Night Hawk

Explicit music, always being a point of contention in Jamaica, finally felt its death knell when in 2009 the island announced a ban on any song deemed “sexually explicit and inappropriate for airplay”. Obviously this was an unpopular and particularly controversial declaration. Many people in Latin America and in Jamaica specifically support the ban. The particular genre associated most stringently with the proclamation is the Jamaican genre “dancehall” which could also be called “soca” or “calypso” or even just hip hop. The genre has noticeably gotten more and more lewd in its material and production and many believe that it is a degradation to the country and their image.You can find a quick rundown here

But not everyone is on board with the ban. Many believe that banning the music is a fundamental perversion of their free speech and abilities to govern themselves. A common thread of thought in the masses is that adults and the market should decide what is considered sexually explicit and inappropriate. Obviously the genre is popular and for a reason. The systematic striking down of the music shows that society isn’t in complete control of what they choose to ingest and that the Jamaican government has, once again, stepped on their freedom.

Whether you land on one side or the other of this chasm of a proclamation you have to be able to see the possibilities for good in the situation. So called “dancehall” artists have the opportunity to add meaning and context to their music as a means of protest against the law that is stomping on their freedom. On the converse they also have the ability to make cleaner music that is more representative of the Jamaican culture. Some say that appeasing any specific person goes against the art that is music but, at this point, they are playing by very different rules.