DOWN INNA DI GHETTO

With the island's grave economic situation the reality is that dancehall has become a means of escaping poverty for many disenfranchised Jamaican youth. However, the rewards of iced out platinum chains, designer clothes, and million dollar cars seem to be their only motivation, hence the current trends in the themes of the music. "Jamaican people lose dem self…di people dem nuh proud a demself again. Some ghetto yute yuh cyaan call dem ghetto yute. Dem nuh proud fi be a ghetto yute again. When yuh come uptown a ghetto yute a front like dem a uptown yute. Yuh nah see no uptown yute a play like him a uptown yute…dem waan be like regular yute bow yah. All a di likkle ghetto yute a put dem account inna dem dressin'. $10,000 fi him pants and nah have $5000 inna di bank.

THE TRUTH

W: Do you feel you have more of a responsibility to the public in terms of the content of the material that you put out?
BK: From it's the truth I ain't scared… I ain't worried... People have to face the truth and I am looking at it like this…I may not say the nicest things (but) I might be saying the wrong thing for the right reason…like sometimes you tell someone how you feel and they might get hurt but you're telling them the truth…and that's me. They might feel better if you tell them some shit but…Some people can't tek me 'cuz I'm too real for them I give it to them like it is. I can't help it, I have to me and I have to be true to myself.

W: What was the role you played in the Artists against AIDS campaign?
BK: Well UNICEF wanted us to be a part of it to motivate the people to be aware about AIDS and the crisis we're facing…like whenever we perform mek dis be a part of our general statement because it's a ting weh a destroy our nation. Most people nah wear right… and dem nah care right. Dem don't know how wicked and how dangerous it is because it badda den di gunman dem right now. Caw a

MUST BE THE MONEY

"This music business, reggae on a whole mash up... It's at a different place…reggae is all about getting di money…dat's why yuh see everybody a sing foreign ting because it's all about selling records…di whole a dem a try follow Shaggy…dem not thinking about 'what's inside of me and weh me should say- justifying my own feelings." Bounty says emphatically, "These people ain't coming with talent. These guys just hungry, look in the business, see me a drive Land Cruiser and feel like mi nuh do much fi have di land Cruiser, and me and dem come from Riverton an me an dem look like di same yute so him mus' can do it too! Dem not doin it because them find themselves with talent and skills. When I went to Jammys all I had was my lyrics inna mi head and when I come all it tek a lyrics and talent. It neva tek yuh fi get a man fi go buy out di media, or a man fi go pay one disc jockey or reporter, or a man fi go buy out dis or beg no selector."

The rampant Americanization of Jamaican culture has led to dancehall music losing its edge and authenticity. It is unquestionably a case of life art imitating life with our deejays opting to sing about Moet and 'ice' instead of more conscious issues or even subjects that are innately Jamaican. "Look how long mi a lick out pon bling bling and fortune and fame and ice. Dem seh Bounty Killer bad mind … a fight gainst young artist…Sing bout the roots and heritage and di culture of Jamaica. Sing about the tings dat di pickney dem wasn't here to see!"
This is something that Bounty tries to instill in the young artists he works with, lyrical content that is uniquely Jamaican and promoting our culture to the fullest. The irony, he explains, is that many hip hop including Foxy Brown, Redman, Lil' Kim, and Toronto's Kardinal Offishal have all embraced the dancehall culture and Jamaican patois, the very things our own artists have begun to reject. Admittedly, many career moves stem from our desire to make a better life for our families and ourselves. With Bounty Killer, however, his sole objective is to get his message to the masses, a goal that he has managed to accomplish. " There is no material achievement I expect from the music. I put nothing down. I ain't goin out there and saying I am Bounty so I deserve this and I think I should achieve that…nope. I am surprised by every'ting dat I own because I never thought I would achieve these things. It was never my intention to be an artist or a star".

Shine on.

Continued ...FULL HUNDRED