Vybz Kartel’s Ban from St Lucia
27 Tuesday Apr 2010
Written by Corve DaCosta in Entertainment, Thoughts & Commentary
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2010, caribbean, emperor, Entertainment, gaza, gaza crew, Jamaica, News, st lucia, Thoughts & Commentary, vybz, vybz kartel
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Background:
Recently, Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel was banned from performing in St. Lucia because of his lyrics. The letter below was submitted to the St Lucia Star (newspaper) as a letter to the editor.
The Jamaican music industry is trying to comprehend the recent attacks on its artists. Whether it is their travel documents revocation by the United States of America or being banned from performing in certain Caribbean islands; it makes Jamaicans nostalgic about the state of our music. For many years Jamaica’s dancehall and reggae music have been celebrated all across the world. Although it is Jamaican, as a Caribbean people we have united around the music that has caused us to celebrate not only our people but also our culture.
The most recent backlash against Jamaican dancehall music is the ban imposed on Vybz Kartel from performing in St. Lucia. Vybz Kartel’s music and other artists are played not only in the media but also are blared from vehicles. I cringe in my seat daily on public transportation forced to listen to his abusive lyrics that insinuate paedophilia, degrade women, advocate violence and lyrics that offend the social conscience of any society. I applaud the St. Lucian government for sending this strong signal against accepting mediocre music quality on their island. However, I can understand the backlash and those siding with the fact that it hinders the freedom of expression in a democracy.
The St. Lucian government has made a gesture that many Jamaicans would call for immediately. In Jamaica, we have seen the first hand effects of Vybz Kartel’s music on our society especially on our youth. Furthermore, some will deny he is to be blamed for the degradation of values with the youth. We cannot refute the influence he has generated with his music. Certainly, he has some good excellent tracks but for the most part Vybz Kartel’s music has destroyed and lowered the standards that we can expect from today’s musicians. Jamaicans are fed on a daily diet of his misogynistic lyrics that offend women and advocate for lawless behaviour. If St. Lucians want to change their clean image internationally and support an artist that can taint their country’s image for the worse – lift the ban and watch your small island deteriorate. I hope this discussion will rise up real cartels that will shine as beacons of hope and agents of change for a Caribbean island we love – St. Lucia.
12 comments
April 27, 2010 at 7:15 PM
Excellent move St. Lucia !! APPLAUSE !!
.-= ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID´s last blog ..MASSIVE LAYOFF FOR TEACHERS =-.
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Corve DaCosta Reply:
April 28th, 2010 at 7:43 AM
Thought I would be on this alone. But I have company. Thanks
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April 28, 2010 at 11:19 AM
very nicely written
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April 28, 2010 at 11:29 AM
Wow, banned from vehicles as well? That is a strict rule.
.-= slamdunk´s last blog ..Networking…For Your 3-Year-Old? =-.
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April 29, 2010 at 8:46 PM
Hopefully this propel a more positive creativeness the music has, lets slow our hasty approval of St Lucia’s actions as there is a general anti Jamaican sentiments across not just the Caribbean but the world, some make use this to ride their already prejudices against Jamaicans which may be based on simply the core characteristics of our people or even pure racism.
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bigslim Reply:
May 23rd, 2010 at 4:05 PM
dread no one is against jamaica the world loves jamaica, have you travelled accross the caribbean and have you seen what this man’s music is doing to the youth, most of the young boys want to be like him and the crime rate is up, saint lucians have never done drive bys before untill vybez said walk by drive by in a car, after that song our crime rate trippled and some how poor saint lucians can suddenly afford cars to committ murder………….we love our caribbean neighbours all of ya’ll, it’s not ya’ll it’s the music
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April 29, 2010 at 8:51 PM
Hopefully this propel a more positive creativeness the music has, lets slow our hasty approval of St Lucia’s actions as there is a general anti Jamaican sentiments across not just the Caribbean but the world, some make use this to ride their already prejudices against Jamaicans which may be based on simply the core characteristics of our people or even pure racism.
.-= RB´s last blog ..Bolt & Team Jamaica Spectacular Win @ Penn Relays-4×100 record 37.90(video) =-.
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April 30, 2010 at 7:52 AM
its funny that you posted about this, because i sure was thinking to myself (while listening to the music repeatedly and translating the patious in my head lol) WOW they say some harsh things in this music! out of control lol.
that guy though, he has been on mediatakeout.com for some naughty pictures of him with a girl.. apparently his responce about the photos surely wasnt apologetic lol
yeah thats an interesting topic though, women are already never on the same level as men (respect wise) i hate that this music makes me dance! noooo! lol
.-= Vanisha´s last blog ..24008_1440272285934_1206862763_1301550_1911777_n [Flickr] =-.
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April 30, 2010 at 6:23 PM
My Name Is Uriahs Victor And I Am I Student Of The Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School (S.C.S.S). I Was Recently Asked To Write An Argument On The Topic Of Banning Vybz Kartel In St. Lucia And I Am Going Against The Banning And I Will Not Easily change My Views Because Of Some People Who have Never Sat Down And Asked Their Selves What About The Others, Others Being Artists. Why do you Have To Blame Kartel For What Is Going On In Society!!! I Am A Poet and I Also Make Up Good Catch phrases Let Me Just Give You A quote From My Self ” People Are Not Just Influenced By One Person But Instead One Person Is Influenced By People” Who Is To Say That The Youth Who Cause Violence Only Listen To Kartel, What About Aidonia, Beenie Man, Lisa Hype, Lady Saw Is either these Artist Sing About Violence Or In The Ladies case Sex! The Government Did A very Ignorant Thing By banning Vybz Kartel Why Didnt They Just Give Him A List Of Songs He Could And Could Not Sing, Because Even Though They Banned Him From Performing You Ignorant People Cant See That They can Never Ban Him From All Airwaves Or From Ares People Will Still Have Access to This Great Caribbean Artist Songs No What they Do. I mean We Are One Caribbean And As Bob Marley Said One Love So If We Start By Banning One Of Our Own Whats Next? Dont You People Realise that We Must Stop Paying All Those Other Foreign Artists Thousands Of Dollars To Perform The Same Old Blunt Songs When We Have One Of the Greatest Dance-hall Artist Right In Our Back yard!! If the Government Of St. Lucia Keeps Doing things Like This Causing The Promoters Of The Show To Lose So Much Money After Broadcasting This Event For So Long. Hyping People Up Then getting Stopped By The Government I Believe it ‘WILL’ A time For A New Prime Minister Along With All The People Holding The Sits Who Have To Deal With What Happened. When There Was Some Law written About The People Having To A Part To Play When Things Like This Happen, I cant Quite Remember What it Was About But I Know That It Had TO Deal With People having To Play A part In The Immigration of Others, Oh Well I Cant really Remember But I realised I really Wrote Quiet A Bit When i Intended To Write Less But I Will End By Saying That the main reason The Government Of St.Lucia Banned kartel Is To Follow The Ridiculous Trend Carried Out By Grenada And Barbados
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bigslim Reply:
May 23rd, 2010 at 4:17 PM
don’t waiste good writing skill on vybez cartel girl read your bible and stop following this man cause you’re a woman and why you not talking about his lyrics towards women? i don’t know….don’t be retarded wait till you have a child that wants to live vybez kartel lyrics or any other artist lyrics, you probably just like to stand in a corner in a fete with some little boy wynning between your legs that’s why you vex, all off dem need to be banned so if they can start with him then the rest coming, silly woman, and you right we can’t keep him off the airwaves but we can make a statement to get the public to think about what they listening too…if one child can notice what dancehall today is doing to society and make up his mind that fetes are about dancing not fighting then maybe we can save a life even if it’s one….silly woman
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May 1, 2010 at 10:59 PM
ST. LUCIA ROCKS!!! Any music that incites hateful or criminal acts should be banned period. People can preach “free speech” all they want until THEIR mother or sister or little brother gets raped or maimed or killed and then they will be wondering where the aggressor could have possibly gotten the ideas for such heinous acts and will want those responsible held accountable. Not only in dancehall music but also in rap and hip-hop music, I see artists like Eminem are praised and celebrated for their skills while people simultaneously looked the other way when his lyrics were about killing his ex-wife for example. My cousin was stabbed to death 81 times by her boyfriend who abused and then killed her and then tried to kill his own daughter after that first murder so talking about heinous acts in music is no light matter to me and to most people who have been affected by such crimes. There has to be social responsibility and accountability that goes along with “free speech” otherwise you’ll have a whole generation of Adolf Hitlers out there.
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bigslim Reply:
May 23rd, 2010 at 4:19 PM
i totally agree, i myself have a brother who got shot and then chopped 5 months later, GOD bless you, and i’m sorry to hear about your sister
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