Music Videos - Exporting Negativity?

[Historian]

Music Videos – Exporting Negativity?
Early Sunday Morning Musing by Historian

Jamaican recorded music today has certainly developed way beyond the days of poor production and a situation which one authority described as “far too many songs sounded as if the band was in the studio but the singer was placed down by the back gate when the master recording was made” (Pamela O’Gorman, “An Approach to the Study of Jamaican Popular Music,” in the Jamaica Journal, December 1972; page 51).

Nevertheless, far too much of the music videos (those very visible element of today’s music industry) continue to showcase the most underdeveloped segments and aspects of the Jamaican society. The music video industry, in my view, has not kept pace with the often impressive work emanating from the local recording studios. In fact, I strongly feel that artists and video producers are missing a golden opportunity to promote the beauty and the positive aspects of Jamaica and its people. This is unfortunate, as with technological marvels like YouTube, countless numbers of people are now able to see Jamaica, and with an emphasis on positive content, the Jamaica Tourist Board, and thereby Jamaica as a whole, might have found itself reaping rich dividends from this informal, unplanned working with recording artists.

But isn’t missing golden opportunities the theme that runs like a thread throughout Jamaica’s post-independence history?

Let me start by saying up front that, without question, my all-time favourite Jamaican music video is Sean Paul’s “Like Glue.” This first-class production by American director Benny Boom, with dance choreography (as usual) by Montego Bay-born, Canadian resident Taneisha Scott has set the standard for what can be achieved in Jamaican music videos.

But Sean Paul and his beautiful Montego Bay-born dance choreographer are no strangers to high standards. Take for example another of Paul’s music videos, “I’m still In Love With You,” featuring fellow reggae star Sasha and directed by the famous Little X, a Canadian director of Trinidadian origin. “I’m Still In Love With You” can certainly take pride of place amongst the very best American R&B and hip hop music videos.

In Jamaica, the tide has been getting more positive, but ever so slowly! But there are signs of change, as for example, Assassin’s “Boring Gal” music videos (among my all-time favourite in any genre) shows. Then there is Freddy McGregor’s “Jamaica No Want No Bangarang.” Not to be left out is Beenie Man and Janet Jackson’s video for their recording, “Feel It Boy,” which must have done much to encourage foreigners to want to visit the beaches of beautiful Jamaica.

And change is indeed needed, a fact I recognized the very first time I saw that rather crude and tasteless music video, “Anything Goes” by Wayne Wonder and featuring the American rap duo Capone-N-Noriega. To my dismay, this video, which deliberately sought out the depths of disarray and underdevelopment in the downtown Kingston landscape, was given rotation on BET! Another video which chose to advertise the filth and wanton neglect of Kingston was the famous (some would say infamous) “Welcome To Jamaica” by Damian Marley. What is the point of selling Jamaica this way, and who benefits?

The Jamaica music video industry was very slow in getting off the ground, and even today the one local name that readily springs to my mind is the talented young Jamaican music video director Ras Kassas.

Sadly, far too many of the locally-produced music videos retain the old and rather crude tendency to include white merino-clad, poorly dressed men, underfed dogs and hens roaming the streets, and groups of unkempt little children from the singer’s neighbourhood looking on curiously, some often with thumb in mouth. Even in an interestingly produced video like Beenie Man and George Nook’s “Money In My Pocket,” this rather crude imagery shows its face to an extent. So while, for the most part, the video shows beautiful, attractively-shaped Jamaican women dancing tastefully, towards the end we find inserted the white merino-clad men trying to dance.

To Be Continued…. (Well, Maybe)

[Bricktop]

Let's see ban Sting. Ban dancehall music. Ban dancing. Ban music videos. This sound like Afghanistan and the Taliban to me. All hail Mullah Mosiah Omar.

[Assasin]

I support you on this one. Music video in Jamaica have to reflect the jamaican lifestyle. it is more often you see man inna marina than not. it is often you see zink fence than not.

If them a talk bout quality it is a different story. Look at india videos and you see they are showing their culture, not American or British.

i think this writer is afraid to see Jamaica as it is.

[Historian]

Hmmm, Interesting Conclusions

Let's see ban Sting. Ban dancehall music. Ban dancing. Ban music videos. This sound like Afghanistan and the Taliban to me. All hail Mullah Mosiah Omar.

Oh, so your reading of my post has suggested to you that my suggestion is for the banning of Jamaica’s music videos? Your conclusion is a rather interesting one, and probably demonstrates that comprehension passage reading has not always been a strong point for many of us.

I support you on this one. Music video in Jamaica have to reflect the jamaican lifestyle. it is more often you see man inna marina than not. it is often you see zink fence than not. If them a talk bout quality it is a different story. Look at india videos and you see they are showing their culture, not American or British.

i think this writer is afraid to see Jamaica as it is.

This is a most surprising and disappointing reply from a normally level headed person, and even moreso someone who claims to have worked for a year and a half in the hospitality (tourism) industry and surely realizes the importance of public relations alongside accuracy.


Where in my post did you see me calling in any way for our videos to show American culture and lifestyle? I mentioned the directors Benny Boom and Little X simply because they have been able to very successfully fuse high quality of presentation with the Jamaican culture. I’ll never forget the genuine outpouring of enthusiasm by BET’s veejay Free when Sean Paul’s “Like Glue” was premiered on BET’s “106 & Park” teen program. Her words, which she repeated, went something like “awesome display of your culture!” or words to that effect. The young lady was visibly impressed, and this improved standard is what we need to start portraying beyond the borders of Jamaica!

In other words, a Jamaican video can be of a high standard and retain a very high quality, or weren’t you aware of that? Please read my original post once again when you get a chance to do so.

By the way, “the writer” you mentioned is actually me, Historian, and I can fully assure you that I am by no means afraid of seeing Jamaica as it is! On the contrary, my central concern, as it has been for most of my life, has been an interest in seeing any portrayal of Jamaica that is done be presented as a balanced, positive and ultimately beneficial picture for Jamaica.

Likewise, it is obvious that you have not seen, for example, the more recent videos by people like Sean Paul, Elephant Man (not “404” featuring P Diddy, as this one reflected a USA setting), and others who have chosen to employ the best directors in the business!

But then again, it sems that the essential point of my argument has been missed here.

The alternatives are there, and they certainly do NOT fail to show Jamaican culture and Jamaica as it is! Have you seen, by way of a quick simple example, any of Da’ville’s videos (see, for example, “Always On My Mind”) or the video for Gyptian’s hit, “Beautiful Lady”? Certainly these show Jamaica as it actually is, and also at the same time reflect images that will not frighten, intimidate, etc. outsiders.

But I guess that unless the ghettoes of Kingston are featured as the setting and backdrop, our music videos will not reflect Jamaica “as it is”? Until I read your reply a few minutes ago I had always been under the impression that those ghettoes of Kingston and those garrisons were an aberration and an abnormality; that is, the exception rather than the norm of Jamaican life. Yet they so often form the setting for many of our videos.

Let me ask you this question: What is the difference between Baby Cham’s original video for his “Ghetto Story” recording and the second video for the remix with him and Alicia Keys? Both were shot in so-called ghettoes. The difference, however, was a marked increase in the overall quality of presentation, thanks to the outstanding Moroccan-born American lady who sat in the director’s seat, Sanaa Hamri. The result, as I’m sure you will agree, is a superb, tastefully done video for the remix, but at the same time one that reflects Jamaican culture!

So why do we insist on selling Jamaica as a ghetto when in fact Jamaica has to offer a great deal more than scenes from the streets of downtown Kingston? Is asking for an increase in standards and a broader, more balanced presentation a refusal to see Jamaica as it is?

I have grown personally sick and tired of explaining to people that Jamaica is actually a beautiful country, and not a land ravaged by poverty and bare-footed children that so many of our music videos over the years have shown. For many people, their exposure to music videos represents their first, and possibly only, image of Jamaica!

But as I tried to suggest in another thread on the consequences of the political focus during the 1970s, posted several days ago, we were extremely well taught to admire and uplift poverty and grassroots struggle as the desirable norm. This approach, when one studies the culture of the Caribbean region on a whole, is one of the variables that separate Jamaica’s culture on the one hand from those of the other English-speaking Caribbean states on teh other. Our videos tend to focus on showing to the world the crudeness, ugliness and downright poverty of our culture and society. You see, our problems are much deeper than, say Sting; it is a problem with our thinking and our priorities, which is why I regretted even bothering to take a stance against Sting a few weeks ago!

Do you realize the effect of the combination of news reports from Jamaica with the musical images shown? Again, by comparison, look at the music videos emanating from Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados. There are not many from Barbados, but there is a whole lot from Trinidad with which we can compare. It is instructive that, in both Trinidadian and Barbadian cultures, positive things are emphasized in their display of their cultures. Maybe you have not seen Sean Paul’s “Like Glue” to understand the possibilities for Jamaica in the 21st century?

But, like I said in my original post, the theme running through Jamaica’s almost fifty years of independence is one of missed opportunities. It has happened consistently in our politics, in our economic ventures, and it has certainly happened in our cultural products.

[Me]

Stop being ridiculous.

These are the days by Busy Signal should not have changed one bit because it showed the reality people were feeling.
Likewise Assassin gully sitn, Anthony B's Mr Heartless, Welcome to Jamrock.

If you do not want songs depicting that, then fix the situation and there will not be anywhere to film such stuff.

We have more than enough videos showing Jamaica as the beautiful country it is, so their is no need to start acting up when reality videos are shown.

[Stonigut]

Sassin,

You miss a key point on this one still, which country in the world have more poverty,more squalor on a concentrated level, the greatest mass of the people living in hardcore poverty and deprived conditions, is there any country that has poverty the level we see in India, however we don't see any of that or very little of that in the videos or movies.

I just watched one of the top Indian movies recently "Devdas" and you would have thought watching that that almost everybody lived in Palaces or was wealthy even the family that was supposed to be poor lived in a large house, with the most incredible furniture etc etc, I am yet to see a Jamaican movie that potrays what I consider the core of the Jakan popluation, the farmers, the country people, the teachers, the fundamental working class striving to get better through coventional means, instead what we are seeing is the worse of the worse and it has to do with the degree that the Dancehall culture has emanated from the underclass and has gained access to money through a variety of means, wheras in India you are not seeing that level of access to the media/technology on the part of this underclass, Indian culture is driven by the high society vision that the Indians have of themsleves even though the reality don't match that.
The nbottom line is dancehall culture drives the vision of what passes for culture in Ja, i watched BETJ last night Wick'D I saw some good stuff but I know I also saw a lot of hardcore perpetrators as well. That is what this has all boiled down to who is pushing their vision the hardest, Dancehall winning by a couple furlongs.

[Me]

For movies it is all about funding. When mi see cool runnings, the majority of the people was hard working, mighty quinn, same thing. Even dancehall queen the majority of the people hard working. One Love, majority hard working.

Lime Tree Lane, Royal Palm etc.

If people willing to give funds to Shottas, etc. I am not sure what we can do.

It is the same obsession the film industry has with the negative aspects of Italian culture.

[Lazie]

Historian has a point. Too many songs use these images in their videos when it has nothing to do with the song. Tunes like Nothing to Smile bout, Welcome to Jamrock etc using these images make sense as it fits the message in the music. However, tunes about Galmore and Girls just simply portraying negativity.

There was a host of Wick'd called Macedon. Every week this dude would choose some poverty stricken area as the location to record another episode. Now they've changed the title to Wick'd Style, changed the host and now they are using better locations to record the show. Bout time.

[Me]

Macedon is a jafakan who would like to come across as some quasi hard core host. The less of him on TV, the better.

[Assasin]

Sorry Historian, I must apologise for Attacking you in anyway personally. I am very sure you have Jamaica at heart and I have nothing but respect for you and teh positions you have taken.

While i can understand the difference in quality of those videos you mention it is not just better quality but those videos are mostly produced with the help of American experts and financed with the help of American money. I have not seen most but most Sean Paul Video are not produced or edited locally and we have to be aware of the disparity in dollars. The only reasons you had two versions is the international companies decided to fund these videos. It is big chance for a producer to take producing a video in the first stage.

Many local producers can't even afford a local video. i remember one artist asking me to help fund one and his words were 'for one thousand dollars (us) I can get one at a deal". I passed on it because while the artist was good if i did that I would have to do it for others.

A local Video cost 1000 dollars to 3000 dollars to produce and the videos by Sean Paul etc. cost maybe 10-20 times more. Some of those local producers doesn't have access to certain sites etc. some of the bigger ones have. It is like comparing "Shotta the movie so some Hollywood movie".

When it comes to hospitality and Jamaica, I still believe most tourists are comfortable with Jamaica as it is as a destination if it had less violence, was clean, and people are hospitable. Those are the complains I have heard as it is a third world country not really the look of the fence or the ghetto because if you drive downtown man American city it is bad.

Yes we have to do work to clean up our environment but let us do it for our purpose and not for show. Right now i think the highways are good but from Mobay to Ochie it bypass too many town in Trelawny killing commerce in these cities.

[Stonigut]

Excellent point sah I have to concede on a few points there, Dancehall Queen was a fundamentally good movie with a strong storyline even though the imagery that comes through and kind of the bottomline of that movie is that she had to go into the Dancehall Queen competition and dance like a stripper to make a little money, so even though it is an excellent movie in many ways the dancehall (wind up/bend over/spread out/overly hedonistic/self indulgent) element subverts/downplays the message of a hardworking mother striving to do better for her children and family.

It cannot be that the message is do anything at any cost to achieve your goal, that is chaos, which is what we are seeing very much throughout Jakan society right now. If we are all going to have nothing taboo in society then the society is itself in anarchy and will not survive or devolve into all round destructive behavior.

Kind of like where the US financial system is right now, reality finally hit and people like Madoff finally coming into the light showing the face of a vulture/vampire he really is, as oppsoed to what people were thinking all along-great beneficiary/visionary, the same for many of the Titans of the finance industry, except for people like Buffett who has consistently preached the long term, disciplined method to building wealth, all others have lost sight of the fundamentals to the point where their behavior has been destructive relative to the mass and their influence and power has been alllowed to go unchecked.

Ja just face it on the flip side of the coin where potentially it is the most dangerous and irreversible, the very belief and moral code of a people is under attack to the point where what used to be there (real community-town and country) is now almost gone. The attack is coming from an element in the underclass, driving their vision of what it takes to make it and you can't really blame them as they have historically had nothing and now are in a position do maximize their gains, the moral compass of Rasta, and Christians on this group is almost nil at this point from what I can see.
Again who is driving the bus on how Ja is represented, we know the answer to that question right now and some of the videos I saw last night represent some new 12 inch nails into the Jamaican culture coffin.

[Historian]

Great Comments!

Dancehall Queen was a fundamentally good movie with a strong storyline even though the imagery that comes through and kind of the bottomline of that movie is that she had to go into the Dancehall Queen competition and dance like a stripper to make a little money, so even though it is an excellent movie in many ways the dancehall (wind up/bend over/spread out/overly hedonistic/self indulgent) element subverts/downplays the message of a hardworking mother striving to do better for her children and family.

Ja just face it on the flip side of the coin where potentially it is the most dangerous and irreversible, the very belief and moral code of a people is under attack to the point where what used to be there (real community-town and country) is now almost gone. The attack is coming from an element in the underclass, driving their vision of what it takes to make it and you can't really blame them as they have historically had nothing and now are in a position do maximize their gains, the moral compass of Rasta, and Christians on this group is almost nil at this point from what I can see.
Again who is driving the bus on how Ja is represented, we know the answer to that question right now and some of the videos I saw last night represent some new 12 inch nails into the Jamaican culture coffin.

Both your posts have certainly focused on the issue at hand even more firmly than I did, Stonigut. Every sentence of your two posts today are very valid and certainly relevant, and for me to add anything to your solid points might be to end up lessening what you have said!

Really, I enjoyed reading your posts! In addition, the analogies you used have served to make your presentation a powerful and, in my opinion, very accurate one. You hit the nail solidly on the head throughout!

Sorry Historian, I must apologise for Attacking you in anyway personally. I am very sure you have Jamaica at heart and I have nothing but respect for you and teh positions you have taken.

While i can understand the difference in quality of those videos you mention it is not just better quality but those videos are mostly produced with the help of American experts and financed with the help of American money.

Yes we have to do work to clean up our environment but let us do it for our purpose and not for show.

Assasin, I most certainly didn’t regard your post as in any way whatsoever attacking me personally . In fact, my rather harsh tone was primarily because I have grown sick and tired of explaining to non-Jamaicans over the years that Jamaica is much more than what they see in popular music videos. The last time I was forced to do so was last night, which is why I got up and started this thread early this morning.

And yes, I’m aware that a good music video costs a great deal of money, which is why it’s generally the breakout artists who have been signed to major labels, like Sean Paul, Shaggy, Wayne Wonder, Elephant Man and Beenie Man who have the music business financial backing to make top-notch music videos. But as can be seen from some of the output of comparatively much less financially successful artists like Kris Kelly, Da’ville and so on, quality can still be preserved with a tight budget. It most likely won’t be the same as, say, a major video like what Sanaa Hamri or Little X will produce, but those “lesser” videos nonetheless maintain their cultural integrity.

Macka Diamond’s “Bun Him” video, for example, was obviously not a big budget production, but it got the message across in an interesting and visually enjoyable manner, and in the process displayed some of the latest in dance moves (culture) while keeping true to the message. In the case of another music video, Assassin’s “Boring Gal,” I’m not sure if it was done locally, but it sure gave the impression of a big budget production. Videotaped completely indoors, “Boring Gal” is creative and visually interesting.

And yes, I fully agree that we should “clean up our environment but let us do it for a purpose and not for show.” Well stated, Assasin!

Historian has a point. Too many songs use these images in their videos when it has nothing to do with the song. Tunes like Nothing to Smile bout, Welcome to Jamrock etc using these images make sense as it fits the message in the music. However, tunes about Galmore and Girls just simply portraying negativity.

Thank you, Lazie. While certainly in some music videos the imagery of poverty presented is essential to the thematic content of the original recording, in far too many cases, like you correctly stated, “too many songs use these images in their videos when it has nothing to do with the song.” Well said, and I agree with you!

[Bricktop]

Oh, so your reading of my post has suggested to you that my suggestion is for the banning of Jamaica’s music videos? Your conclusion is a rather interesting one, and probably demonstrates that comprehension passage reading has not always been a strong point for many of us.

Why would I think that you're suggesting anything seeing as it wasn't you who wrote the letter?

[Assasin]

Historian i understand what you are saying but when it comes to video there is a big difference in financing. You have the international artists and then the "uptown" artist who can finance and control their video. Choose who they want and location and pay a penny or two.

For some of these artist however the only control they have is if they want their face in a video or not. Yes there is a lack of creativity but also remember that some of the basic cost we take for granted like hiring transport for a crew and proper editing. If you notice certain places and things are overuse like i can assume the parks in kingston.

I must admit however that there creativity is lacking but that is more also reflection on the Jamaican Movie/acting schene which pretty much dead.

personally I wouldn't invest in a video for a artist unless i have managerial control and believe a lot in them because it is too expensive otherwise i would just use my sony camcorder and do the best i can and that will result in exactly what you are talking, so i can assume that is happening too.

In general the movie schene and video schene in Jamaica is in a mess and the few who have access have to pay alot so people will just invest what they can not necessarily for the foriegn market but to get on TV(if you get the drift.)

Same thing use to happen to the Jamaican plays that was distributed on video in the states, the worst quality i have seen but I guess they many were just struggling and would rather have a video than not having one.

I can understand the fustration about the video but also the hosts of some of these program can do a little better in many cases. Also don't forget there is the tourist and the traveller. There are some people who want to see the it as is. one my not so recent trip to jamaica i met a guy from Austrialia and was just interested in seeing Blue mountains, Trench Town, downtown and other places that was not what normal tourist want to see. I often travel like that even though I am forced not to when i travel with my family.

[Stonigut]

Good comments all round, thank you for bringing this issue forward it really was more than a little disturbing to watch some of those videos last night. I really wonder where we really going with all this can it be any worse, out of the depths of despair is it possible for a ray of positivity to emerge, it seems very unlikely and it surely seems really unlikely to emerge from any of the current leadership structures, even though I am encouraged from what I have been hearing on the recent going ons in agriculture let's see if it's real stuff or just more powder puff.

Nothing short of real land reform for those who really want to farm, land title process improvement and clarification, credit lines for those serious about improvement, nurseries and support staff, development of markets and distribution /collection systems can actually make a real difference in rural people lives. We are still using the same basic market/distribution system that has been in place since the 17th century. This must be the first step, economic viability for ordinary rural folk can make a massive impact on the society.