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Dancehall Music Impact on Jamaican Youths

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Dancehall music impact on Jamaican Youths | image source: Jamaican ExperiencesDancehall music impact on Jamaican Youths | image source: Jamaican Experiences

By Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

Dancehall music is one of, if not the most, prominent genre of music in Jamaica. Its vibrant
rhythm and catchy phrases are usually heard playing on radio stations, in public transportation, at parties etc. Dancehall music is embedded in Jamaican culture. It is fun, vibrant and exciting but as awesome as it is the lyrics of dancehall music while not all bad, are mostly raunchy, sexual and violent, encouraging drug abuse, sexual immorality and violence. Let's talk about dancehall music's impact on Jamaican youth.

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Sexual Immorality

Numerous dancehall artists encourage sexual immorality through their lyrics.  Many times conversations are had where a person, young and old, would reference an artiste and their lyrics to bring across their point. Because of how often these lyrics are promoted and circulated in society it has a great influence on our people, causing them to believe that sexual immorality is the norm and is acceptable behaviour. The influence seems to be even stronger on the youths of the island, where usually it’s the young girls who fall victim to rape and teenage pregnancy. 

“Research has shown that there is a correlation between dancehall music and the proliferation of sexual activities. The findings revealed that females more than males are more likely to respond psychologically to the lyrical content of the dancehall genre and that the music is highly influential and can create a negative impact on youths who imitate these negative acts” (Impact of Dancehall Music on Society, 2016). “political analyst Tazhmoye Crawford reported that ‘Teenagers are identifying music, mainly of the dancehall genre, as a trigger for early sexual intercourse’. This is according to a scientific study conducted by Crawford, at the University of the West Indies, Mona in 2007.” (Martin, 2012)

Violence and Drug Abuse

Drug abuse, specifically the use of marijuana, and violence is another message that dancehall entertainers promote that has a significant impact on the Jamaican youth and culture. For example, Busy Signal’s lyrics in his popular song Step Out, “wuk gal, buss gun, smoke weed, have fun”. Marijuana use and gun violence seem to go hand in hand with many artists. “Some dancehall artists promote violence. This can lead to an increase in criminal activities in Jamaica. Some of these lyrics make it seem acceptable to just hurt or kill someone without showing any remorse. It has also been alleged that some artists have been involved in some of these criminal activities.” (Watson, 2008). One of the biggest feuds in Jamaican history was the Gully vs Gaza feud, headed by two of the most popular dancehall artists. I remember while in school seeing many fights over this feud simply because some boys claimed to represent Gaza and others Gully. 

“The most obvious evidence demonstrating the influence of dancehall on youth is the veneration of feuds in the dancehall. It is customary for young people to affirm an informal allegiance and follow a clique blindly like characters in a play desperately searching for an author. The recent emergence of such factitious behaviour is the much-publicized clannish divide between Dancehall artists Mavado (of the Gully Side) and Vybz Kartel (of the Gaza). The notorious quickly became not only the most prominent graffiti across the island but part of the most familiar phrases used by young Jamaicans. As such, clannish divisions have been created in segments of society as fans latch on to their favourite artiste and their cohorts of whom many wear various paraphernalia depicting their preference and or allegiance. The 'Gaza' and 'Gully' was not only popular in the garrisons and inner cities, but even in the most solid middle-class communities too.” (Martin, 2012)

Upliftment of Ghetto Youths

“Ghetto youth wi ave a dream, jus gwaan work di money soon come in” lyrics by dancehall artiste Alkaline, encouraging the ghetto youths of Jamaica to aim for their dreams and continue working hard. There are many other songs of upliftment that blast through the radio stations daily. “Some lyrics of our dancehall artists uplift men and women in society. They often push ghetto people and people in general to be strong and never give up regardless of the situation. Some lyrics stress the importance of education and encourage children to stay in school. Kartel has a song titled "school girl," where he encourages school girls not to have sex in buses and to put their education first.” (Watson, 2008)

Dancehall music and the artists have a significant influence on Jamaican society, both negative and positive. While fun, we also have to acknowledge its long-term impact on our youths. However, artists produce what their fans want, so it’s not just up to the artists to put out more uplifting songs but for society to support them when they do. This could possibly lead to a downfall in drugs and gun violence and underage sexual activities. I am sure that would be a Jamaica that we would all be proud of. 

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References & Sources For Dancehall Music Impact on Jamaican Youth

  1. Impact of dancehall music on society. (2016, Apr 08). Retrieved from: https://studymoose.com/impact-of-dancehall-music-on-society-essay
  2. Martin, N. (2012, Feb 05). The Impact of Reggae/Dancehall Music on Jamaican Youths. Retrieved from: https://thecaribbeancurrent.com/the-impact-of-reggaedancehall-music-on-jamaican-youths/
  3. Watson, J. (2008, Apr 02) Dance Hall Music and Jamaican Society. Retrieved from: http://www.yardflex.com/archives/002444.html

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