The End of an Era

It is official; the Asylum Night Club has closed its doors, after a 12-year run of being an institution on the Jamaican Dancehall landscape. May 26, 2009 the once hottest nightclub in Jamaica welcomed its last set of patrons and slipped quietly in the annals like its predecessors such as Cactus and Mirage. Open six nights per week it hosted theme nights such as everybody free between 17:00 to 20:00 lines long so till it bend cause ole niggah love freeness After Work Jam on Friday nights. Girls Gone Wild and Ladies Night held on Sunday and Tuesday respectively which in its hay day was the definition of ‘Gal Bush’ sadly for the guys anyway the caliber of women slowly fell off. Arguably Thursday nights became the most important night after the inception of Bembe as it became the habit for patrons of Bembe who were not done partying to matriculate to Asylum.

To be honest this closure doesn’t come as a surprise. The end of Jamrock came amid much speculations and false closure dates which made for such conversations such as:
“Yu hear say the British dem a keep a thing up a ‘Sylum?”
“But wait ‘Sylum nuh lock down already?”
Eventually Asylum went the way of anything and anyplace that lost its newness and shine. It felt much like a sweet pepper to borrow from Pampute, it was big but it stopped being hot. Sadly the last memory of Asylum for me anyway is leaving from Bembe after making many a detours and silly stops along the way only to find an almost empty club. Which made us all wonder, “Are we early?”, but we weren’t, we were just witness to a slow death of an entity with a very full life.

In a release by Nite Time Promotions (Brian 'Ribbi' Chung et al) stated;
"Nite Time Promotions will eventually be reopening the venue at the opportune moment under a new name with a great new image. The space that formerly housed Asylum will now be available immediately for rental by the owners of the property. We wish to thank our extremely loyal patrons, staff, promoters, sponsors and all other partners that have shared the journey and the dream with us over the last 12 years."

Implications of the Noise Abatement Act

What more, what oonu want de poor people do?
Every dance whe dem keep oonu mek it curfew ­
Operation Ardent, Buju Banton

Protect and serve my ass, I am so tired of police shutting down dances. Really? 3am is an acceptable time to roll up and say; “Plug out and shut down.” When you are in the middle of the St. Andrew metropolis, you know, those none residential type areas.
Recently I strutted through Uptown Monday, on this particularly clear and warm night with a good mix of people creating a decent enough vibe. The crazy Japanese girls in their kimonos and some lost looking white boys perusing the actions of the ‘Dagga Masters’ and frozen in awe as the Negresses ‘Dash out dem hole’.

So it was somewhat painful to see uniforms moving intently towards the sector, not to say turn down but instead turn off. Leaving patrons-me-to wonder if the only buildings in the immediate and not so immediate surroundings are commercial structures, which are closed until the next business day, why is it necessary to flex the muscles of justice so taut? One would think that with a crime rate as high as it is in Jamaica, it would be a good idea to keep the ‘criminals’ occupied at least during the witching hours in order to ensure the safety of the uptown brown people.

It is painfully obvious that the Jamaican government doesn’t care about Dancehall and in most cases that’s a good thing. It’s a good thing that they don’t care enough to do anything that would remotely be sustainable and positive in advancing the culture and people who choose to inhabit the space. It is due to this stand off relationship that this feral freedom and innovation thrives. However there has got to be a line and it seems the law keeps overstepping it. Presently our good tourism minister (Hon. Edmund Bartlett) cowers in fear the day when Barack ‘buss’ Cuba big. But instead of actually taking a good look at what we have and how we can improve it we have noise abatement acts to keep us in line.

At present Section 3 of the Noise Abatement Act, which came into effect in 1997, states that '...no person shall, on any private premises or in any public place at anytime of day or night (a) sing, or sound or play upon any musical or noisy instrument; or (b) operate, or permit or cause to be operated any loudspeaker, microphone or any other device for the amplification of sound, in such a manner that the sound is audible beyond 100 metres from the source of such sound and is reasonably capable of causing annoyance to persons in the vicinity'. To me this “Act” feels more like a guideline and is fraught with vagueness, which ultimately leaves this law so open to interpretation. For example what constitutes as an annoyance and to whom? And is there a machine to measure decibels past or exactly to the 100 meters from the source of the sound and what is the appropriate level?

The scope of offense is as follows; the first aspect of the offence relates to the Noise Level. This is measured in terms of the distance from which the sound is heard. The second aspect deals with whether the sound is “reasonably” capable of causing annoyance to persons. Both aspects must be examined before it can be considered that an offence has been committed.

The second aspect which seems purely subjective depends on factors such as the area in which the noise activity is taking place, the time of day and the nature and duration of the activity. In which case, the police may act on their own initiative and assess the situations. Which has caused the confiscation of equipment and left many promoters seeing red and patrons feeling cheated as not enough party was got for their money spent, both before and at the event. The act states that:

Where the noise occurs in the vicinity of any dwelling house, hospital, hotel infirmary, nursing home or guest house, between 2am and 6am on Saturday or Sunday morning and is audible beyond a distance of 100 metres, it will automically be presumed that the noise causes annoyance. The same applies from midnight to 6am of the following mornings:

Really midnight that’s a suitable time? Please.
Now here’s the million-dollar question. If in a Global Recession, inflations only going one direction and an already strapped for cash government with factories and bauxite plants that provide employment shutting their doors forever, can we afford to treat the music and culture the main lure for the oh-so-important tourists in the same business as usual manner as we have been doing for so long? Sadly I really don’t anticipate silver linings for these dark clouds instead maybe Portia on a $200 000 note.

Bob doesn't 'fit the bill', says Ziggy

By Steven Jackson
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Quadruple Grammy award winner, Ziggy Marley does not want his father reggae icon Bob Marley on legal tender, opposing the position of cultural stakeholders.
Ziggy... Bob Marley is already a national hero, whether the government says so or not
"Me no inna that," said Marley in Sunday Observer interview. "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar, we no inna that. Hugh Shearer is good, put him on the $5,000 bill. Me alright with that."
The images on Jamaica's legal notes are reserved for heroes and prime ministers - and is amongst the highest honour, but Marley implied it would solidify the reggae icon as a part of 'Babylon' - the system he opposed. He, however, was not against Bob Marley becoming a national hero as it would represent the people's will not the system.
"Bob Marley is already a national hero, whether the government says so or not. We already know he is our hero. So it's up to the government whether they want to get on the people's side," he said.
Internationally, Marley is the musical equivalent of revolutionary icon Che Guevara; locally he is a national hero in waiting. Ziggy Marley told the Observer that politicians will one day elevate him to hero status for political expediency.
"Even when he was around he did so much good things for people. During the One Love concert, which other man could have brought Eddy and Manley on stage in such a turbulent time to say peace in Jamaica. Is only a hero could have done that. We have to respect Bob for more than the music but what he stands for," argued Marley on Marley in reference to his father.
The Bank of Jamaica released souvenir Bob Marley coins in 1995 and 2005 in commemoration of Bob Marley's 50th and 60th birthday. These thick gold plated coins are in denominations of $50 and J$100 and cost US $100 (J$8,900) and US$400 (J$35,600) respectively. But cultural stakeholders on Thursday told the Observer that they wanted Marley on legal tender charging that he best represented the majority. Instead, some see the new khaki-coloured note as a political counteraction to the $1,000 bill which bears the image of Michael Manley, former prime minister and PNP politician. The government plans to unveil the new $5,000 note on tomorrow, following the steady loss in value of the country's highest tender $1,000. Ziggy Marley argued that trade liberalisation has caused the devaluation of the Jamaican dollar - a global policy reducing import tariffs in an attempt to spur competitiveness.
"Is a strategy long established in economic system of the world, where the poor countries have to suffer for the richer countries. Free trade where they say open up your market and they say buy American apples (and so on) so the things we grow a yard are more expensive than the things from foreign. That is just the way they enslave the poor countries just because we need to borrow some money from them."
Hugh Shearer served Jamaica as prime minister from 1967-72. He led Jamaica during its most prosperous period of economic growth since independence - growing at some six per cent a year versus the anaemic one per cent during the last 20 years.

Source:

The Sunday Observer
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/Entertainment/html/20090516T220000-0500_151608_OBS_BOB_DOESN_T__FIT_THE_BILL___SAYS_ZIGGY_.asp

Like a Slave Without Papers

An alleged thief who wandered onto the University of the West Indies campus in his quest to procure a laptop received an epic ass whooping by Jamaica’s finest minds (May 5, 2009). The man, 35 years old Cesar Okonkwo of an Alexander Road Kingston 13 address. Who breached the security fencing at the back of Irvine Hall was accosted by a group of men from the near by Chancellor Hall. Apparently after retrieving a school bag with books that the man had allegedly stolen he was beaten by students just before being rescued by the police.

While crime levels soar and our government struggle to find ways to cope with this monster, the need for new and more effective ways of dealing with crime and by extension the criminals would be an obvious way forward. Who else to offer possible alternatives to the problem than young fresh thinkers able to assess problems and find solutions those older dustier and more steadfast minds would overlook. As from time immemorial, university students provided the way forward via sit-ins or student protests on injustices at home and world wide. It is therefore sad to know that given the opportunity to pick up the gauntlet in this seemingly insignificant incident our bright young intellectuals opted for the ignorant draconian approach. I’m sure they made their benefactors proud.

It is said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. No doubt in certain areas we are truly insane. We elect public officials on a curry goat and beer mentality and then act surprised when roads don’t get fixed, basic infrastructure not put in place and no one sees said elected official until next election period. It is also insane for us to think that some how as the world crumbles around us God will spare us as long as we hold tightly our bible and hate the other in our very systematic and tribal manner (PNP vs. JLP, GAZA vs. GULLY).

It seems the older we get as a nation the dumber we become, until now the knee jerk response to any and every minor/major alleged infringement on rights is met with a block road congregation and a 7 and 8 o’clock video-light feature and toothless hollers of “WE WANT JUSTICE!” Scarcely thinking, we even know what the word truly means anymore, after all we were the ones that sold our souls to a gun culture, and looking the other way for scarce and now non-existent benefits. Universities are supposed to provide hope that at least the coming generation will be better and brighter than the one so corrupted now.

Education or the privilege of being able to call one’s self an educated person comes not only from attending classes, passing tests and handing in assignments on time, but in how much of what was learned is then internalized and how actions have changed due to this new knowledge. It’s super easy to beat a thief, kill a murderer and lynch anyone that doesn’t look or act according to your values. Seriously, does one NEED a higher education in the, oh so complex skill of raining down blows on a petty thief?

Lawya Mi Seh Eh Nuh

Popular Deejay Adidja 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer finds himself in legal hot water with media personality and show promoter G T Taylor. Taylor is suing Kartel for breach of contract due to Palmer’s non-appearance at Taylor’s annual Christmas Extravaganza show held on December 25 at Independence Park, Black River in St. Elizabeth. Taylor seeks reimbursement for damages to his name as a promoter with a public apology by Kartel also he seeks the return of monies paid as a 50% deposit for his appearance in the tune of J$150,000.

Kartel a headlining act for the show was M.I.A. for his 12:30am slot even after allowances were made by Taylor in order to facilitate the Deejay’s performance at another event ’March Out’ held the same night. Taylor who is apparently pissed off since to date nether Kartel nor anyone from his camp can provide an explanation (good or half assed) for his absence after Taylor allegedly made numerous calls to both the artist and his publicist. Understandably annoyed Taylor states that the artist did the same thing the year before (2007) however in that scenario no contracts were made out and the deposit was returned. Other un-litigated no-shows included Bounty Killa and Macka Diamond but they appeared on air on Irie FM and made public apologies.

It was only Taylor and his attorney Donald Gittens who were present when the case was called in the Black River Resident Magistrate’s court yesterday (May 6, 2009). However Gittens informed the court the he had been in dialogue with Kartel’s attorney Seymour Stewart via telephone who told him that his client is ‘putting the money together for repayment’.

A Celebration Of Life

May 2, 2009 proved to be a very busy night indeed. So many potentially good events were slated for that night. I opted for the Spragga Benz show because of the lineup and the fact that it was a really good cause compared to the excesses of Yush. To be honest it didn’t live up to the expectations of many patrons. Maybe it was the awesomeness of the lineup or the relative cheapness of the tickets or just the venue that made this stage show a miss. Life Fest was a celebration of the life of his 17-year-old son Carlton Grant Jr., who was controversially killed by police in downtown Kingston, August 2008. Also, proceeds were in aid of keeping at risk children in school especially those in 5th and 6th form. The show was hit by very important no shows, most notable that of Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Tanya Stephens, apologies were made but I really don’t need to explain how one feels when they expect and pay for something and not get it. The venue was Backyard, 126 Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, which is pretty in the heart of what is considered Uptown residential areas; you know the type of people who call the police and they actually turn up for things such as noise disturbances. Tickets sold for $1000JMD and for an inexhaustible lineup of stars seemed almost too good to be true. The show ended somewhere in the region of 2:30-3:00 am. A ghastly, and ungodly hour for any stage show to end, especially in Jamaica. Honestly it may have been better to have kept a good show down by Red Square instead of a half assed one at a non-threatening venue.

Who stole the show? That was between Fire Mumma Queen Ifrica and the cool cool Jah Cure who both gave somewhat memorable sets. While Sizzla Kalonji gave an average performance he didn’t go as hard as he used to and especially in a case where you don’t have any sponsors to offend (to paraphrase Spragga) it was sort of expected for him to go harder. Spragga Benz gave an impassioned performance of “Leave all Vengeance” which had me thinking, “Does this nigga know that there is a battalion of police just outside the gates especially when he sang the part about going out in some Spaghetti-Western-Dirty-Harry manner?” It wasn’t a great show, it was barely a good show, but it has potential with its heart in the right place. Now if they work out the organizational kinks and possibly a different location then maybe Life Fest will be the one of the premier shows to attend in the annual calendar of events.

Long Live the King

There was much elation at the Weekendz bar last Saturday May 2, 2009 when Poor and Boasy was crowned King of the Dancehall in the Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall competition. It didn’t come as much of a surprise, he was the crowd favourite from the start. Yes there were times when he fell off, but for the most part he gave very consistent performances over the life of the competition. Coming from much hardship being a ‘Street yute’ he presented us with the ultimate Cinderella story. He is easy on the eyes and talented so he made it easy for us to romanticize the situation and to some extent be romanced by the idea of him. He gave the streets a face and a very powerful voice. It’s no longer okay to ignore the children of the ‘red, amber and green’. No longer okay for us to sit in our nicely air conditioned rides as the sun abuses the asphalt to present them only with a mirage of a better day that for most will never come. “Some one should do something about that” “Why don’t they go find work/go back to school?” Whatever the case we are very content with ourselves until the next stoplight. Because no matter how much our spirit is disturbed, no matter how much the thought of helping our brothers and sisters less fortunate, it is always some one else’s problem.

Along with his kingly raiment-his robe, his crown, his ring - bestowed to him by the last year’s Queen Baby Tash, the symbolic trappings he received helps with the production of his first single and music video. Without a doubt that is the easiest part of his dowry. Already his writing style thus far is very upbeat and catchy. He’ll definitely create some earworms that go further on the chart than his predecessors have managed to get. Will he be able to cross over? Only time will tell, depending on how much and the quality of grooming he receives. Already his swagger is being compared to early Gargamel/Buju, right now there is no higher honor.

Amid the Poor and Boasy hysteria, patrons banged on any and everything they could find, eventually they tore down a whole part of the wall facing the road. They shouted his name and catch phrase, which made such an unholy noise it made one wonder if the earth would suddenly open to swallow all who stood there. So much emotion wrecked his face it was hard to fathom what was in his heart, which seemed to be quite possibly one of the happiest and most overwhelming moments in his life to date. Yet our society would not allow him the simple release of one tear to roll down his cheek. It was easy to get caught up in the waves of happiness and delight. But for me what crept in was concern and sympathy, the burden of $1,000,000JMD in a recession would not go too far. Couple that with the host of ‘latchers ons’ and ‘fren-emies’ this sudden fame and fortune brings my only hope is he finds some one or something to keep him grounded.

Tikki was crowned Queen by last year’s king Singer Jah. While not my favorite (Destiny) I am sure she will do well or hopefully better than last year’s winner Baby Tash.

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall

Oh ho Poor and Boasy again! By now if you haven’t been familiar with that statement then truly you have been living under a rock for the past few months. This, the second installment of the Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall, is proving that is does have some degree of staying power in the Saturday line up. It is also proving to be a vehicle for developing new talents that under normal circumstances may otherwise be left aside. The Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall is basically the American Idol for Dancehall. This means contestants go through the wringer, in a short time testing their range as an artist and ultimately battling each other for an opportunity to shine or remain in the realm of Iron Balloon for a year. It’s a hardcore dancehall boot camp, which engages the viewers to vote for their favorite prince and or princess to move on to the next stage of the competition all the time toughening the skin and grooming the potential heir to the throne.

Dancehall is about characters and in the Kings and Queens competition there is no shortage of them. One needn’t go farther than the reoccurring characters of judges and host. Producer extraordinaire, Cordel 'Scatta' Burrell has achieved some fame with his chat topping rhythm Coolie Dance. While not as scathing and witty as a Simon he does have his ‘WTF’ moments, and at times it’s very hard to agree or see what he sees. For example “Kelly Killa sound like Merciless on the toilet.” I don’t even want to know how or why he was privy to such information or when he implied a few weeks ago that Poor and Boasy got thus far on pity votes.
The renowned dancehall artiste General Degree sometimes appears to be the bleeding heart among the three judges. Maybe it has to do with his first hand experience as an artiste and going through much of the anguish and embarrassment which he is presented with nightly and the fact that in all this he refuses to be the one to crush someone’s dream. Personally I like when he has one too many Magnums and rambles a little or when he just probably wasn’t listening and when it’s his turn to comment he goes “Yeah! Wha Miss Kitty say.”
Which brings us to the fluffy Diva herself. Broadcaster Miss Kitty is the embodiment of the fact that a female who has street ‘cred’ can conduct herself as a lady. That is a refreshing and positive example for all the little divas to be that watch the show. She offers intelligent and constructive criticism for those who will listen. All in all she keeps the Motley Crew inline while also being the muse to many of the songs presented by the contestants. It is clear the judges have fun at their job while at the same time has the deeper understanding that the task they choose to undertake is a very important one. The other female in this get up is Empress and every night she proves to be more than just eye candy with a really nice booty. But Jesus H. Christ if she sings ‘Welcome Back’ one more time bang! Zoom! Straight to the moon!

The first airing of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall took place on Saturday January 5th 2008. Princes and Princesses vie for a million dollars and a video and production of a single, the necessary tools for the debut of a superstar. Now in its second season we are presented with finalist Poor and Boasy, a window-washing pauper turned Dancehall Prince. His style and flow is unlike any you have ever heard, in this case it’s a good thing, and he has the swagger to back it up. Also in the Magnum court is the fair lady Destiny from the sunshine city. It is very hard to believe that she is not already an established artiste as she clearly has stage presence and has proven to be very versatile thus far. She moves with a seamless ease of motion from singing melodic hooks to battling her fellow princess Tikki, spitting counteractions and venomous battle lyrics without missing a beat. Tikki and R.C. are the other finalist in the grand finale which airs this Saturday May 2, 2009 at the Weekenz Bistro and Bar. If you have the opportunity to, please go out and support your favorite, try to get there for 8pm-ish, the show airs on TVJ at 9p.m. sharp.

After Magnum check out Life Fest at Backyard, literally up the road from Weekendz. Live Fest features an excellent bill including Sizzla, Queen Ifrica, Jah Cure, Chino, Wayne Wonder and High Octane, Damien 'Junior Gong' Marley, Stephen Marley. While the line up for Life Fest is crazy it’s a session with a good cause, it is an education improvement drive of which the DJ is no stranger to. The show is promoted by the Carlisle Foundation, named for Benz's 17-year-old son, Carlton Grant Jr., who was controversially killed by police in downtown Kingston last August.

What happened to having a childhood?

Remember the days of Chinese Skip, Run-down and Lick, Ring games and telling your age in fractions because you just really wanted to grow up. For those of us now grown childhood evokes fond memories of things that we can no longer do as adults of innocence and wide-eyed exploration which adults cannot posses. Childhood was also a time when we longed to occupy adult spaces. Staying up late, drinking wine, smoking and being able to dance all night if we wanted to, were all the things we wished to do. What is childhood anyway? Childhood as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary is the first period of substantive intellectual, social and emotional development in humans; a period characterized by dependency (for survival) on a greater power or authority; generally entailing an inability to comprehend issues and realities beyond immediate experience.

Dancehall music and culture is no doubt very influential and to the undeveloped mind that cannot truly differentiate what is real and what is fiction, what are good values to posses and what is only appropriate for only a certain space. In this theatre of the Dancehall culture in which more is never enough. Everyone is over sexed, over-high and overly violent. If this is the mother’s milk that feeds the coming generations in an unchecked manner then the present social problems of a exponentially high crime rate, teen pregnancy and a mass of unsupervised, uncared for, unwanted children will only continue.

It is easy to lay the blame and point fingers. All one has to do is point and say “its your fault”. That solves the problem and the pointer is satisfied that there is no longer a problem. As a society we have been doing this for much too long. Unfortunately our problems fester and manifest in eventually more ugly forms. As a society we have failed preceding generations of children, each more than the other. We always seem to find superficial things to blame such as Dancehall or the Media. We say the music is slack, homophobic, ignorant, and violent, never questioning how much of the content is a reflection of the society. We are very quick to dismiss the people who inhabit this space as the dregs of society, base humans and we see no harm when the police exterminate a few.

There is no place for innocence in the dancehall. There is no place for children nor is it a space for anyone to use as a means of primary socialization. This is a scared space to those who maturely occupy it. To be honest children are unable to comprehend actions and innuendos that inhabit the space, obviously they will misunderstand and it is in this misunderstanding where they become scared for life. It’s not hard to miss really little girls acting overly sexual some not caring about STD/STI’s. It is even sadder when you see how many young men get lost along the way, all wanting to fit the dominant male archetype in the dance, the ‘Don’ or the ‘Entertainer’. Usually typified by how many females he possess and where: “Move yu draws and sidung.” Is considered both romance and foreplay. Personally I am jus tired of seeing children force ripe or other wise in the dance hall and other adult events. I am also tired of the adults who encourage their presence, especially the women who allow themselves to be mounted by young boys as a novelty act. Wonder why no one else see them as paedophiles?

It would be stupid to think that systems were perfect in the past. However they ALL weren’t dysfunctional. So for example, if a child came from a bad home, then there was the school, various clubs, the wider community and even the church acted as surrogates. In essence acceptable socialization agents worked. They didn’t need to go above and beyond their respective roles, some did, and all they had to do was what they were supposed to do. One gets the feeling that everyone else is supposed to be a parent but the actual parents.

Now it feels like nothing works. And as a result the last thing that seems to have some sort of order, some relevance, some function. Is the Dancehall culture! Go fig?


1 American Heritage Dictionary. Fourth Edition. 2000.
© Copyright 2006 Education for Peace International. All rights reserved. 10:53 29/04/08

Related Articles

http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/01/soldering-that-is-what-young-women-want.html

http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/01/wappy-and-philip.html

http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/06/devon-house-heritage-site-is-wonderful.html

http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2009/05/implications-of-noise-abatement-act.html 

10 Reasons why I like Konshens

1. He’s soooooo dreamy ^_^

2. In an age where people constantly chastise Dancehall music, he proves that there are good artists who still produce quality music. It’s not all about Gal, Guns, and Money.

3. He didn’t sell out. We buy into marketing every day and Dancehall is no exception to this rule. As much as we flaunt freedom and rebellion, the ubiquitous image of the conscious Rasta man permeates the culture. It is therefore refreshing that he chooses to be an exception and by him sporting a nice fade and efficiently delivering a good clean message he is more of a rebel than many who buy into the “Rastaman” image. God he’s dreamy.

4. In this Global Recession he’s got his priorities right. In his début song “Winner” displays his go-getter almost anything goes attitude that guarantees success. This also makes for a good provider.

5. He is a good storyteller form start to finish with his songs you get a very vivid image of the thoughts and feelings he tries to convey. His songs are properly constructed so that listeners can appreciate the fact that effort went into making an introduction, verses, chorus, bridge etc. Thank you Konshens.

6. Did I mention he’s dreamy? While not metro he does seem to actually put some effort into his appearance, at the same time not being a bleached face, tight pants wearing confused male who needs to prove to the world how much he fits the approved male archetype by singing anti-gay songs and by letting the world know how many women he has “daggered”. In short he is just well put together, you get the feeling he is pretty grounded in his values so by extension he exudes a timeless elegance so no matter what he wears, for e.g. wife-beaters and jeans or a suit, his swagger is still the same.

7. “If you looking for me I’ll be at my baby yard,

   At my woman yard, oh at my empress yard.”

   One just has to respect a man who is able to strike a balance between his love for women and his need to be a womanizer. It is absolutely refreshing to know that there are REAL men who still know how to treat and pamper REAL women. Much respect is due to a man with enough good sense, that is able to differentiate between a community whore and an empress. There is a feeling of deep respect and love for the opposite sex, so you know he was brought up right.

8. His voice is great and he has a nice flow. That is important cause no woman wants a man that sounds like Urkel.

9. Right now he looks like he has staying power. Thus far most of the songs we hear from him display a timeless quality about them. It is easy to see him many many years from now effectively doing vintage shows and drawing huge crowds. He shows so much potential to become his own giant instead of being the next [Insert name here]. He is just Konshens with his own style and sound.

10. He is good boyfriend material for some nice Dragon, Ox, Monkey, Taurus, Scorpio, Pisces, and maybe Cancer mix. His earth element says he is reliable strong, hardworking and practical. The fact that he is a Capricorn means he is supposedly charming by nature, very focused, good with money, and apparently intelligent and quick-witted. His Rat makes him pretty thrifty, astute and possess really great instincts and he likes nice things (I don’t know what that’s suppose to mean I thought everyone did). His possible down side is his stubbornness and he would be very secretive, good memory so he won’t forget to hold a grudge if he feels he was wronged. His inner perfectionist at times will be a bit overbearing. If you can live through that then he is your number 1, you know if you're into that sort of stuff.

Vybz Kartel's Letter to the Editor (The Gleaner-Jamaica)

The Editor, Sir:

This is a response to an article written by Esther Tyson and supported by the rest of the social hypocrites who claim Rampin' Shop is musical poison.

Ms Tyson, the "devastating impact on the psyche of Jamaican children" is not caused by 'daggerin' songs but rather by socio-economic conditions which leave children without free education, single-parent homes, (or shacks), the lack of social infrastructure in ghetto communities, unemployed and disenfranchised young men with no basic skills who are caught up in the 'gun culture' cultivated by our politicians in the 1960s-'70s, all faults of the governments (PNP and JLP).

Scribes and Pharisees

When Vybz Kartel did Money Fi Spen' (the intro being 'We nah run dung gun/We nah run dung war), it went to number one on the charts. No accolades were given. When I did Emergency, no accolades were given; but when the same audience that embraced all those 'reality' songs embraced Rampin shop' for what it is - music - it's a problem to you and yours, the Scribes and Pharisees of our time.

What have any of you done to enrich the culture and the coffers of Jamaican music, especially dancehall music, that makes you think you have the right to criticise and chastise a (sub)culture about which you clearly know nothing?

Rampin' Shop is just as easily accessible to the public as are porn sites on the internet via laptop or phone; as accessible as 'R'-rated movies or carnival revellers 'daggerin' uptown in broad daytime on our local and cable television stations.

Why is the song so big?

Incidentally, has anyone ever wondered why this song is so big? It's because everybody loves it, and that's the whole bottom and top line. contrary to what is said, there are a lot of self-righteous, undercover Jekyll and Hyde characters around.

Ms Tyson, the "decent, well-thinking citizens of Jamaica" as you put it, love Rampin' Shop; only a few hypocrites are against it, at least publicly .

I encourage you to use your obviously lengthy spare time to write about things that actually affect the nation like, I dunno, probably a light-bulb scandal, etc., and stop making much ado about nothing.

I am, etc.,

ADIDJA 'Vybz Kartel' PALMER

vybzkarteljamaica@gmail.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: Vybz Kartel has

confirmed sending this letter to The Gleaner.

Pastor John Crow Tricks Anansi (Pa John Tricks Anansi)

Once up on a time Bra Anansi mek a law that no body in the country should chat one anada. If dem chat people dem go drop down dead. So one day hungry bite him and him nuh know what to do so him tek up him pickax and drill an went up on a high stony hill. While he was dere beating PING! PING! PING! PING! Bra Takuma come around and see him. Now everybody know sey Bra Takuma faass bad so him say:
“Good Mawnin, Bra Nansi.”

Bra Anansi say:
“Good Mawnin, Bra Takuma, I jus ere a see what I can get for de coming year.”

So Bra Takuma pass and im go roun de corna. Afta him gawn roun de corna im say:
“Massa Gawd see an know say mi nah chat Bra Nansi. But a what im can get off a dat dere rock fe de comin year?”

Braps, Bra Takuma drop down dead, but Bra Anansi did expect that so him come along de road an him see Bra Takuma stiff dead and him eat him off.

Greedy Anansi nuh do nothing more than go back pon him rock and start to dig again. TING CHING CHING CHING CHING! So Bra Tiga passing by and him say:
“Good Morning Brother Anansi, how are you on this fine morning” (Say it loud and proper with a British accent if you can^_^)

“Good Mawnin, Bra Tiga, I jus ere a see what I can get for de coming year.”

Tiga:
“Very well Anansi, Very well.”

An him gone. So Bra Tiga pass and im go roun de corna. Afta him gawn roun de corna im say to himself:

“You know, I am not the type to meddle in peoples’ affairs, but. What the devil could Anansi get off that measly rock for the coming year?”

Braps, Bra Tiga drop down dead, and Bra Anansi did expect that so him come along de road an him see Bra Tiga stiff dead and him eat him off jus de same.

Bra Anansi set up pon him rock again but before him could even start knocking nuh Bra Tumble Bug dat come roun pon him. So Bra Bug say:
“Mawnin Bra Nansi.”

Anansi say:
“Mawnin Bra Bug”

Den im say:
“Mi jus ere a see what mi can get off dis rock fe de coming year.”

Bug say:
“Awright Bra Nansi, mi gawn.”

So said so done as Bra Tumble Bug go roun de corner him dat say:
“Massa Gawd see an know mi nah chat Bra Nansi business. But! Wha im can get off a dat dere rock-stone fe de comin year?”

Buff, him drop down dead. An a Bra Anansi dat is to come along and eat him up too. Again craving Anansi gone back pon de same rock gone wait fi somebody else fi come along. But Pa John (John Crow) a fly round and him see what Bra Anansi was doing so him ketch the rake (saw what Anansi was up to). Anyway Pa John say to himself well mi a go see what Anansi getting off a dah rock de so. So him fly down wit him walking stick and slam it against the rock.
BOW! BOW! BOW! (Loudly)

“Mawnin Bra Nansi.”

“Mawnin Pa John.”

But before Bra Anansi could say anything else is Pa John dat (speaking very sternly and quickly):
“I jus seein what I can get off here fe de comin year.”

Pa John:
“Anyway Bra Nansi I goin down to de barber to get a trim, so I will see yu.”

An Pa John fly off and gawn around de corna, an Bra Anansi look up an say to himself:
“Masha Gawd shee an know shee mi no talk people business, but. Wha Pa John ave pon fi im ead fi trim off?”

An Bra Anansi drop down an dead. Pa John did expect it. Im neva talk so him turn back and see Bra Anansi stiff dead so im eat im up an all de other people dat Anansi did et before.

Jack Mandora mi nuh choose none.

Who is Jack Mandora?

Jack Mandora me no choose none. If you have ever heard an Anancy story, as many Jamaican children have had for so many years, this is the statement made to signal the end of the story. But who is Jack Mandora and why is it necessary to constantly inform him of choices in such simple things as a story? So much of who we are collectively as a people tends to be ignored because it is already so ubiquitous in our psyche. It is easy for us to forget when we live in an age of instant gratification and microwave knowledge, that stories were never just stories. Forgive me for I have strayed a little but I promise you I will deal with that topic in another piece.

There are many tales as to who this Jack Mandora is. In many African tribes, stories were told and to a great extent still are told as an object. Words do not escape the lips for the mere enjoyment of the sound of one’s voice. Instead they acted as parables that manifested in a cunningly constructed story directed at an individual that needed to learn something or be warned, et cetera. For the village the innuendo would be exceedingly hard to miss. Jack Mandora in this case could be interpreted as the individual and his/her combolo (friends). Now in the event, a story was told for the fun of it, as a mere diversion of thought, it was thought only good manners to say “This story is not aimed at you or anyone else, nor am I wishing the same fate on you.” Hence Jack Mandora me no choose none.

In many West African tribes Anancy was more than just a lazy ginnal (trickster) with a funny sounding lisp. In fact among such tribes as the Ashanti, the Akan and other persons who spoke the Twi language, Anancy was the god of knowledge, and for some tribes Jack Mandora the keeper of heaven’s gate. In essence, the early Samuel L. Jackson version of St. Peter. Part of the process of gaining entrance to a pleasant hereafter was to tell an Anancy story to prove that one had a wise existence in the time spent on earth. Souls who could not would be turned away and forced to watch reality T.V. for eternity.

Now Anancy has been cunning long before Nicolò Machiavelli ever thought of writing the Prince. Sometimes in Anancy stories he would do very ‘Wicked things’ the statement then acted as a disclaimer of sorts. It did two things:

1. It absconded the storyteller from any blame, that is any trick performed by the cunning spider which was immoral this made it clear it was not the same position of the storyteller.
2. Should parts of the story be exaggerated then the storyteller could never be viewed as a liar so when his day came to stand before Jack Mandora, such stories told would not be part of the judgement.
   

An alternate position on this issue is provided by linguist Frederic G. Cassidy who believes the story of Jack Mandora is nothing as exotic as an African Gilly Priest, "The Original Gateman" (gatekeeper). In fact he believed it to be nothing more than a bastardized English Nursery rhyme which went something like this:

‘Jackanory
I’ll tell you a story
And this is how it’s began
I’ll tell you another
Of Jack and his brother and now my story’s done.’

Personally I prefer the idea of the gatekeeper. And while the version put forward by Mr. Cassidy seem plausible in my mind its just doesn’t add up to what we know from those of us who actually paid attention in West African History classes. To me Cassidy’s version feels much like clinging to colonialism and the idea that nothing of value could come about without the direct or indirect influence of Colonial masters. Anancy acted as a symbol of hope for oppressed people that the small and crafty could out manoeuvre the great and powerful. Why then would they knowingly associate in the end to those who were the oppressors? To me that just don’t add up, but so mi get it, so mi sell it, mi nuh add nor subtract it.

For more info check these out;
Jamaica Journal Vol. 16. No 2 May 1983
Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories by Laura Tanna

And if your just a lazy bastard .. have at it;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twi_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi

http://anansistories.com/Anansi_Spider_Man.html

Related Articles

http://zephyrbaby.blogspot.com/2010/01/jamaican-folklore-how-fish-goda-me-got.html

Before Wappy kill Fillop

Devon House Heritage Site

Murder Tha DJ

Quarter Century of Cloth

The Love Beatdown

A break-up is a condition, which I would not wish on anyone, especially if deep feelings were invested in said relationship. Getting ones’ ass kicked by love when you couldn’t even fathom not having that special person in your life well … forever, is quite possibly one of the worst things that could ever happen to the human condition. It is true however that old saying that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Hopefully you will open your eyes and learn valuable lessons about life and people on that journey to enlightenment or death.

Most of my friends usually say I have the mind of a man trapped in the body of a woman. I however wouldn’t totally agree, as while women for centuries have been the repressed sex in especially western cultures you just have to admit that women have way more fun than men if they know how to play the game.

It was only after sending someone “to the left, to the left” did I come to appreciate the nuances and the power of Beyonce’s song “Irreplaceable”. I’d be at parties and cringe when it starts playing as all these girlie girls embarrass themselves and say

“You must not know bout me! You must not know bout me!”

Initially it was hard and everytime the thought of said person came to mind your chest that was once warm and filled with possibility and excitement now lay empty and you are left to wonder how one heart, one human heart can feel so cavernous and raw? However it didn’t take too long for that feeling to subside and the immense excitement of being completely free of what was hurting you for so long comes to the fore and now this sigh… this huge sigh of relief is unlike any other before it. It fills your chest like a giant helium balloon and it lifts your spirit and makes you smile from ear to ear at every single thing. Yes, now all you want to do with this new lift is to “walk out” on this song.

Women are super. Women aren’t human at all. They are so much more than that. Women were sent to earth from the planet Omacron Percion 5 long before that fag in the red and blue tights. Unlike other heroes who became so by radiation, spider bites or a heavy reliance on tools to save the day, to be super all a woman has to do is wake up. Women are just naturally so however, in order to fit in we dumb down how truly awesome we are. We do this so long we some times forget our natural advantages and harp on how our boobs are too big, so we cover them up so men won’t get distracted and only see them. You’re too smart to pretend to be a Bimbo so you’re more approachable. We treat the lover’s heart like the head curator for the Shroud of Turin but him; he gets to plow through your feelings with as much subtly as a Redneck at a monster truck rally.

That’s life, and life is never fair. So why don’t we make it unfair in our favor. Instead of lovingly shooting ourselves in the leg just to give the Special Ed’s a fighting chance. Why aren’t we crying for the wrong reasons? Like using our Student Loan payment to buy shoes, and then bawl our big pretty eyes out to that Special Ed.

“Oh I don’t know what ever am I gonna do to repay this loan and if I don’t the Student Loan people said they are going to put my picture in the paper, Oh woe is me!”

It is however very important to leave out the minor details and it is also important to have your eyes well up with tears at just the right time during your story.

I have come to realize how much a weapon of catastrophic destruction a dress is, one of the many weapons in the arsenal given women by the goddess herself. The important thing to always remember about dresses are, it’s never what is in vogue but what fits well and makes sound effects go-off in your intended’s head like a Stan Lee comic.

BANG! POW! KA-BLAM! RAZZLE!!

A good dress has the ability to erase the word ‘no’ from any vocabulary. It is not just some fabric sewn together to cover the body. It is instead a tool for use to gain every possible advantage in the most unfair game in human history, the game of love and desire.

Beauty is subjective and fleeting. It is therefore important to be reminded of two constants:

1. Know your audience that way you can use the enemies’ weaknesses against them.
2. Be as humanly objective with ones self as possible.

The ability to step outside of your comfort zone and truly see when your game needs some upgrading is a most important asset. There isn’t anything sadder than seeing a 30-something with an 18 year old trick. That’s just tacky.

Active Voice: Kingston Logic

Active Voice: Kingston Logic

Wappy and Philip

Its very funny how much we go through our days using sayings and slang that seem so commonplace but in fact are so far from it. Recently I had the pleasure of traveling with a group of classy ladies who were not only fun but also a wealth of knowledge regarding Caribbean culture. On our journey to the thanksgiving of the life of a hero who was also a great person I learnt two things about our very common sayings I now wish to share.
Every day you hear it “Him a build him house from Wappy kill Fillop!”
“a whe she a go inna dat, de frock ol she mussi have it from Wappy kill Fillop.”

So who are this Wappy and Fillop? Well apparently they were real people. Wappy was the first gunman ever in Jamaica. Wappy predates Natty Morgan, Jim Brown and every bad man in Jamaica. He was the original shotta. Now apparently Wappy and Philip lived in Kingston because that’s where all the real gun-hawks live. Why did Wappy kill Philip I didn’t hear but he did kill him, and he killed Philip in a time where the only time people know death is by natural causes and freak accidents. Therefore a murder and a murder with a gun was the biggest news, ever. So big that it became a landmark in the annals of Jamaican time. Persons started using this statement to show time. Hence from Wappy Kill Philip.
Now true to form Jamaicans have a strange way of messing up, or let me rephrase that, putting a new spin on birth names. Somewhere along the line Phillip became Fillop and hence, Wappy kill Fillop.

Now being the badass that he was, Wappy was on the run from the police for some time. And in the age before the C. S.I.s and the Law and Orders it took the police some time to find him. Well that’s to say if they ever found him at all. So another much used slang developed in our collective culture and that is to say “Wappy back”. This speaks to the quickness and shrewdness in which an action was taken.

Now there is something to be said about how colourful our language is and I find myself loving so much of our dialect. We can’t just say it was big or huge, no emphasis has to be placed in order for persons to understand how big the thing was. Should one need to describe with some degree of disgust someone that their age or size should tell them that they cannot act in a manner smaller people do then you might hear something along the line of;
“Dis big auss tearin man nuh wah leff de likkle school gal dem alone!”
“Auss tearing” derives from the English “horse staring” which speaks to height. And the act of actually looking a horse in its face. Seeing as horses are such huge creatures standing over 6ft tall to look one directly in the face is no small feat. Any one able to do so comfortably was obviously some kind of giant hence the reference was used to describe what one can call an “over grown person”. Who knew?
Jack Mandora Mi nuh choose none.

Related Articles 

Who is Jack Mandora?
Jamaican Folklore: How the Godame Fish Got its Name
Pa John Tricks Anansi
Soldering That is What Young Women Want
Devon House Heritage Site

Soldering that is what young women want

That’s a strange statement to make seeing as the act of soldering is “a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal having a relatively low melting point. Soft soldering is characterized by the melting point of the filler metal, which is below 400 °C (800 °F).”

Its crazy how much of our culture is either ignored or forgotten, how much we over look. I was informed that long ago soldering men use to walk the villages calling “Solder Man! Solder Man!”. Persons would then take their tins that need mending out to the soldering man, pots, mugs, chamber pots etc. In essence a Soldering man was the man who fixes problems by plugging holes.

Now fast forward to the 1970’s to Stanley Beckford allegedly the only reggae singer to move to mento and not the other way around. For those who don’t know, Mento is the form of music which predates Ska, who begat rocksteady, parent of reggae who had a badass child called Dancehall. Mento is fusion of both European and tradional African forms music. Arguably the most important aspect of Mento is its subject matter which among other things is its thinly-veiled sexual references and innuendos. It is said that the treatment of sex in Mento is comparatively innocent, and I’d say it just depends on who you ask. The appearance of these innuendos has sometimes been seen as a precursor of the slackness found in modern dancehall.
Anyway back to Stanley, who did a song called what else? Soldering, but no self-respecting patois using Jamaican would say Soldering so it’s “Sardarin’”. For those who are unfamiliar with said song it went something like this:
Soldering a what de young gal want, soldering
Soldering a what de young gal want, soldering
She said she don't want no young man
Cause young man drink too much white rum
She said she don't want no soul man
Cause soul man fast asleep in bed
She said she don't want no dreadlock
Cause dreadlock smoke too much kylie

I keep hearing people say the good ole days this, and the good ole days that, and in my time they never. But really, isn’t Soldering the infantile version of Daggrin? Compare Braga Dat's, Dagga dat to Soldering, how diffrent are they really?

Touch de dance and a fuck tune a play
Tasheka touch Kim right away
See Braga deh a dagga som’ side a Fay
See Braga deh a dagga som’ side a Fay
A which gal a ask if a Braga dat
Come ova yasso an mek mi dagga dat
A which gal a ask if a Barga dat a mus de one inna de white no a de one inna de black
Flick the pussy pon mi cocky like a dollar coin
Cent five-cent gimmi di dollar wine
Mi fuck de gal she tell har man she nuh want another wine

Granted I didn’t post the radio edited version of the Braga Dat song so I am sure it’s more colourful but I really don’t believe much in editing some things. Now ignore the “coarseness ” the language used. How more different is Braga Dat and Stanly? Wasn’t Soldering as much frowned on when it was popular music then as Daggrin now? And isn’t music all just a big subjective matter of taste, so why is it important to present one form as more valuable because it’s vintage. In reality in the next thirty years Braga Dat will be the new vintage.

Reference:
http://www.muzikifan.com/dipdem.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solderinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mento

Sting 08

Every year I promise it’s the last year I am ever attending Sting. Yet every year, there I am behind VIP - sighting bottles, fighting pickpockets and avoiding being trampled. Thus far I have managed to keep all my bodily fluids in place and I am happy that from my first Sting with Kris Kross to Sting 2008, the only incident I ever had was losing my house key and having to wake up my mother.

“The Settlement of All Arguments” that’s what Sting 2008 was billed as. Personally I am not sure if the audience has grown up over the years, or if it’s too much trouble to fill plastic bottles with water or piss to hurl at the lame-Os but there were many loose ends going into the New Year. Usually Sting is black and red. The artiste clearly makes their point when the crowd thinks it was executed in an efficient enough manner and then said artiste won’t have to dodge a rain of bottles. If you can’t dodge well, then you see the red. To be honest, the evil side of me really misses the days of bottle flinging and the ensuing excitement.

This year quite a few artistes really deserved to play dandy-shandy on stage. Like some no name Rasta in orange and black who got a one forward then started to diss the Empire, so after that he had to go. Fluffy Miss Kitty almost got a few under her “fluffy to the worl” skin but that would be wrong…so I am happy they never bottled her and already pop up Ragga Shanty when the crowd got a bit restless.

Aidonia must only make albums and go on tour in Europe and Japan and make his money there. That or learn some stage presence. Every time I see this man he upsets patrons. This man having the home court advantage, was a major understatement, being in Portmore Empire and the show being held at Jamword. Still he got booed. Poor thing. With Aidonia you get the feeling he might never really mature as an artiste in the eyes of Dancehall patrons. The force ripe and leave Alliance before he really had an identity still plagues him. Here’s hoping he finds himself in ‘09.

It is said that Sting sets the tone of an artistes’ career for the year to come. Example, good show at Sting, prosperity and good things for the year to come and vice versa. If that is the case then it is in the Monster Empire’s best interest to tie a millstone around their collective necks and go jump off in the deepest part of Kingston Harbour. If any promoter employs Monster Empire after this for a show, it is only to pick up bottles after the show has ended. From start to finish Sting patrons were not interested in what they had to say. Kip Rich, yes people Kip Rich killed the Monster Empire. Kippo came with blood in his eyes and the fire in his soul was unquenched. Either by design or by choice the Empire was absent when the enraged Kip Rich demanded all three to face him. When they finally graced the stage the crowd took the no show for cowardice. And cowards have no place in Sting. One good thing about Monster Empire was that they were all co-ordinated, if they had some back-up dancers and did some old non-throw-word songs and Backstreet Boys out the thing it would have gone better for them.

There was not much respect for veterans this Sting. Patra is a case in point. Being away for so long, she still looked good and moved beautifully. Unfortunately, Sting wasn’t having any of that, guess when it is wartime no one really wants to hear “Pull up to my bumper”. Her being booed was undeserved. Zebra got a small boo too, which was understandable because it seemed he has not found his out of jail footing yet.

TNT was cute. Tiffa split and tore her tights and show the world her white panty - good thing it looked clean. While that was funny as hell she actually gave a good performance. Of the three ladies Nathlie looked the hottest, lock me up any time Mrs Officer Storm. Weeooowww, Weeooowww, Weeooowww. It’s safe to say that TNT are now the Sting Princesses.

Etana gave one of her best performances to date. Every time you see her she truly gets better than the last time you saw her. There is this mutual respect between her and the audience. During her set the only thing you could do was keep your eyes glued on the stage as she sang while her words connected with you. In short you got your money’s worth. Terry Linen, Ginjah, and Stevie Face all gave very good performances. I have to admit that Ginjah has one of the sweetest (new) voices around. It was a pleasant surprise that he sounded better live than he does on the radio, which is great because one gets so use to the opposite with many of today’s artistes.

I-Octane and Assassin were uber-professionals. Especially Assassin, both performers had great costumes as well as presence and their delivery was impeccable, but Assassin just had a little more to give him the edge. I have to say I was very proud of Assassin who decided that with all the passa-passa that was happening around him, he rose above it and give a performance everyone could enjoy. No matter whose camp you were in.

Hands down, the King for Sting, the man who won all the clashes even though he wasn’t in them, the man who Settled All the Arguments and put his stamp on Sting ‘08 forever, was without a doubt, Andre ‘Flippa Mafia’ Davis. Who? The Flossing King of course. After his performance, anyone not clear on what real flossing was about, got a very full understanding. He didn’t even need to break out his power point presentation with charts and graphs and diagrams. Flippa is the Boasty Boss and all I want to know from him is what pocket he keeps his Pounds and Euros in, ‘cause he already showed us the U.S pocket. Personally, I hope he keeps his momentum and do bigger and better things for the years to come. That’s it, review finished. Andre Boasty Boss Flippa Mafia Davis is the flossing king for Sting ‘08. THE END.

Alright that’s it. What you mean it’s not finished? You are not you writing it bright eeh! Clash? What cla… ok fine.

Let me put things in perspective. Remember in high school and you have an un-even match up. All along the really good fighter kicking the ass of the lame one and just beating him like he owes him money. Then the not so good fighter gets a one two in on the better fighter and probably slaps him with a stone and then runs off. By default him win, not a good win but a win is a win as much as it pains me to say it. That’s kind of what happened this year at Sting. To be honest Kartel did everything right up to the “Wha dat fa” song. And who can blame Movado for preparing for and using his opponent’s one flaw. That one opening gave him all he needed lick and run. And in the Sting tradition it’s who leave wicked, and Movado left in a wicked way. Kartel even did a song about it already because to tell the truth that was a real punk win. But a win is a win.. I guess.

OH YEAH! My Great granny use to say fowl a go fat, him begin a him toe. Anybody who knows me know that mix up and carry news is not my forte, but. That Romping Shop set with Spice and Kartel look a little too real fi say dem a play play house. I do stand corrected and if somebody not brushing somebody, not even a little bit then Vybes Kartel and Spice need to get the Oscar for best actor and actress of the year. Dem pieces a whine up whine up and skin off teeth and hug up and all these things then come tell me say no real romping not going on in that shop. Scorn Dem^_^