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BY ROLAND HENRY Observer lifestyle co-ordinator henryr@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga yesterday damned the recordings fuelling the 'gully vs gaza' debacle, saying the tracks lack any form of musical standards.
"My love for Jamaican music does not incorporate the latest form - dancehall," Seaga said yesterday during the Observer's weekly Monday Exchange meeting of reporters and editors.
Dancehall rivals Vybz Kartel (left) and Mavado
"Dancehall music lacks components of classical music, which includes lyrics, melody and rhythm."
Seaga has long been a cultural expert, having pioneered various anthropological efforts that relate to the arts, religion and politics.
Speaking to what has become a steadily rising and potentially volatile sub-culture spawned from a lyrical war between rival dancehall artistes Vybz Kartel and Mavado, Seaga outlined that their brand of music, though undeniably powerful, is verbal nonsense.
"Things come and go, but I don't know why, for the love of me, this one won't go," he added. Seaga noted, though, that dancehall music remains incredibly popular because of its enduring appeal to youth.
"It doesn't have melody, and forget lyrics, but what it does have is rhythm and that has made it hugely popular," Seaga pointed out, alluding to the 'riddim-driven' culture that obtains in contemporary Jamaican music.
The gully/gaza conflict recently received international attention after the world's fastest man, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, endorsed Vybz Kartel during an interview with New York radio station Hot 97. There is, too, the ubiquity of graffiti strewn across Kingston that heralds the fictitious locales of 'gully' or 'gaza'.
"Our music is very powerful. we can just hope that somebody comes up with a tune once again," Seaga told the meeting, "and every now and then you get it."
The former prime minister's comments come at a pivotal time - during National Heritage Week - when many are questioning if the recent deaths of several of the island's cultural icons will mean a redefinition of national identity.
Asked if he felt confident about the next generation of cultural guardians, Seaga could not give a definitive answer.
"There must be people around who will eventually mature to take up the mantle, but I can't readily think of anyone," he said adding that, "it's not every day society experiences icons like those."
The cultural community has lost music producer Wycliffe 'Steely' Johnson, who died on September 1; playwright Trevor Rhone, who died on September 15; media professional and elocutionist Wycliffe Bennett on October 5; and the most recent master trumpeter Sonny Bradshaw, who died on Saturday
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...SAYS_SEAGA.asp
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Former Prime Minister Edward Seaga yesterday damned the recordings fuelling the 'gully vs gaza' debacle, saying the tracks lack any form of musical standards.
"My love for Jamaican music does not incorporate the latest form - dancehall," Seaga said yesterday during the Observer's weekly Monday Exchange meeting of reporters and editors.
Dancehall rivals Vybz Kartel (left) and Mavado "Dancehall music lacks components of classical music, which includes lyrics, melody and rhythm."
Seaga has long been a cultural expert, having pioneered various anthropological efforts that relate to the arts, religion and politics.
Speaking to what has become a steadily rising and potentially volatile sub-culture spawned from a lyrical war between rival dancehall artistes Vybz Kartel and Mavado, Seaga outlined that their brand of music, though undeniably powerful, is verbal nonsense.
"Things come and go, but I don't know why, for the love of me, this one won't go," he added. Seaga noted, though, that dancehall music remains incredibly popular because of its enduring appeal to youth.
"It doesn't have melody, and forget lyrics, but what it does have is rhythm and that has made it hugely popular," Seaga pointed out, alluding to the 'riddim-driven' culture that obtains in contemporary Jamaican music.
The gully/gaza conflict recently received international attention after the world's fastest man, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, endorsed Vybz Kartel during an interview with New York radio station Hot 97. There is, too, the ubiquity of graffiti strewn across Kingston that heralds the fictitious locales of 'gully' or 'gaza'.
"Our music is very powerful. we can just hope that somebody comes up with a tune once again," Seaga told the meeting, "and every now and then you get it."
The former prime minister's comments come at a pivotal time - during National Heritage Week - when many are questioning if the recent deaths of several of the island's cultural icons will mean a redefinition of national identity.
Asked if he felt confident about the next generation of cultural guardians, Seaga could not give a definitive answer.
"There must be people around who will eventually mature to take up the mantle, but I can't readily think of anyone," he said adding that, "it's not every day society experiences icons like those."
The cultural community has lost music producer Wycliffe 'Steely' Johnson, who died on September 1; playwright Trevor Rhone, who died on September 15; media professional and elocutionist Wycliffe Bennett on October 5; and the most recent master trumpeter Sonny Bradshaw, who died on Saturday
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...SAYS_SEAGA.asp
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