Dancehall Veteran Capleton had some words of wisdom for Jamaica’s newer artistes recently.
According to the Fireman, while he recognizes that young, upcoming dancehall artistes are trying to earn enough to maintain themselves and their families through music, there were certain behaviors which they should consider refraining from exhibiting, as these are not in keeping with true Jamaican Dancehall ethos.
“Right now dancehall become di yute dem playground so dem jus a play. But mi no have no problem wid di yute dem becaw if a so dem family haffi eat, dem haffi eat a food,” Capleton said during an interview with Onstage’s Winford Williams.
“But on a next level, wi no want nobaddy come mash up di music eeda; and wi no want nobaddy mek di music look like it a turn di music inna certain kinda place where Dancehall wasn’t for dat,” he added.
Capleton, also called King Shango, expressed grave concern about the route verbal clashes between artistes was taking, where some artistes have been dragging other artiste’s, parents, children and siblings’’ names into their lyrical warfares.
He said there were unwritten rules of engagement in dancehall for clashes from the outset of the genre. Family members and mothers, he said were exempt from being spoken about in a derogatory manner, but that some new artistes have started trodding down this slippery slope, falsely thinking it will enable them to score points against their opponents.
“And even when it come to clash; clash has always been a part of dancehall from dem time deh. Dancehall is a competitive world and at the end of the day, man used to go pon stage and do dem ting; it neva used to get too personal. No man neva seh nuttn bout no man family and seh nuttn bout unda him madda and certain tings,” Capleton said.
Capleton said the positive aspects of the Dancehall music genre will always be predominant and will always be in demand by the global audience, and is what enables artistes like himself, to garner international bookings and amass more wealth.
“All I can tell di yutes dem, is dat di positive side of di music will always be relevant and will always be ultimate part of the music. You can sing bout girl, yu can sing bout gun; you can sing bout whateva, as that was a part of dancehall from day one, but the positive side of the music, you have focus on that more,” he said.
“Me is not a clash artiste, but no bwoy can run up inna mi. Mi might no sing certain kinda song, but mi still write dem and have dem just in case if a man run out,” he declared.
