Jamaican dancehall stars embrace "conscious" lyrics
NEW YORK (Billboard) - With reputed drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke in custody and Jamaica's state of emergency officially over, many dancehall stars are turning their backs on the violent lyrics that have characterized the genre in recent years.
The trend has been bubbling under the surface since before the state of emergency but received its biggest boost in late July at Jamaica's 35,000-capacity Reggae Sumfest festival, when veteran dancehall star Bounty Killer -- best known for blood-spattered anthems like "Coppershot" and "Gun Down" -- publicly renounced violent lyrics.
Other artists have followed suit, with popular Jamaican radio stations like Irie FM, Fame 95 FM and Hot 102 FM spinning "conscious" anthems from formerly gangster-friendly artists, including Mavado's "Change Right Now," Vybz Kartel's version of the Beatles' "Let It Be" and Bounty Killer's own "Mi Tired."
"My nation is going backward," says Bounty Killer, aka Rodney Price. "So instead of prostituting my fans by singing foolishness, it's time to enlighten and educate. I think they will embrace my transition."
That transition will be heard in full on his next album, "Anger Management," due in early 2011 in the United States on New York-based indie VP Records. VP director of A&R (artists and repertoire) Neil "Diamond" Edwards is convinced it won't harm Bounty Killer's commercial potential.
"He's balanced commentaries with hardcore tunes before," Edwards says, "so his real fans will accept it."
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