Posts Tagged ‘music’
A 9mm that brings new life
KINGSTON, JAMAICA – In an era when firearms take away many young lives, there is one calibre that may be eagerly anticipated. A piercing shot from a 9mm could very well feed the youths’ minds rather than spill their blood. That is the likely outcome with Jah9′s new musical project called 9mm - ‘message music.’
As soon as it begins, it is easy to tell that the singer/songwriter is interested in steering her listeners towards a mental posture of self-determination. Throughout the experience, and with a sense of purpose, Jah9 recites words previously uttered by the well-known characters of Haile Selassie I and Marcus Mosiah Garvey as well as those spoken by a much less recognized leader, Walter Rodney, who was banned from Jamaica due to his liberation activities.
A Year Of Losses And Gains – Dancehall Struggles But Jamaican Music Flourishes
Last year was a year when Jamaica lost much. The country bled when Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke went against the security forces, which had been ordered to carry out an extradition request for the Tivoli Gardens strongman.
During that time, there was little or no activity in entertainment, but truth be told, entertainment had been suffering before May.
Truth be told, the country also bled as dancehall artistes had their visas revoked. The earning power of dancehall was hampered severely. Not only were the artistes unable to travel to promote the local industry and their albums, they also found it difficult to get playing gigs in Jamaica.
Stage-show productions are expensive and the effect of a crippling economic downturn meant promoters could no longer afford to pay big-name artistes.
But music still limped on.