Capleton
Eugene Pitter, Staff Reporter
Log on and step pon chi-chi man,
Log on from yu know seh yu a nuh hickey-man... (Elephant Man)
ELEPHANT MAN'S song Log On, which is now the number one song in Jamaica, is doing a good job in keeping the country's anti-gay sentiments alive. And, as the fire burns on Sodom and its inhabitants, one cannot forget the anti-homosexual anthems which have come before and have met the wrath of homosexual proponents abroad.
Boom Bye-Bye kept deejay Buju Banton in the news for weeks when he met pro-gay forces overseas. TOK came under fire from J-FLAG (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays), who felt that the group was inciting violence with Chi Chi Man. When politicians decided to use the song as a political weapon, it seemed to be adding insult to injury.
So, does this mean anyone can sing a song against gays and be popular instantly? Or are a bouncy rhythm and an accompanying dance (like the 'Log On') important?
Spragga Benz, for example, would not deny his anti-gay lyrics are more than just a mouthful of words. Nuh Inna Dat (from the Fully Loaded CD) says:
Why man waan wine man in front a I man
That caan gwaan inna my land
The deejay opens up a can of worms when he lashes out at J-FLAG:
From east and west, north and south
Get ready and guns out
J-Flag dem a brag and a talk bout
Out a di closet dem a go walk out.
But man nuh inna dat, dem betta stay inside and hide
For if dem come out, they might be shot
Spragga wanted to send a strong message, because he feels 'man to man' or 'woman to woman' is wrong. "I wanted to tell people that this (homosexuality) is wrong in the sight of the Lord," he said.
This was also the case with Buju Banton's Boom Bye Bye. Although banned from the airwaves, Boom Bye-Bye achieved its purpose - without a dance to complement the lyrics.
The lyrics are catchy and the punchline is easy to sing.
Boom Bye Bye inna b.... b.... head
Rude bwoy nah support nuh b....bwoy dem affi dead
These lyrics were and still are sung by even children, and there is the feeling that any song which children sing is likely to be a hit.
One cannot forget that deejay Capleton has been 'burning fire' on gays left, right and centre in his recordings and live performances. These songs have propelled the 'Fireman' to blazing heights over the past three years.
One needs only to be at one of his performances to see the lighters flashing as he chants "string dem up and heng dem up alive" and "hands up, hands up from u nuh b.... nah f...".
And then to emphasise he is a lover of women, he sings that "woman meck mi happy and joyful".
Log On (Elephant Man), Bun Out Chi-Chi Man (Capleton), Jamaica (Elephant Man) and Caan Tan Ya (Capleton) are some of the anti-gay songs currently on the WEEKEND STAR'S Top 40 Charts.
Word from the record shops is that the music fans keep requesting anti-gay songs. According to Mr. David Williams, a clerk at Aquarius Records in Half-Way Tree, "everyone seems to want these records. This is a homophobic society. These lyrics really sell and when some of these people hear it play in the shops is a lot of excitement, saying thinks like b....m...fi dead. But I don't believe a lot of them mean it."
Mr. Fabian 'Soldie' Fletcher, the manager of Solid Gold sound system, says Jamaica is a homophobic society and as such does not support gays and lesbian, which extends to the music.
According to Mr. Fletcher, "no matter the type of rhythm, or a particular dance which comes with the song, once it is anti-gay the tune will be popular".
He continued: "If you compare Buju's Boom Bye Bye and TOK's Chi-Chi Man both have different tempos, so it is basically the lyrics that are the hit."
He explains that when selectors 'pull-up' a song like Chi-Chi Man, it is normally at the crowd's request.
Tony Rebel thinks the popularity of anti-gay songs has nothing to do with creativity. "These songs are popular because we live in a homophobic society," Tony Rebel said.
Deejay Frisco Kid, who has done the anti-gay standards Mi Nuh Inna Weh Dem Inna, and Round Here, tends to disagree.
"My songs are creative, because they speak of reality. The words are well chosen, because I sit and spend a lot of time on it. It is simply how you say things which makes a difference. Other artistes will do songs against gays and this is not popular," he said.
Frisco Kid explains that repetition plays an important part in song, just as it does in a classroom, where children who hear things over and over are not likely to forget them. It is a technique he uses to good effect in Nah Stop Seh So.
Nah stop seh so
Caan stop seh so
Everyman fi ave a woman and mi nah stop seh so.
GT Taylor is likely to take sides with Tony Rebel. The radio show host and emcee feels that our culture is against gays and homosexuals and any song which expresses this sentiment is likely to be popular.
Admiral Tibet feels entertainers who carry the anti-gay flag could be inspired by the Bible, which teaches us that a man should leave his mother and take unto himself a wife (Genesis 2:24)and also that a man who lies with another man should be put to death (Leviticus 19).
"From the day I born I hear man a talk about Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Then I see my father and mother living together, so I knew anything otherwise was wrong," he said.
Don't get the idea that anti-gay lyrics have been projected only by entertainers from a particular social class. Kip Rich, who is considered an uptown youth, has a song titled Cut It Off with the lines:
If yu modda is a lesbian cut him off
If yu bredda is an gay cut it off
The sound systems which play downtown are the same ones which play uptown. And the shows 'above Half-Way Tree' are supported by children from some of the most prestigious schools.
Hundreds of these students cram into night-clubs, dancing songs like one of Alozade's in which he threatens to get rid of "some b....b....c....bwoy dem yu know".
The younger deejays are following the trend set by the recognised artistes. Zumjay, for example, has done songs on-stage which lash out at gays. "I have been influenced by the older entertainers that b... b.. fi dead and a man should not lie with another man. That is something we hear, just like how rice and peas which we eat every Sunday is part of the Jamaican culture. These songs get very good response on-stage and it doesn't mean because I might have a hype out there. I am saying somewhat that these people want to hear something that I am saying," he said.
