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Gangster music - Cause or effect of violence?

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  • Gangster music - Cause or effect of violence?

    As Jamaica continues to grapple with the massive crime problem, more fingers are pointing at DJs' 'gangsta' lyrics as one of the causes of the violence.
    With lyrics which boast of evil intent and murderous lifestyle, the DJs, who are heroes to many young men, move violence to an acceptable level and a mark of manhood.
    They argue that their music reflects their reality while others say they are creating a climate where brutality and savagery seem normal.
    Internationally, there is raging debate on whether the exposure to violent lyrics induces criminal behaviour in young people.
    The arguments include a study by Iowa State University researcher, Craig A. Anderson, and others, which found that "violent songs could increase aggressive thoughts and feelings and have implications for real-world violence".
    Longitudinal studies
    However, the authors note that there are no published longitudinal studies on the effect of violent lyrics and argue that "such studies are clearly needed before a definitive conclusion about the long-term effect of violent lyrics can be reached".
    Locally, the argument has been less sustained, but concerns have been raised about the lyrics penned by some of the island's popular entertainers.
    A DJ, in a recently released song aimed at a rival entertainer, screams:
    A nu little bit a people me send go a hell
    Dem never kill nobody yet a lie dem a tell
    Gunshot in a yuh brain cell
    Police pick up the AK shell
    Another, in an expletive-laden tune, boasts about his willingness to exterminate his rivals:
    A we mek Madden build morgue
    Fi store body like number pon sim card
    From me small me kill cat and skin dog

    These and many others are a staple in the dancehalls around the island at a time when the country's murder total is heading towards record levels.
    While that jury is still out on the influence, if any, which these DJs have on the island's criminals, musicologist Clyde McKenzie argues that there is no data to support the claim that societies are more violent because of violent lyrics.
    "The DJs are soft targets so they are picked out for criticisms.
    "In fact, crime plummeted during the '90s in the United States at a time when hip hop (with its violent lyrics) was on the rise," McKenzie said.
    However, McKenzie said he believed that there was a link between the violence in the lyrics and the violence in society.
    "It is a fact that many people in the inner cities are grappling with the violence, and sometimes the expression of violence in the music is a way of dealing with the problems they are having," he told The Gleaner.
    "Violent images, music or otherwise, can normalise certain kinds of behaviour so singing about violence can, perhaps, do the same thing," McKenzie added.
    That is a message that has long been preached by veteran journalist Ian Boyne, who has repeatedly argued that the violent lyrics glorify the worst of Jamaican society.
    Lauding violence
    "These lyrics ridicule youth who don't have big guns; youth who have not killed a lot of people. The dancehall is the place where the shotta, who has no education, no middle-class connections, no colour credentials, no good looks and no uptown address, can come and feel honoured and celebrated for the sheer power of his gun and his savagery," Boyne wrote many years ago.
    But that has not stopped DJs from their brand of revolutionary music, which they say is no worse than the music produced by reggae icons Peter Tosh and Bob Marley who sang: "I feel like bombing a church now that I know the preacher is lying."
    Kill dem all a dun
    Kill dem all a dun
    Boy life a dun
    Body dey pon the ground, mother
    bawl out
    When me a war memba say no weh
    no dey far
    Glock in a me JanSport me dress up like
    me still go a ... With lyrics like this, the question remains, cause or effect?

    http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...ead/lead6.html
    "Jamaica's future reflects its past, having attained only one per cent annual growth over 30 years whilst neighbours have grown at five per cent." (Article)

  • #2
    Bwoy .... I am one of those that isn't too quick to believe this. One of my favourite Ninga Man tune was "Murdah Dem!" and I'm not a violent person.

    That said the lyrics are getting from terrible to unbelievable. Listening to to 876radio some of the things I hear is simply amazing. The DJs (those who spin the music) need fi start talking a stand. I recall Biggy from Ras and Biggy saying he won't be playing KArtel again after being roughed up by a KArtel fan. (Yuttie, was it you?). The same way him could take should a stand is the same way the DJs can take a stand fi get them fi clean up dem lyrics.
    "Jamaica's future reflects its past, having attained only one per cent annual growth over 30 years whilst neighbours have grown at five per cent." (Article)

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    • #3
      While we are at it, maybe we should target violent video games, toy guns & movies! I agree the lyrics are getting worse and a lot of radio DJs have very little common sense and play anything.
      Winning means you're willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else - Vince Lombardi

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