Gimmicks not talents, the new way of dancehall
These days, it seems as though many dancehall acts (aspiring ones too) have entered the sphere not for love of the craft, but as a desperate attempt to gain some economic traction – by any means necessary.
Without any name-calling or finger-pointing, certainly there are a few who appear to be excelling as a result of the gimmickry exemplified. It would appear as though artistes have exceedingly put the music aspect of their careers on the backburner, toiling through the night to devise methods to manipulate the press and upstage worthy opponents. Employing a number of stunts, ploys and the like seem to be the way of the future in an increasingly competitive dancehall sphere where talent does not appear to be a top priority.
Take for instance one such aspiring artiste, who shall remain unnamed, who eagerly shared stories of reincarnation. Now, this particular gentleman attempted to convince the masses that he was a vile criminal in a previous life. Needless to say, the aspiring dancehall act was the subject of much speculation from the discerning Jamaican public following his confession.
MIND-BOGGLING SAGA
According to the dancehall aspirant, people would often catch him ‘spacing out’, but he claims in these moments he is seeing the spirit world. He further stated, of course, that he is in no way attempting to garner the attention from masses by way of gimmicks in the form of his arguably mind-boggling saga, but rather doing so to remove a veil of secrecy weighing on his conscience.
The anecdote without doubt provided the upcoming artiste with a beautiful stage through which to catapult his career, but this did not seem to work (at least not yet anyway).
Perhaps the Jamaican populace just isn’t ready for an artiste who claims to have had vivid memories of his previ- ous life on the wrong side of the law. History has shown us though, that we are willing to accept skin bleaching and excessive tattoos (eyeballs included). Some have even gone as far as to affix animal bits in an outlandish body modification act. But, we just aren’t ready for this whole reincarnation thing.
THE MEDIA
Another point to note with the upcoming artiste, who graciously sought to lift the weight off his shoulders by approaching the media with his story of reincarnation, is that he quickly shared his upcoming works with sights firmly fixed on advancing his career in music. The anecdote or attention-grabbing act was seamlessly juxtaposed with his musical aspirations. It is like a pyramid scheme. No matter how many inconsequential variations there may be, it will always be just that. You can spot one from a mile away. This man’s conclusion of purusing a career in music so as not to lead a life of crime, as he did in his previous life, was the kicker.
It seems to work though, especially in this age of social media. We cannot stop talking about them. It’s like an obsession. We are the fuel to their combustion engines. Let this be a reminder to all: bleaching and tattoos were not at all considered as fashionable as they are today before a Jamaican favourite sported same, making early-adopters to the fad the coolest cats in town.