The contents of this article are controversial and include adult content. Opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher or staff of the Reggae Review.

"Rastaman Live Up! Bongo Man Don’t Give Up! Congo Man Live Up! Congo Man Don’t Give Up! Binghi Man Live Up! Binghi Man Don’t Give Up! Keep your culture! Don’t Be Afraid of The Vulture. Grow your dreadlocks don’t be afraid of the wolf packs. David slew Goliath with a sling and a stone. Samson slew the Philistines with a donkey jaw bone. Rastaman Live Up!"

¾  From the song "Rastaman Live Up" by Bob Marley and Lee "Scratch" Perry

The horizon is looking bright for Jamaican Dancehall artists like Beenie Man and others like Elephant Man who just won the first ever Source Award for Reggae-Dancehall Artist of the Year. They have been gaining on the mainstream music charts following the phenomenal success in 2003 of Dancehall don, Sean Paul who pushed the envelope and won favor with a multicultural fan base with his song "Gimme The Light" from his album, Dutty Rock on VP Records. Today, Paul’s song "Like Glue" is so popular that it’s even one of the downloadable ring tones on Verizon Wireless phones. The album Dutty Rock, which garnered Paul a deserving Grammy Award for "Best Reggae Album" earlier this year, was initially marketed for the underground Dancehall market and its success helped the New York based VP Records secure a multi-million dollar relationship with the recording giants Atlantic Records.

Jamaican Dancehall and Reggae music is even holding its own on the advertising front. With sponsorships of musical event from companies like Pepsi-Cola Jamaica Limited, Red Stripe and the sportswear company Puma, whose television and magazine ads use the colors of the Jamaican flag and Dancehall music to promote products that, before this ingenious marketing scheme, were rapidly losing there market base. Beenie Man (b. Moses Davis) the self-proclaimed "King Of The Dancehall" has been on the threshold of gaining the same foothold as Paul. Recording and performing with mainstream artists as varied as Wyclef Jean, Lil Kim, Mya and most recently with Janet Jackson on the song "Feel It Boy" and Hip Hop artists Guerilla Black on their wickedly fresh street life song "Compton" from their 2004 album, Guerilla City (Virgin Records).

Threatening the continued progress of Reggae music and specifically Dancehall is the recent attack triggered by the British-based gay rights advocacy group Outrage! who believe that the, albeit culturally influenced, anti-homosexual lyrics delivered by Dancehall artistes promotes violence on gays. The attack is ominous and began with the successful lobbying to cancel shows featuring Jamaican artists Capelton, Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel throughout Great Britain and the U.S. Right here in California Beenie Man and Capelton’s shows were systematically cancelled one by one from Northern to Southern California. Now pushed by Outrage! giant corporate sponsors are threatening to withdraw their support of Jamaican musical events if Dancehall artists continue to make, what they call, violent lyrics in their music. Even Janet Jackson turned tail in response to these events commenting that she would have never worked with Beenie Man if she had known his position. A statement I find hard to believe coming from a veteran entertainer and in light of her recent performance on the 2004 BET Music Awards with Elephant Man who is also known for his unflinching propensity to chat ‘bout chi-chi man in his songs.

Now, no one can say that the expressions and graphic language used in Dancehall music is, by any means, inhibited. After all, this unflinching lyrical aspect of the music is one of the main reasons that it has gained so much attention from its fan base who embrace this genre of Reggae music. But to call Dancehall music violent is most certainly over-kill. Perhaps the words ‘reality-based’ would be more to the point. Especially in light of the many lyrical expressions that are born out of the tragedy of despair brought on by the life-sucking conditions of poverty and injustice continually perpetuated by the powers that be on the people of Jamaica. And for many this is life, not only for Jamaicans, but also for many people living throughout disenfranchised countries like Haiti, Cuba and the continent of Africa. Add to this, the complete inability of ignorant and uninitiated listeners to overstand the varied and sometimes complex metaphors and flamboyant patios styles used by Jamaicans in their music when expressing their ideologies without apologies. As when Capelton says "fire burn" he does not mean to go burn people or things down but says, "The concept of the fire and people burning down the place - it's not meant literally. It's the vibe and the energy of the people within the music..." Dancehall music lyrics have become not only a way to articulate the negative experiences of life in the ghetto, but for some it is their way to crystallize a philosophy for a chosen lifestyle of heterosexuality. A way of life that sometimes appears to be less and less the norm in today’s society.

Though many are sympathetic with the plight of violence against gays, it is truly absurd to point the finger at a handful of Jamaican Dancehall music artists as a significant reason for this situation. Especially since they have been chanting out these lyrics in their music for years and there has yet to be any documented cases that would lead one to believe that this alone would cause an epidemic of violence on homosexuals. Though I am cognizant that some of the lyrics Outrage! alleged Beenie Man used in his concerts are most certainly unsettling, that is if he did indeed say, "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays," and "Hang chi chi gal wit a long piece of rope." Those who have immersed themselves into this music can translate the Jamaican style enough to know that it is not meant literally and so can millions of others who follow and listen to this music. Have you ever got so angry at a person that you said in all earnest, I could kill you! Have you every wished that something you didn’t like would just go away? Or should we assume that everyone on this planet is so completely stupid that we need groups like Outrage! to shield our innocent ears from any form of radical talk because we are so weak that we can’t reach a rational conclusion for ourselves? If that were the case their efforts would be better spent on dropping this verbal tongue lashing for the U.S. and British leaders and their many partners in crime who continue to threaten our very human existence by their propensity to accelerate and perpetuate violence and destruction throughout the world. I have to agree with one person from Brooklyn, New York who commented in a recent editorial response to this attack by Outrage! by saying, "I certainly do not support the killing of anyone because of their sexuality, but I am a firm believer in freedom of speech and will never back from supporting my Jamaican culture even when it says ‘Boom bye bye’ because to imply that a music will get people killed is to imply that there will be peace after listening to Bob Marley, who incidentally burned a lot of verbal fire on the system and even talked of bombing a church, Why don’t we call that hate music?"

This attention was not hoisted on these artists by chance. It was not until Dancehall music’s recent international influence and profit-making potential was felt in the music, advertising and fashion industry. It is just another slick way for record companies and their sponsors to hijack this music and redesign it to their own particular liking and then reap the profit. Sacred aspects of the Jamaican and Rastafarian culture are also being hijacked and exploited in the fashion industry. Designer Christian Dior blatantly use the culturally symbolic colors of red, gold & green in their new John Galliano’s ‘Rasta’ collection. These items are decadently priced for their superficial and opulently wealthy clientele. They have no clue or care about donning these symbols (which by the way are accepted and identified worldwide as being spiritually connected to the Rastafarian culture and linked to the Honorable Marcus Garvey’s African liberation movement) on their skimpy bikinis, sneakers and all the other ‘bling-bling’ they merchandize to their empty headed consumers. Add to the mix, Dancehall artists’ unstoppable ability to lyrically engage fans with their sometimes biblically based thoughts of living a man to woman lifestyle. Which is probably the real reason Outrage! is outraged. After all, the Bible continues to be a major thorn in the side of the whole gay movement.

In an attempt to defend himself, Beenie Man was recently quoted in the Miami Herald as saying,

"I'm not here to cuss people. I make music. But at the same time I just want to teach people -- my sons and my daughters -- the right way of life."

Perhaps the proper response by Outrage! should have been one of the same tolerance they believe homosexuals should be afforded in their freedom of speech and rights to choose their own lifestyles. It would also not hurt if proponents of gay rights would spend more time in conversing with these so called "hate music artists" to find out their opinions and perceptions and try to reach a compromise that would both quell any talk of actual killing while giving each their rights to express their thoughts in their own unique way. However, when the rights of one group’s agenda infringe on the rights of another, we all have a problem and the problem is one that is ironically the nucleus of Reggae music ¾ injustice. The problem is further exasperated by one other factor, the monetary supremacy and retaliatory capabilities to stifle those that you do not agree with when they do not have the financial or political power to determine, uphold and control their own destinies. Its old news, those with the money and power will always try to control those without.

In November 2004 we will be commemorating the 40^th Anniversary of the Freedom Of Speech Movement. FSM began right here in Northern California. In 1964 UC Berkeley students staged the nation’s first major campus protests that would later rock the country and usher into existence new laws that protect the rights of individuals and groups in the U.S. to speak (or sing in this case) without fear of reprisals, restriction or penalties. Laws in the U.S. may be in place but will surely not protect us if we are oblivious of their existence or timid to use them in our defense. It is interesting to recall that Rap artists were also targeted for talking about issues that were street-life based and offensive to the police and others in political authority. At one time, many of the hardcore Rap artists were forced to go underground with their music where they flourished beyond anyone’s imagination. They later emerged triumphantly as entrepreneurial and marketing geniuses. They formed their own designer clothing companies, record companies and labels. They intellectually secured their freedom to profit from, perform, record and promote their own culturally-based music. Perhaps this is the road Dancehall artists should consider before it is too late. Today, in spite of it all and whether you like it or not, Hip Hop/Rap music has exploded internationally and is a formidable force to be reckoned with in the music industry. In fact, this music’s victory is seen in its overwhelming acceptance by the same industries that had earlier vilified the entire genre.

When Beenie Man was asked about his personal feelings about being pulled from the BMA Music Tour because of the contents of his lyrics during a recent press conference at 2004 Monterey Bay Reggae Festival, he responded by saying:

"It’s there show and its their company and if they are getting something from a rumor and they decide to be their fans so you know, but you have artists with controversial lyrics and they didn’t pull it…my music is a small genre of a bigger genre… Make them know that the music is not hate music, the music is love and peace and unity towards all people and its for us to make dem know, because the music has been shadowed with this thing for years, so its for us to clear up our matter and do what we have to do with life and just move on..."

Rock artists like Guns N’ Roses and others have recorded and performed songs that spoke of Black people in the most derogatory terms and never received more than a slap on the wrist and not even the NAACP could stop their recordings or live performances. After all, if you don’t like it you can strike back by not spending your money on their concerts or records. But right or wrong, what about the many people who do like it? You see it all boils down to Freedom of Speech, which is not suppose to be just for some but for everyone.

Beenie Man is now a force to be reckoned with and it will be interesting to follow his future career moves in response to the recent situation along with other artists like Capelton, 2004 Grammy-Nominee Buju Banton (who wrote the much criticized song "Boom Bye Bye") and Bounty Killer who pretty much summed up his opinion in Northern California at this summer’s Reggae On The River when he angrily commented during his set, "Don’t fuckin’ mess with me bloodclot, I live my life and I see as I see. If you don’t like my music don’t buy it. Who batty man dem no like? I don’t lie down with no man!" These kinds of statements may infuriate members and supporters of the gay community. But as the 17^th Century French author, humanist, rationalist and satirist François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire said, "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it."

Similar to pop star Michael Jackson, Beenie Man is now being attacked on the very heels of his 2004 CD release, Back To Basics on the Virgin Records label. Back To Basics is Beenie Man’s best effort even topping his 1997 Grammy-nominated album, Many Moods Of Moses and his 2000 Grammy-wining album, Art and Life. The album Back To Basics includes great collaborations with Ms Thing on the songs "Dude" (which is currently #1 on the Jamaican charts) and "Doctor Mi Rate Yu", Rap artist Ghost lends his gritty voice on the song "D-O Or G-O", his brother Kirk Davis on "If A Nevr God" and Kymberli on "Grindacologist". If the response to his performance at 9^th Annual Monterey Bay Reggae Festival on September 6, 2004 is any indication, the Outrage! assault will most likely bring even more attention to Beenie Man and help fuel the sales of his new release, though it hardly needs this kind of negative publicity. Even the promoter of the festival was out front to watch with delight as the audience went wild when ‘The Doctor’ appeared on stage. Hats off to this promoter for having the courage to ignore the heat and current turmoil and keep Beenie Man on the lineup, a decision that was strongly supported by his many fans in attendance. It was a peaceful event and not one protester in sight. Though Beenie Man did not perform any of his more controversial lyrics, he did stop the music to say,

"George Bush is the President of the United States and I am a citizen of Jamaica. I get an American visa and its coming down to the election year so I can’t say shit! I don’t want to lose my shit! But I can say this…"

He then jettisoned into the Barrington Levy song, "Murderer" giving it his special Dancehall touch. Later during his show, he performed the song "Back Against The Wall" (how appropriate is that!) from Back To Basics and before starting the song he said,

"As we say, we fight against the system that creates poverty, that causes war, that causes 37 million Africans to live with HIV AIDS. This is the system we fight against. Let me tell you something, the system hurt so many things in Jamaica and that’s where I’m from and the only place I can talk about."

As Beenie Man sang the powerful lyrics from "Back Against The Wall", you could not help but pause in meditation as he sang, "When you are a victim of circumstances / The system where dem have it creates this crisis / You see a ghetto youth with his gun / No call him no boy else gun shot to rocket / Lack of jobs in all the communities / As a ghetto youth you have a few opportunities / Lack of education / We are taught where abilities start."

The press conference held right before his performance on Sunday, September 6, in Monterey, California also gave journalist a rare opportunity to hear his thoughts on the recent conflict as Beenie Man enlightened them on the issues at hand by saying:

"You see, in the U.S., Europe and Canada gay lifestyle is different from what is in Jamaica. Jamaica, in the ghetto, you have men that want to move like woman and flex with woman and flex like woman and we call them funny man or cissy man and they live there with everybody. But, in the society you have high-class man that prey on ghetto youths, that come down there because the youths need a part of the Jamaica dreams and they come down there and they give them cars and house and involved with all these youths in sexual activities. Now, these youths don’t want to do this because they want to be a part of this lifestyle, they want to be a part of our lifestyles but they don’t got the money or the cars or the house or the work. Anyway, if a man want to be a big man of his own concept and decide to do that lifestyle that’s his prerogative, but you have some people who prey on the youth that’s out there and I have to work with these kids, the homeless kids, the kids that’s in the homes they call boys home. A lot of these youths are getting raped in Jamaica. Very serious issue and a lot of people are picking up this issue. So, when we speak of these things in the music sometimes it’s drastic but sometimes you have to take that route. We’re not talking consenting adults, big man and big man and big woman and big woman. If you are thirteen and the next guy is thirteen and you decide to go at it, that’s your choice, you are two teenage boys. But if you are fifty-five and try to influence a thirteen year old boy, now these are things that happen in Jamaica and this is the lifestyle that we live everyday and it’s the lifestyle we are trying to get rid of. In America you would be arrested."

"This time we will direct the music more directly. We not give no names because the names have crossed over our barriers. Its not in Jamaica anymore, its around the world so people are taking on these names for themselves, so we need to make more direct point a finger, you know? We did it before but people paid no notice. We sing straight prison, we sing, ‘why you sleeping with your daughter, eh ahh?’ We sing all these songs, we sing shovel-maker but people don’t pay no notice. When we did it the Jamaican way, Jamaicans understand what we say, so people affected more. But, you cannot put out a music with a Jamaican language to do that, you have to even speak a slang that people can understand. So if you listen to my albums...sometimes it’s the underground music that people punch down. To keep the culture of the music you have underground music out there and ‘nuff of this music is not even on wax or record and are not dedicated to no individual because we are Rastafarians and we are peaceful people and we don’t bring violence and we don’t promote violence. We denounce violence. So, when a sound boy say, I’m gonna kill that next sound boy, it don’t mean literally, kill that sound boy! It’s metaphoric, you understand?

One journalist mentioned that he heard that the problem of rape and exploitation is happening to young woman as well in Jamaica and that it is a more prevalent problem. In response, Beenie Man said:

"You see the problem is everybody is watching the T.V. and the cable and everybody want a piece of the American dream and everybody want to be a big superstar and live high. So if that is the only way out, that is the way they’re going to go and they introduce you to that. But if you are here to protect the youths…I cannot protect a seventeen-year-old and eighteen-year-old, you are already big! But you know these are the kids that I work with at these homes. I organize competitions and have to deal with these kids who have been sexually molested by older men and most of them are boys and its not good to try to get this out of their minds because it makes them into predators and so they become violent, so you have to give them something to think about. So it’s kinda hard for me to work with these kids because of what they have been through. This is the reality we live and I do music, and if I do music, this is what I live. Every child live what they learn this is what I sing about and this is what I am going to fight against and me as an artist, I cannot see a kid get molested and not talk about it. But if you take these things in your mind and say I’m talking to you eh, and you feel affected about it, come talk to me about what I’m talking about, don’t take it on your head and say O.K., we gonna translate this, because batty man is not in the dictionary, it’s a word we made, that’s how it go."

"It’s just like how we burn Babylon, we burn the system that creates poverty, that causes war, that have 37 million Africans living in HIV AIDS. We burn the system! But you know Jamaicans people, when they hear a name, who Babylon? O.K., police are Babylon, this a Babylon that just take up everybody, that’s just how it goes. It’s just like ‘peace’, peace mean stop the war and everybody come together but then it could be a greeting, it can be goodbye, it can be anything."

In its attempt to denigrate some lyrical forms of Dancehall music, Outrage! and its proponents have labeled Beenie Man and his fellow artists as homophobic and a clear and present danger to their particular culture. Perhaps this assessment is more to the point since it is obvious that these artists and many of their fans clearly have a decided aversion to the homosexual lifestyle. But does an aversion to something always mean you have an irrational fear of it, or that you are ready to kill or push others to kill because of it? I don’t believe so, because I have an aversion to racists, political liars, hypocrites and warmongers, yet I am not afraid of them, nor would I try to hurt or kill them or talk anyone else into hurting or killing them. I just don’t like what they do or what they represent. In an Associated Press interview, Beenie Man commented that, "I don’t support homosexuality, I’m not homosexual, but I don’t hate gay people." Just because you do not support homosexuality does not make you homophobic as Outrage! tries to propagate in their zealous and desperate attempts to gain respect and acceptance in today’s society.

Perhaps Outrage! and its proponents should be regarded as ‘Dancehallaphobic’ since their fear of Dancehall lyrics seems here to be the irrational one. Or maybe it’s not irrational at all. Could it be that what Outrage! and its proponents fear is that some air of truth could be found in the lyrics that may pose a threat to their future prospects in human resources and further hinder the strides already made in obtaining what they want that go as far as comparing their cause to the Civil Rights Movement and lobbying to amend The Constitution in a bid for rights to marry. It’s a hot topic and I doubt if it will ever be completely resolved since historically there has always been a decided clash in mindsets on both sides.

Whether your position is pro of con on the issue of gay rights, in the end it’s all about the music for Beenie Man, who says he would like to one day work with artists like Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Jimmy Cliff. Beenie Man is ready and eager to just get back to basics and leave this controversy behind him and says,

"Music is international and my music is just a small part. Reggae music is more international than Dancehall music because it’s on a wider level, you have Bob Marley, you have Peter Tosh, you have a whole heap of Reggae artists. Dancehall music is just a slip of the apple of the Reggae tree, see me a say? So for us to work with people of different genres of music is great to expand the music to all the world."

Many of us have our own personal viewpoint on the issue but what’s really important is that ‘music is art’ and as in any art form it should be allowed to develop, grow and flourish in its own way and no individual or group has the right to stifle the artistic voice of another, even when that voice is in conflict with your own. As Beenie Man so eloquently stated.

"The music is us you know and we are the music. If you are a baker you are not just going to sit down and bake bread for only you and yourself everyday. You have to open a shop and start sell taste and have people come and taste from around the world. So that’s what the music is, people listen to the music and get involved with it, so dem love the music and that’s where the music pearlier throughout the world so we can do a concert like Monterey Bay Reggae Festival, go to Japan and Asia, Indonesia, Africa and all over the world. The music is just like bread, you know, good bread say!"

Beenie Man has recently faced many obstacles and tragedies that he had to overcome. Including earlier this year when he was involved in a life-threatening accident on January 15^th outside of Kingston, Jamaica as he tried to maneuver his Hummer through an area of road construction and it overturned. His injuries were severe and required emergency treatment for broken ribs and a punctured lung. To add insult to injury Beenie Man’s long-time road manager and Shocking Vibes studio/management member, Paul Tyrell was shot to death on February 24^th as he drove his car in Kingston. Despite all of these trials and tribulations The Doctor has physically and mentally prevailed and to the delight of all his family/friends/fans, the girls dem sugar is back to the business of music stronger and better than ever and in spite of it all, he says "We don’t think about this year, next year is what we think about, when we nominated!"