Jamaica Popular US Newspaper links DEEJAYS TO DUDUS
A popular US newspaper has linked the names of deejays with former
Tivoli strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke but offered no evidence for
its claim, which International Reggae Day founder Andrea Davis called
unfortunate for the industry.
The lengthy article, entitled 'The Great Dancehall Freeze-Out of 2010',
published June 29 in the liberal, New York-based Village Voice claimed
that "some cite perceived ties to Coke, whose entertainment company
stages Kingston's annual Champions in Action concert" as the reason for
"those artists now remain(ing) sidelined from US travel".
The deejays referred to in the article are Aidonia, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, and Mavado whose US visas were revoked in April. The Observer was unable, up to press time, to contact the artistes or their management for comment. The US Embassy has not revealed why it revoked the visas of these artistes citing issues of confidentiality. The writer, Jesse Serwer, did not substantiate the claim or quote sources despite the article's intent to explain why "many of Jamaica's biggest acts [are] now barred from entering the US?"
Davis, not commenting on the assertion posited in the article, said that
it would further sully Jamaica's image. She, however, added that
Jamaica's high murder rate and aggression make such articles easy to be
believed.
"Forget about the (Village Voice) for a second, yes it is bad public
relations, but we are a society that is brutalised by violence. So, long
before we talk about record sales, Billboard or this Village Voice
article, we have to clean up for the sustainability of our society
because Jamaica is falling apart," she stated.
"The last few weeks have definitely created a negative light on not only the music brand but the country's brand and this article will not help. But I don't think that we are out of the game yet and it is time for us to step up more than ever. We spend so much time celebrating the negative and disposable music when there is a whole stream of new music, in the tradition of Marley, and they [are] not getting the airplay. The media has a role to play in this," stated Davis. "There is a new generation of positive music.
"The last few weeks have definitely created a negative light on not only the music brand but the country's brand and this article will not help. But I don't think that we are out of the game yet and it is time for us to step up more than ever. We spend so much time celebrating the negative and disposable music when there is a whole stream of new music, in the tradition of Marley, and they [are] not getting the airplay. The media has a role to play in this," stated Davis. "There is a new generation of positive music.
reference: observer
Comments
Post a Comment