Sun | Sep 24, 2023

Bash the garbage instead of Billboard

Published:Sunday | December 27, 2015 | 12:00 AM

 

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I would be lying if I said I was shocked after finding out that the Billboard named Joss Stone reggae artiste of the year. In fact, I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy that they did. I am happy because now we can know how the world sees our musicians.

I hate the music that is now being made in Jamaica. I don't want my music to be mixed with another genre. Call me old-fashioned, I don't care. If I wanted to listen to other musical elements I would have listened to another genre.

Instead of bashing Billboard, why don't we bash the so-called producers and artistes that are making garbage? Why don't you stop supporting them until they start making quality music?

Artistes and producers aren't the only ones to be blamed. Our media outlets should also take the blame. A lot of favouritism is going on. They need to start playing songs fairly. They also need to start playing quality music and tell the artistes that if it is garbage, they are not playing it.

Most importantly, our artistes need to end this 'crab inna barrel' mentality and let a next youth eat food. Well-known artistes need to start helping the up-and-coming artistes and start to promote those from Jamaica first before they promote artistes from other countries.

My respect goes out to Bounty Killer for pushing so many youths in the business which a lot of these long-established ones failed to do.

I commend the faces of the new, re-energised reggae movement now surging the island. I commend Chronixx for a Jamaican tour because Jamaican artistes have a tendency of touring other countries and never their own. To Kabaka Pyramid, Dan Giovanni, Jah 9, Protoje and the others, nuff respect.

LeShante Tennant

leshan-tet@yahoo.com