DANCEHALL CLASHES
Says this is what the genre needs now
While the dancehall space continues to recover from the ruckus that erupted with the release of Rvssian’s ‘Dutty Money’ rhythm at the start of the year, Twin of Twins says competitive animosity is just what is needed in the local music scene.
Curly Lox told THE WEEKEND STAR that bringing back the rhythm is something good for dancehall.
“Because, in a weh day, it did water dung bad enuh. A did somebody else thing we a do enuh. ‘Bout trap-dancehall, nothing nuh guh suh. A fi dem ting and we a pretend fi be rappers a talk p,atois. That is wah dat really is,” he said.
The entertainer, whose given name is Patrick Gaynor, said that the public’s reaction to the rhythm is indicative of their yearning for ‘real’ dancehall.
“You know Rvssian dem have fi dem part of dancehall and weh dem contribute in terms of riddim and weh dem produce. You know great producing from back inah dem time deh win Kartel and some wull heap a other something. It’s something weh people miss,” he said.
Drawing on the works of Vybz Kartel and Mavado during their clash over a decade ago, Curly Lox opined that persons loved those sounds because they were unique. “Weh dem youth yah a come win now it’s just like anything. Just get up and put on one jeans suit and some tattoo.” His brother Tu Lox added that current artistes are going for “shock value”.
Twin of Twins
“If dem get up tomorrow and decide seh me nuh necessarily affi talented, mi just need fi do something fi you talk and people don’t really have the ability any more fi separate what is just shock value from actual talent. Everything must mix up and call it dancehall,” he said. Tu Lox suggested that clashes do not get people excited, as clashes have always been around.
“But if di clash dem did start pon di lame riddim, dem people woulda just say ‘whatever’. A nuff clash did a gwaan pon di lame riddim dem, but dem never take on really. But why now? Why everybody so excited when you hear Teejay? When you hear Valiant? A di feeling, everything deh deh now. The feeling, the sound.”
Though classifying speaking ill of one’s mother as distasteful, Tu Lox, whose given name is Paul Gaynor, said all jabs are justified because ‘dancehall never nice, anuh church’.
“A majority of people weh inah dancehall now lack morals too. So dem say anything and do anything ‘cause we a live inah a ‘anything goes culture’ inah Jamaica. Jamaica itself no longer has a culture. I remember one time we used to sing and reflect di culture. Now, if is a culture of debauchery, a that we ago sing and reflect, and it sad,” he said.
Curly Lox added, “What cause that is that people a try fi ‘overbad’. Oh you bad, and you say that people a take to it, then them try fi outdo that, and then end up with some outlandish things weh shoulda just a just keep to yourself.”
Looking at the current clashes in dancehall, they give Stefflon Don the edge over Jada Kingdom.
Curly Lox said, “When you have a clash like this, it can only get better ‘cause this must encourage the next person no fi say ‘alright mi affi go dung and dig deeper now’. Hopefully this doah go too far.” Tu Lox also gave Teejay the early victory in his clash with Valiant.
“Nobody never expect Valiant fi come out so bad. Nobody at all. And remember Teejay is a man weh deh deh long before Valiant in terms of experience. We cyah choose a winner yet but, so far, Teejay kinda turn on di thing. You see when him go dah Pretti Don sumn deh, it hard fi counteract.”
The pair expressed hope that these matchups will reignite the young generation’s excitement for classic dancehall.