he said.

For Hitmaker, "it's a way to fit in since dancehall is known as a genre that was homophobic."

The producer said that the likes of Chris Brown and Tyga "are smart enough not to put violence towards gays, and they used words that are less harmful".

Hitmaker further said that Tyga and Chris Brown should try and help elevate dancehall instead of trying to be part of what is seen as negative in the international community.

A flashback from the aforementioned Missy 'battyman' issue, WHY MISSY CHANGED HER TUNE FOR US was sent to me some years ago by Angus Batey

the Cookbook CD cover

If Missy Elliott hadn’t met Angus Batey, the first lady of hip-hop’s latest album might have been her last.

At the age of 34, Missy Elliott has become the biggest female star in the macho world of rap. She has sold 12 million albums, written and .produced for Mariah Carey and Destiny’s Child and  has shared equal billing with Madonna on an advertising campaign for Gap. She's not the sort to change her tune for anyone. Except, it seems for The Knowledge.

“I'm glad you're telling me that”, says Elliott. I have just informed her that the phrase "batty boy", which appears on two tracks on her sixth album, The Cookbook, might not do her any favours with some of her fans.  “It's a good thing that I'm going to get a chance to go in there and correct this”, she says, eyes widening as the full implications of the homophobic expression sink in. 

She claims to be unaware of the phrase's meaning: “It's just something my Jamaican friends say to each other, and I was saying it imitate them”; nor does she know that several dancehall artists have been banned from performing for inciting violence against gays. “I would never want to offend anybody”, Elliott insists, vowing to remove the lyrics. “If that's the case, than I have to switch that up”.

We're talking in an upmarket hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where Elliott has been playing a work-in-progress version of the record to invited journalists. Several guest stars have yet to record their parts and, as our little chat has demonstrated, she may need to change some lyrics. The promotional cart seems to be running in front of the musical horse.

It is strange to hear someone at the sharp end of such a costly enterprise admitting that she doesn't know what some of her own lyrics mean. And if anyone should be sensitive to charges of homophobia it is Missy Elliott, whose sexuality has long been the subject of rumours - springing from the fact that she is single. She believes she has shied away from relationships because she saw her mother beaten by her father when she was a child.

“She was so dependent on my father and felt she could do nothing without him,” she recalls.  “But when she got up and left, she was stronger than ever before.  I leant from that.  I think I’m happiest by myself.  I know that’s crazy - people don’t wanna die alone!  But most of my friends are in relationships and they’re miserable!  They call me on the phone, like: ‘He did this!’ ‘She did that!’ I’m like ‘Wow!’ is anybody happy?’”

Another thing that makes Elliott an unlikely purveyor of hate rhymes is her status as a role model to another minority in her genre.  Women are still massively under-represented in all areas of hip-hop.  Until Elliott’s emergence in the late 1990s, women in rap videos were either groupies or pole-dancers.  Over night, Elliott made it hip to be a woman in control.

One of the few rappers to captivate an audience among the chattering classes, Elliott intrigued as much for how she looked as how she sounded.  Her 5ft 2in (1.52m) frame is now 5st (30kg) lighter than when she donned an inflatable black plastic suit and stuck herself in front of a fish-eye lens for the video to The Rain in 1997, but she’s still larger than life.  She’s an artist who has built a career on turning her idiosyncrasies into gold-dust.  “That gained me fans.  Especially women of that size.  They loved my confidence. It was like: ‘She’s big and she’s proud about it,’” says Elliott of the response to her early look.

She has played the men at their game, some of her lyrics rivalling her more ribald contemporaries for libidinous  content.  “People say: ‘You talk about sex a lot’,” she giggles.” and I reply: ‘Wow, I do, don’t I.’  You would think I’d been locked up in a cell!”

Elliott’s strongest suit has always been her creativity.  With her production partner, Tim “Timbaland Mosley, she is widely credited with re-invigorating hip-hop in the late 1990s.  The pair’s signature sound, memorably crystallised on the 2001 single Get Your Freak On, added samples from Asian music to wall-shaking beats, bring a space-age sheen to a genre that had lapsed into formula.

She won’t speculate on whether her slimmed-down image has had any effect on her music, yet on Under Construction (2003), her first album after shedding the pounds, she also trimmed her sound, reining in some of her excesses.  It’s her best work.  The Cookbook seems its closes relative, Elliott feeling the record returns her forcefully to her hip-hop roots. 

“We went so far left that I didn’t want to lose people,” she says.  “I look at Prince - a genius so far ahead that he started to make music that was too far left for us to understand”.

The Cookbook is designed to enrapture the hip-hop fan with paeans to old-school legends, while continuing to  challenge preconceptions.  She  has even fulfilled an ambition by working with the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams, whose production on On & On works on both levels: a devastating hip-hop track which, unusually, was constructed without drum sounds.

But is this changeable artist consistent when it comes to her promises?  A month later a copy of the finished album arrives at The Knowledge: the offending lyrics have been removed.  “You bring it to my attention?  You’ll never hear it,” she had vowed, breaking into a cackle.  “Never.”  Missy Elliott’s word is clearly her bond.  The Cookbook is out now on Elektra.

ENDS

Peace & tolerance

H

More JCHS HIV is a Gay Disease Nonsense & Gay Themed TV Content

What was supposed to be a discussion on gay content on free-to-air on television and the blocking of some of it nearly descended into something else. Guests on the show was Diana McCaulay more known as an Environmentalist, Kay Osbourne former Television Jamaica station manager (the same who featured in the gay ad/PSA fiasco and the JFJ Sex Ed course drama) and the star of the hour Dr Wayne West of the antigay Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, JCHS. Thanks to the host of Beyond the Headlines on RJR Dionne Jackson Miller the veering off into the realm of paranoia was averted as she sought to reign in Dr Wayne West from making his HIV is gay disease case. The matter was also dealt with in the Star News publication as to the reaction to gay themes on the Disney Channel; given that Disney is a cable channel and not free-to-air so persons have a choice and can tailor their consumption by deciding which channels they want, unlike the old days of cable when cable operators offered a list of channels without an option to tailor it.

Meanwhile Dr Wayne West in his opening salvo went down the road of lung cancer instead of sticking to the script, as he tried to do a health risk comparison that nearly went off the rails, I was in stitches as he continued claiming that smoking caused cancer but people still smoke and so on and that they are 23 times likely to get it. Then came this:

“But the fact of the matter is if you are male who has intimate relationships with other males, your risk of HIV and syphilis for example in New York as studies have shown can be as high as 140 to 1 ............”

Thankfully Dionne Jackson Miller intervened most appropriately redeeming the going off the deep end journey when she asked:

“Tell me the point you’re making on this one though Dr Wayne West.” (She repeated)

But Dr Wayne West was not deterred by her efforts for a moment as he continued his clear strategy; leaving many of us by virtue of the comments that flowed on Twitter and asking what the hell does that has to do with the topic of discussion? Alternative facts I suppose.

“I think it is irresponsible to argue that there is a right to behaviour that has some high risk with disease,” he continued and tried to out shout the host but Mrs Miller as experienced as is yet again was forced to pull on the reigns.

“Hold on, I do beg your pardon ....... in relation to the specific issues though how do you balance the [West tries to interrupt] the specific issue we are talking about, about content?”

West replies:

“............Because we are showing cartoons to children and suggesting that same sex behaviour is a variant of normal like heterosexual behaviour when the health risk of same sex behaviour are so staggering.”

I don’t know how the angels in heaven did hear me laughing; Dr West continued the nonsense as Mrs Miller asked:

“When you say ‘we are showing’ though meaning what?”

He said such as Disney and he then went on to suggest someone should take a lawsuit against them although this is supposed to be a cable channel that persons can choose not to engage and also conveniently overlooking the right of freedom of choice and speech, virtues held dear by Americans. The shock of the comment was palpable as the short silence or dead airtime suggested.

The Mrs Miller intervened nicely:

“This is a cable channel, you have to choose to accept it [West says in America] no, no in Jamaica as well. It’s cable you have to choose to have it in your house.”

Even though the point was driven home so forcefully the man still insists, you could hear the pity in Mrs Miller’s cadence of speech almost to suggest why did I invite this idiot to my show?

West continued:

“I gather that our local stations FLOW did not show some series which had some same sex thing in it and I think that is a wise decision. I wish someone in the United States will take a class action suit against Disney for ...........” [Audio got muffled but the giggling was audible]

Poor Mrs Miller tried her best as before as she intervened to redeem the obviously appearing descent into madness:

“Dr West, Dr West, Dr West its cable channel, you don’t have to have it in your house; you choose to have it .............. What I’m trying to get from you Dr West in a society like ours then especially with different channels, how do you balance it because I hear your concerns about the type of content full stop, right, but given the fact that we do live in a pluralistic society and we live in a society with different kinds of channels so for example I have friends who say they don’t have cable at all in their house, it’s just free-to-air, so what do you think we need to start with?”

Bizarrely this is the same man who suggested a class action lawsuit to supposedly stop Disney just moments before he then says:

“I don’t like censoring I think it’s dangerous for a democratic society ....”

Mrs Miller’s reaction represented the rest of us I imagine as I did die with laughter and some pity when she asked:

“You don’t like censoring!”

West responded:

“I don’t like to censor .... I think it’s a dangerous path to take, I think you can show various shows one o’clock or two o’clock in the morning accordingly to protect children but I really disagree with censoring information, I think it is a dangerous path follow.

What I would argue is that we must discuss these things in a sensible manner [Mrs Miller asked meaning what?] there are no rights to disease producing behaviour, that is ridiculous.”

Mrs Miller’s audible exhale was enough even as Kay Osbourne and Diana McCaulay tried to get a word in and as my laughter and no doubt others in earshot of this must have been loud at this point. Mrs Miller tried to bring some sense back into the exchange. She sought to reiterate the parameters of the discussion.

“Let me just say one thing I don’t want to spend time on this issue of men having sex with men and AIDS because Dr West I am sure you know it and it has been said to you many times it is a very nuanced discussion, it relates to access to care and discrimination and many other issues that I don’t have time to discuss in this context.”

Diana McCaulay opened with:

“I too don’t want to discuss the HIV question, that’s not what I was asked to talk about.”

She continued that it was hilarious to hear Dr West say he does not support censorship when he wants to decide what is suitable for audiences, even in a situation where persons will drive to a movie and pay to see a film. Meanwhile Miss Kay Osbourne’s remarks were not convincing to me at all, she seemed to dancing between the raindrops given her history and previous comments on homosexuality and the aforementioned hint to the gay ad/PSA court case and her decision not to air the clip which eventually led to a lawsuit. She attempted to try to strike a balance on tolerance but struggled somewhat on how it should be. She then went on to link heterosexual sex with also a disease components, that of cervical cancer and HPV. She tried to make the point that not only gay men who supposed are ‘harmed’ by disease through sexual activity.

Mrs Miller yet again had to intervene:

“Before the discussion goes entirely off the rail [laughter as Miss Osbourne tries to balance her point as she puts it] and I am now shutting the door on STDs and AIDS [laughter] let me try and get ....... we do have plenty of those discussion but in the context of what we are talking about here let me go back to Diana McCaulay”

She said she was offended by the materialism as a new religion, reality television but said her offendedness does not go to the realm of pure censorship. The point was made by Mrs Miller on the Broadcasting Commission’s guidelines as to content for free-to-air television and of course radio. Miss Osbourne said that managers of content have an enormous task to act as gatekeepers to filter some of the materials; frankly it was a laborious listening experience as she sounded as if she was searching for the words.

Then Dr Wayne West jumped off into the nihilistic arguments as usual, claiming Americans have come to accept an anything goes or no absolute morality. He claimed that if we are prepared to accept nihilism then we must be prepared to accept anything in the public square. He said that the filter therefore is up to the individual in their private space to determine what comes in a bid “protect our children from this ethos of nihilism.”

He continued that if the public square is nihilistic then the law is or will become nihilistic (the usual moral panic strategy) and it will be imposed upon children through the education curricula (referencing the HFLE fiasco and Sex Ed course uproar in 2013/4/5).

Mrs Miller brought back the Broadcasting Commission’s regulations on the table and reminded everyone that free-to-air already has strong filters. West linked the Judaeo-Christian framework to the reasons why those regulations are there and sought to suggest that the whittling away of that by itself will lead to moral decay. He claims that the framework has been rejected by the USA & Canada (homosexuality is foreign import ploy) which what causes the nihilism but Mrs Macaulay nailed it when she said that if we are to follow that framework women would be stoned for adultery and she continued that framing that there is no right or wrong in North American countries that are tolerant of diversity is simply not true. West went into the whole bit on the theocracy of Israel while leaving out the Levitical imperative and the holiness codes for a short period of time; finally he seems to have come to some enlightenment however small. He continued that a Christian world view informed those preparations of regulations.

When asked about where we are today and sections of the public objecting to gay content West said that he still does not agree with censorship in terms of speech and that it would be difficult to restrict content in other areas and then he went back on the education curricula and that perception of sneaky methods to bring in homosexuality through the back door. He claimed yet again that if society is nihilistic then homosexuality will work its way in (more moral panic drama). The usual conflation of freedom to be homosexual is directly correlated to nihilism is just plain worn out. It came up in the recent sexual offences bill debate submissions and hinted to in the affidavit in the pending constitutional challenge of the buggery law.

Television Jamaica of which RJR – Radio Jamaica Radio is a part of the recent communications group 1834 Limited already blocks and censor certain content, including some gay themes. The American series Empire continue to have its gay scenes especially those of an intimate nature blocked, despite it appears at 10pm. The daytime South African soap opera import Generations (I am a big fan) also has a gay couple but the screenplay deliberately avoid kissing scenes even after a near successful vigorous campaign to block such and demands of writing out of the story line gay themes. The show then went the route of opposite sex cheating by one of the parties in a bid to bisexualize the character but it seems not to have worked well. The gay couple still remains.

I find it ridiculous frankly that some persons are so still so fearful of just gay themes on a screen as if to suggest there is some invisible gamma ray that is going to ‘homosexualise’ all those who come into view of those themes on screen. A good question to ask of Dr West is if both parties (MSM) are HIV negative and they have anal sex without a condom or a condom but it broke what will they pass? It would be good to get the answer to that one.

Finally

Diana McCaulay ended the interview by redeeming the situation, she suggested that the fearmongering has to stop and while the speech may not be violent it can push physical violence.

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H

Gay scenes in Disney show gets angry reactions

So the Star news carried this one today and it has hit a nerve once again as to the rejection of LGBT matters in the mainstream while not inappropriately encouraging questionable behaviour. 

 The actual gay kiss that ignited the furore

The child-focused Disney channel has been facing heated backlash in Jamaica recently, with many claiming that it is pushing a gay agenda.

This, after it aired a same-sex scene in a TV show, and announced plans to feature a lead gay character in an upcoming film.

Among those calling for the channel to be banned from the air in the country is popular dancehall producer and selector Foota Hype.

He reposted a screenshot of Disney Channel's first same-sex kiss, featured on one of its most popular shows, Star vs The Forces of Evil.

Originally shared by popular online media platform, The Shade Room, the image shows two male cartoon characters sharing a compassionate embrace, much to the chagrin of the selector.

UNFIT FOR CHILDREN

Foota's Instagram post read in its caption: 

"Well, let's see if [Lisa Hanna] and the Prime Minister gonna move to ban Disney channel off every cable provider in Jamaica as it's unfit for kids and will corrupt their minds. Most important, being gay is illegal by law in Jamaica so I'll wait patiently for their input, hope it will be speedy and widely spoken like when they discriminate against my dancehall."

Yesterday, Foota said the country's leaders, using moral equivalence regardless of political affiliation, must understand they "cannot crucify dancehall music and leave everything else open."

 Hero Blair Jr (Star News) 

But prominent minister of religion Reverend Herro Blair Jr is calling on the family to protect children from the normalisation of homosexuality that has been permeating the media.

"It's going to be difficult to cry for censorship now when we have not cried for censorship with shows such as Empire and everyone of these shows that have a homosexual character. The kids are already being told that this is an alright way of life," Blair reasoned.

He said families must do their own censorship.

"We have to decide from the homes what we want for our families. The parents must say if Disney is going to be showing these things, let us put the pressure on them by not watching or not accepting it as a cable channel for our children," he said

I cannot understand why some persons believe that a kiss on screen in a fictional piece is going to somehow emit some radio active gamma rays to zap all in view towards a homosexual orientation is just pitiful and almost laughable to me.

Meanwhile, Latoya Nugent, associate director at the JFLAG, told THE STAR that she is aware of the discussion that has been taking place regarding the Disney content, but the organisation is focusing its energies on pertinent issues.

"We are concerned about the violence against women and children, and while we are in fact an advocacy organisation, we have to be strategic about how we engage the media and about what kind of issues," Nugent said.

That to me sounds like a load of nonsesne when it is in fact the same JFLAG that proports itself to be the foremost NGO for LGBT matters and here comes a reaction that is directly linked to the work. Also given the homo-paedophile  links over the years that is often part of the sub-text of denial of any considerations for 'LGBT rights'

Oh boi

Peace & tolerance

H

Rihanna’s “Love on The Brain” & the ‘He beats me ‘cause he loves me’ issue

I was listening to the captioned song by Miss RiRi as one of the newer remixes out there as a promo and it hit me like a ton of bricks the song is actually about what appears to be tolerated abuse by the victim while supposedly being ‘in love’. The original recording is a little difficult to hear the vocals clearly as it is a rock sounding track and the guitar tends to overshadow other elements of the tune. As Jamaica is undergoing a rather bizarre set of cases of abuse and or intimate partner violence episodes with some awful outcomes this is not the kind of song we should be processing right now frankly, sadly it is extremely popular even on the LGBT circuit at parties circuit and it bothers me. The old ‘he beats me because he loves me’ thinking is very much alive; whenever others try to intervene or when the abused individual visits the police station for example they file a report, then change their minds afterwards and try to justify with the beat for love narrative, hence leaving the cops to effectively stop following the matter.

The opening stanza of the song is enough to tell us as to what it is about and frankly I have retired it from my playlists and sets.

The lyrics are as follows:

And you got me like oh

What you want from me?

What you want from me?

And I tried to buy your pretty heart, but the price too high

Baby, you got me like oh, mm

You love when I fall apart, fall apart

So you can put me together

And throw me against the wall

Baby, you got me like ah, woo, ah

Don't you stop loving me, loving me

Don't quit loving me, loving me

Just start loving me, loving me, babe

Oh, and, babe, I'm fist fighting with fire

Just to get close to you

Can we burn something, babe?

And I run for miles just to get a taste

Must be love on the brain

That's got me feeling this way

It beats me black and blue but it fucks me so good

And I can't get enough

Must be love on the brain, yeah

And it keeps cursing my name, cursing my name

No matter what I do

I'm no good without you

And I can't get enough

Must be love on the brain

Then you keep loving me

Just love me, yeah

Just love me

All you need to do is love me yeah

Got me like ah-ah-ah-ow

I'm tired of being played like a violin

What do I gotta do to get in your motherfuckin' heart?

Baby, like ah, woo, ah

Don't you stop loving me, loving me

Don't quit loving me, loving me

Just start loving me, loving me, babe

Oh, and, babe, I'm fist fighting with fire

Just to get close to you

Can we burn something, babe?

And I run for miles just to get a taste

Must be love on the brain

That's got me feeling this way

It beats me black and blue but it fucks me so good

And I can't get enough

Must be love on the brain

And it keeps cursing my name, cursing my name

No matter what I do

I'm no good without you

And I can't get enough

Must be love on the brain

That a mainstream artist as young as Rihanna is handed or forced to do a song such as this to perform to mostly young(er) impressionable fans that gobble up materials without the requisite checks and balances should be of concern. I am assuming that Miss RiRi and management are tied into a contract that may basically say sing what we give you or else, of course in a subtle form. I have been digging other new songs from her such as “Needed Me” & “Sex With Me” and spinning them in my sets both clean and explicit versions; although the latter is a little racy and more for adults but it does not promote violence directly although the “ .....switch on a fake nigga like a station..” line is kind of hinting towards black ghetto life and belittling hypermasculinity/bravado; the use of the word “nigga” is well known to many that that means a gangster or as in our case the dons. The redeeming line follows however in a sense “Vodka & water and a lemon and a few other things I cannot mention,” which seems to retrieve the dignity aspect of the track. While there is an ongoing national uproar about whether dancehall is influencing violence as life imitate art or vice versa (if one can call some of the stuff these days art) here is a big pop song brought in quietly over the mainstream and played on radio.

Same gender liaisons challenges

The unanswered question of the age for me is why would someone who is the subject of abuse outside of a co-dependency issue stay in said union and take it and then when it comes to crunch time the justification is ‘he beats me because he loves me?’ do not for one minute believe that this a hetero-normative construct only because it’s definitely not; especially when there is the aforementioned co-dependency matter at work. A poorer gay man versus a monied or privileged man in a liaison and the main driver is not necessarily sex but also control as the motivator which can lead to abuse. The lesser powered man is sometimes forced to take all kinds of abuse including sexual, psychological and violence against his person re-emphasizing the dependency element; while he may have some difficulty reporting same to a police station; he may be the brunt of humiliation, homophobia or simply ignored by the cops and chased away from the precinct. Once the cops realize it is more a lovers’ quarrel bordering on an old crime of passion mantra one can just walk away or if one is strong enough take it to a higher authority such as the area’s Superintendent and such. It might get a little tricky if there are hints of rape or sexual assault when it comes to two men, a buggery charge might hit one or both if they don’t handle themselves well or have an attorney present to wade through the matter. The lesser charge of grievous sexual assault might also creep into the mix.

There was some attempt via the USAID Comet II training exercise with some cops in 2016 but that only seems to target new recruits and not necessarily the older ones who are set in their ways; after years of very little strong oversight and workshops for capacity building via improved customer service experience. Some changes have come through at certain stations but others the bad habits are still there, but change is usually slow anyway.

Conflict resolution interventions if not far more public awareness programs are needed, despite we have a dispute resolution mechanism and a hotline service they are not promoted enough and the other ones that are out there tend to be more so female based for the most part with the man being the aggressor. Campaigns since the upsurge in intimate partner violence cases are too flat in my view and sound too politically correct, flat and cannot be compared to the strength of the cadence of what dancehall acts for example use in more misogynistic songs. The message has to be firm and placed in a real world context not presented by some middle class person who has never experienced any pain or is in tune with the culture in a far more real way than just an observer in an observational tower or privilege. I was expecting more on the grounds of foreign songs with similar messages to RiRi’s i.e. some rap for example that directly promote violence against women, but what do we do, censorship is an issue as well but there is also responsibility on the part of artists, song writers, producers and so on.

It seems what is popular trumps what is right in the scheme of things when the current hot matter of alleged new recordings of Vybz Kartel while serving a life sentence; it does not seem to matter that Kartel is a convicted murderer indeed the incarceration of him is seen as a stripe of sorts; the deafening silence from the prison authorities is telling when in fact it is only the Tower Street facility aka General Penitentiary, GP that has recording equipment my short time there I remember but they maybe old nowadays as analogue ones i.e. reel to reel tapes device versus newer compact hand held devices such as tablets with a good microphone, auto tune and Q-sound technology does the rest for the post production to finished product; when compared to the voice quality of the ‘new songs’ (or as we are told previously recorded tracks) it suggests that much higher grade of device(s) such as a phone were used. That also speaks to the business ‘contraband’ and what is allowed in and by whom. The subject matter of the ‘new songs’ is telling as most of the songs content are counteraction songs and also dealing with present matters and clashes with other rival artists so it cannot be that these songs are previously recorded materials held in wait for release and sale.

There are other songs even done by female dancehall acts though not popular as some of their male counterparts that hint to the ‘he beats me because he loves me’ mantra. The songs usually have one-liners contained suggesting that there would be no separation in the relationship even though the male in the union may handle the woman rough. Similarly to having a prison sentence or serving time as a stripe of ‘badness’ the physical scars of violence is also sold as a sign misguidedly of a strong relationship. It is almost a confirmation of submitted power to the man probably borne out of years of patriarchy and misogyny well established in dancehall music for example and some early reggae. Other rap songs also have such content and even spew threats to women who say they are ending the relationship there will be violent consequences even as the man has multiple partners sometimes knowingly to the threatened woman. Tracks such Cam’rons “Bitches Aint Shit” from way back in the 2000s though sexually suggestive via the “beat my bitch with a stick” line the threat element comes in where he threatens that if she leaves she’ll get a “dick in her mouth” and so on. Other older rap such as Cash Money Millionaires’ “Project Chick” from the Ballers Rollin’ album is quite clear, similar to Cam’ron is very suggestive as long as the woman is willing to comply at whatever costs, and failure to comply would have serious consequences. I don’t think I need to get into the days of 2 live Crew’s materials they are noted for their misogyny and such.

Artistry and repertoire (A & R) departments these days from record labels seem interested in pushing the envelope in terms of making too pretty or clean imaged females more street credible but are going overboard as music sales still struggle when compared to the days of CDs, vinyl and so on, case in point Miss RiRi herself nearly on the songs on the album are cutting it close designed to make her obviously more edgy. Mariah Carey’s latest video for example looks more like a lingerie advert instead of the polished diva we are used to; it is not the first time she has collaborated with rappers but this new one is kind of a turn off to many as they question why is she going so hard (or her handlers) to match up against younger stars? She is already the queen in certain respects as she really does not need to and while I can appreciate coquettishness to a point there are limits frankly. There is a reason why Diana Ross and the older gurlz have lasted so long without having to show too much leg, cleavage and hips albeit enhanced for some these days.

A word on church hypocrisy

Even as so many disturbing cases involving pastors and men of the cloth accused of inappropriate sexual contact with minors or psychologically weak women with convictions, the way less outrage from the church groups or the very vocal antigay fanatical religious right (who make the rest of the church body look stupid) is telling. This blog is replete with such considerations in previous posts. Where are the stronger public calls for action from within the church body? The responses so far are unimpressive if not unconvincing why are certain antigay groups more focused of child abuse while rightfully so but hardly any protests, marches as in the antigay pro-buggery mass rallies? The hypocrisy indeed the cherry picking is clear yet still. Yet these same groups were worried about a telephone directory cover with an eighties themed dancehall setting which is child’s play compared to the more raunchy aesthetics that come with the genre. They find millions for buggery constitutional challenges while yet declaring we have more churches per square miles yet we have more homeless LGBT and otherwise per square inch more and more on sidewalks and cities. Some of these folks have missed the boat in terms of God’s work and just true tolerance and caring if not forgiveness. Some seem to be more interested in maintaining their silos fed with tithes and offerings while pontificating on piety similar to the Pharisees and Scribes who crucified Jesus using a Roman system. The recently concluded seminar on abuse while condemning child abuse rightfully but from an outside perspective of the ‘church’ on a whole but very little introspection and a call for pastors to recognize their responsibility; the press releases only reiterate that it’s an outside problems by sinners as opposed an internal issue.

Meanwhile

There is a thin line between fantasy on record versus reality as we are learning nationally, the separation is not clear to some given the death threats being thrown via social media predicated on Vybz Kartel worship towards opposition spokesperson on youth Lisa Hanna by a mere suggestion that a review maybe needed as to allowing incarcerated persons to produce and record new music; the rapidity of rapes and abuse even from men of the cloth all so close to each other in terms of timing says to me that things were festering all along and we thought all was well. We really have to begin to consider the lyrical content of some of the songs and calling for bans on radio is one thing but the same tracks in their raw versions are readily available on an ever expanding set of platforms; with smartphone technologies and APPS it is a synch for any youngster these days. There may be legal implications as well in terms of censorship and our charter of rights. Many parents do not check or are able to check the content being technologically naive so all kinds of things can slip by. Then there is the business of the angel at home versus the bad boy/girl wannabe out of parents’ sight.

I think we need to calm for a while first then decide emotion free as possible the way forward but with fans of Kartel still up in arms we have some seriously embedded evil on the national psyche to contend with. For mostly men and bizarrely some women to openly suggest on social media while ignorant to the cyber crimes act Miss Hanna and indeed other persons who agree with her are to die violently or raped as punishment for the Kartel diss even though she widened the comment to other acts in prison is frightening to say the least. Restraint seems all but dead these days as some seem to think they have license to post or say anything online; we are told that the main instigators of the threats are known and the requisite posts (even after deletion) are being gathered to take the requisite prosecutorial actions by the police as empowered under the cyber crimes act.

Another bout of annoucementitis?

Yet again we hear aspirational soundings from politicians and privileged folks and NGOs but the announced strategies to include getting abused persons mostly women to come forward with the needed psycho social support sound nice on the face of it; while also announcing a shelter for battered women (not the first time) when others have been forced to close down due to lack of funding and help from successive governments. I hope not Let us see whether these ideas will ever come to light; case in point the human rights institute that is yet to come, homeless shelters promised but not fulfilled, infirmaries left to languish although places such as the previously structured Womens’ Crisis Centre and others struggle; there was a merger of sorts in 2015/6 but what has come of that new entity that announcements should come about shelters?

This is by no means the end of this. But should there be a ban on songs with this ‘he beats because he loves me’ mantra?

More anon

Peace & tolerance

H

Vybz Kartel's "No Man (Mi Swear Pon Mi Life)" getting renewed attention

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. 

Also see: "Gay Look" for Kartel? 2011

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]

Vybz Kartel ...... King of the rub 

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

Dancehall music backlash in UK outside of the traditional antigay aka 'murder music' campaigns

So dancehall music has come up for scrutiny once again in regards to the violent lyrical content and subsequent episodes of outbursts. This time in merry old London but this is not the first time we have seen this kind of call for a ban of sorts in terms of stopping shows but usually it is about antigay or murder music songs from acts such as Bounty Killer, Sizzla and so on; the songs literally call for the execution of gays and lesbians.

from Lasmay's Gleaner cartoonist and appears on this 2009 post: "Murder music" further examined

I guess in this instance persons are now being forced to come to the realization that one cannot smply behave out of turn or release questionable content in other jurisdictions and expect a smooth ride.

Kevin Jackson of the Observer wrote:

Dancehall music is facing heat in the United Kingdom. Authorities there associate the genre with violence, which has caused several nightclub owners to ban it from their venues.

Rhoan ‘DJ Face’ Woolery, originally from Montego Bay, is a popular disc jockey from Stafford in East London. He confirmed the ban in an interview with Splash.

“Now promoters can’t even get a club. Once you say the word ‘bashment’ you won’t get the club. Promoters of most bashment raves are now underground and the events are being held at secret locations,” he said.

In early January, the tabloid Daily Star reported an incident which took place in Westminster, West London. The article stated that a Jamaican dancehall boat party on the River Thames descended into chaos when a reveller was stabbed.

The incident was also carried in the rival Daily Mail.

In a story aired by the BBC one year ago, the owner of a London nightclub said he was ordered to stop playing dancehall music.

Roy Seda, owner of the Dice Bar in Croydon, claimed he had been told that Jamaican music is “unacceptable” by the Metropolitan Police. He said he came under so much pressure that he now requires disc jockeys to sign contracts not to play the genre.

The report also cited police reports that the club’s licence was under review, saying it is associated with crime and disorder.

“We had a flyer which said R&B, garage, house, bashment and hip-hop and I was advised to remove the word ‘bashment’ because chart and commercial music is considered safer,” Seda told the

BBC.

DJ Face believes the ban will be far-reaching.

“A ban on dancehall music in clubs will definitely affect the growth of the music on the UK scene. The artistes will get less concerts and reggae and dancehall disc jockeys will also get less work. The music will just become underground,” he said.

TJ “Stylah” Blackwood, another club DJ, has also experienced the police clampdown. Originally from Constant Spring, he now lives in London.

“I have played at clubs in Croydon and Central London and there have been signs on the wall saying “NO BASHMENT”. Immediately my heart sunk. Dancehall is my passion, I even named my sound (system) Dancehall Syndicate, in the hope of showing people a movement that can highlight dancehall in a positive and influential way,” he said. “A member of my sound has even decided to leave the dancehall scene as he hates the way it is heading; he now plays in the commercial, alternative pop scene. He no longer collects dancehall music and it’s a huge shame.”

Blackwood is not daunted, however.

“I will never give up on dancehall. When I enter these clubs, I will play alternative and the patrons (mainly white people) will beg me to play Sean Paul, Shaggy, Bob Marley, Beres Hammond and even Vybz Kartel and Popcaan.”

Since the dancehall ban, TJ has noticed a significant decline in patronage at some venues.

“Clubs are seeing a decrease in patrons where no dancehall is allowed. Club owners think dancehall is all killing and shooting, but I have played hours of dancehall and party and love songs and it’s absolutely fine,” he said.

ENDS

With the cementing of gangster culture on the national psyche bolstered with bravado, multi-partnering with women and out of wedlock sex justified as OK with teenage girls why are we surprised. It is one of the reasons why as a DJ I do not play dancehall so much in my sets and more housemusic which is effectively our music in a sense founded by gay/str8 allied DJs/producers back in the days.

Vybz Kartel during his 'lecture' at UWI

take note of the patois doctor Carolyn Cooper

We have gone so far as hosting questionable dancehall DJs allowed to give lectures at Universities yet some folks including lecturers who did not see anything wrong as popularity trumped thinking; no wonder why they call some institutions intellectual ghettos. 

Hope some folks now learn but reading some comments elsewhere the murder music campaign is being blamed when there was no such direct intervention by any of the SMM players.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Dancehall meets house music part 2: Artistes, Producers Willing To Try EDM 

Perception of Jamaican LGBTQ lobby bullying continues 

Discrimination Stance Creates Split, Dancehall Promoters' New Rules Not Welcomed

Research suggests Murder Music is a predictor of homophobia in Jamaica ..... 

Met Police hypocrisy on homophobia - SMM London 2010

Not Impressed!!!! Beenieman ................... artist supposedly backtracks on gay stance