Lauding excellence

Groundins
by Charles H.E. Campbell

TAKING public feedback into account, the Reggae Month Awards Selection Committee has decided to bestow the title of Emerging Artiste of the year to Chronixx.

They also conferred Song of the Year to the international hit Affairs of the Heart by Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley.

The public poll's results reflected that the runners-up in both categories were Konshens and "Bubble Wi a Bubble" by the same artiste, too deserves congratulations.

Interestingly, the first time I saw Chronixx perform was at a staging of Reggae Wednesdays last year. Kabaka Pyramid had introduced him during the course of his set.

Since that time, he has been on heavy rotation on every local radio station and taken the nation by storm with numerous performances. This has created an international demand for appearances on concerts in the region and further afield.

He just recently returned from performances in Costa Rica, New York and Kenya, where both political parties invited him to perform. He played the role of a peace ambassador, given the recent spate of violence, as election tensions stir age-old grievances.

Chronixx is one of the leading artistes in the new youth movement, who sees the industry, not as competition, but to reposition reggae as the world's music of conscience.

Affairs of the Heart is, without a doubt, one of the better songs produced by a Jamaican artiste, both lyrically and musically, in a number of years. This song has strains reminiscent of his older hits. Damian has again successfully fused different musical styles, then added the new 'electro lovers rock' element to produce a laid-back musical mix, buoyed by a catchy chorus. Fans describe Affairs of the Heart using terms such as refreshing, uplifting and enriching. Known more as a DJ, the quality of his song-writing and his singing on this track, is better than most of the standard fare these days, which in my view, leaves a lot to be desired. Released just before Valentine's Day last year, by March 2012 it topped the week's Mediaguide Reggae Speciality Chart in the US and by May it topped Reggae Charts in Jamaica for two weeks.

This year, the two sound systems being saluted are Mello Canary Disco and Metro Media.

Mello Canary was established by owner/selector Sammy Chong, and the system played mostly in St Thomas until the late 60s when he relocated to Kingston. In 1975 he formed a very successful relationship with Denver 'Jamusa' Silvera. Metro Media was established by Lou Gooden in the early 70s and taken over by Jimmy Metro after he migrated in 1975. Their first selector was Peter Metro and their most popular is Skyjuice.

Established in 2009, the JaRIA Honour Awards is an authentic barometer for gauging the development of the music and its practitioners. It pays tribute to industry players who have figured prominently in the amazing penetration of Jamaican music and culture across the world.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

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The Relevance of Black History

By: Charles HE. Campbell

The controversial statements by Minister Damion Crawford concerning Reggae- Black History Month have not only stirred intense debates on and off air, but it seems contrary to the official policies of the present administration. On Dennis Brown’s birthday – February 1^st, JaRIA joined the Ministry of Youth and Culture at Emancipation Park where they staged well supported daylong activities for the official launch their month long programme of activities promoting Reggae-Black History Month, under the theme ‘Growing up black under the green and gold’

Unwittingly, it has galvanised solidarity within the cultural fraternity for the mission of JaRIA and its component organisations, including the Dennis Brown Trust, to develop, preserve and protect this special period within our annual events calendar. My general impression is that any attempt to change Reggae Month to another time of year will be vigorously resisted by a broad coalition of interests. Most people strongly object to the idea of manipulating of our authentic cultural symbols, purely to satisfy commercial imperatives.

 Regardless of the origins of Black History Month, given the alienation, high level of senseless violence, the wide-spread practice of bleaching and other negative cultural manifestations displayed, it’s a worthwhile initiative for focussing the attention of Jamaican youths on the significant contributions made by our forefathers, not only to the building of this country, but in various endeavours such as literature, science & technology, human and civil rights throughout the world. One of Marcus Garvey’s most famous quotes says “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” In contrast, so often I hear black folks saying things like “Anything too black nuh good” or “Mi nuh like nobody too black”.  Too many of us hate the image that stares back at us when we look in the mirror. Former Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green recently said “ It played to my advantage being white-skinned because the people trusted white-skinned people more than they would trust a black officer”  This is one of the harmful legacies of our colonial past which, as a nation, we have failed to redress through our educational system.

The other comment by the Minister in that recent television interview that has caused public consternation is his response to Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper about the lack of sufficient sponsorship of wholesome, family oriented cultural events, such as Reggae Month, by the private sector. He reiterated something I first heard him state last year, which is, that businesses have no obligation, but to their share-holders. Well, that approach is taking us back almost to the dawn of the industrial revolution, which was built on the blood, sweat and tears; the slave labour of our ancestors, and in the sweat-shops of the industrialised world, eventually leading to dire consequences for both the working class and the oligarchy…. Remember 1938! Certainly, by the time I was being taught economics, we learnt that enlightened capitalists also had a social responsibility, if only in their own self-interests, because a stable society would sustain their ability to produce and market their goods successfully.

As that popular Jamaican song says ‘Time longer than rope……’

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/The-relevance-of-Black-History_13620070

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com

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