Ninja ManTyrone Reid, staff reporter
Whilst some entertainers are capable of delivering high-octane performances that leave their fans gasping for O2, watching some of their peers is about as exciting as a Sunday afternoon spent watching cement harden.
There have been and still are Jamaican entertainers who are good on record, but are poor stage performers. Mrs. Brenda Sutherland, who told The Sunday Gleaner that she had been associated with one such artiste back in her days at Madhouse, claims that the flaw could be the result of stage fright, which is a social phobia.
"It could be because some people are afraid, you know, lack of confidence in themselves. They are intimidated by the crowd, so their performance doesn't come across as it should."
The arguments supporting social phobia, which is defined as an irrational anxiety elicited by exposure to certain types of social or performance situations, also leading to avoidance behaviour, as being a possible root cause of an artiste being a low quality stage performer was accentuated by renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Aggrey Irons.
"Of course. It's part of what is known as a social phobia. However, it is a treatable situation. It can be handled in a variety of ways," explained the doctor. Possible means of treatment, he stated, were psychotherapy and/or medication.
It is said that such a defect can adversely affect the earnings and lifespan of an act. "Jamaican artistes make the bulk of their earnings from stage shows and dubplates, so if you can't perform well on-stage you will not be booked on many shows and, as such, not make as much money," noted Mrs. Sutherland. Mrs. Sutherland's point was rebutted by producer and artiste manager, Rohan 'Sno Cone' Fuller, as he is of the view that stage performances, or the lack thereof, is just one slice of the huge pie.
"Your image and performance on record can make up for the lack of stage performance, but if the person is just a regular deejay and nuh have the stage performance, him a go have problems," he said.
It was pointed out that a good performer does not have to have a current hit song for promoters to come knocking. On the other hand, a hit is a prerequisite for a lukewarm performer. According to several music industry people, Ninja Man is living testimony that a true performer will always be in demand.
Some good performers named by several music industry players were Ninja Man, Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Baby Cham, Capleton, Anthony B and TOK.
However, contrary to popular belief that an artiste has to deliver an energetic set to be a first-class performer, not so says 'Sno Cone'.
"A good performer gets the people involved. They know how to work the stage and the crowd and are able to draw the crowd into their performance. Most people think performance is about jumping up on-stage. Not at all, because Bounty Killer will stand up on-stage and people will listen to him fi how long, but some man weh ah jump up cyaan do that," he said.
According to members of the music industry, among the artistes who have a problem commanding the undivided attention of the audience while on-stage are Sean Paul, Terror Fabulous, Spragga Benz, Bounty Killer, Bling Dawg and Sizzla.
It is mandatory that the point be made that the artistes deemed as lacklustre performers all fall down in different areas. While some suffer from melody-titis (i.e. singing or deejaying off-key), others are inconsistent, as they only perform well for the first part of their set. Then there are those who just lack the fire and desire in their stints while on-stage.
But there is hope yet!
Because one is a poor entertainer does not mean that you have to grow old in the same situation. As the 'older and wiser' saying goes, 'Practice makes perfect'.
"Rehearsal! Most Jamaican artistes are not into it, unlike the American acts, who usually undergo months of rehearsal preparing for their performances," emphasised producer, Richard 'Shams' Browne. He added : "I have noticed that many of our artistes and backing bands don't like to rehearse and that is not good."
While advocating that practising helps, Mrs. Sutherland stated that a few local acts are helpless cases. "There are good actresses and then there are those who stink. It nuh matter how much acting class dem tek, it nah go come across natural, because they just don't have the talent. They coulda try till God come dem nah go mek it - likewise some entertainers," she said.
Desmond Ballentine, aka Ninja Man, who is hailed by many as one of the greatest stage performers of our time, did not hold back in blowing his own horn. However, he pointed out that a person's state of mind plays a vital role in their giving an astounding performance.
"Well, right ya now mi nuh see nubody fi perform like me pon stage. When me go pon stage a one ting mi have inna my mind and is mi affi dun dis. Mi jus tell miself seh dah show yah ah my own and mi nah lef it fi nobody tek it," stressed the famed deejay.
According to the controversial artiste, who is famous for his stage entrances, usually highlighted by his trademark stance that is referred to by many as the 'million dollar pose', first impressions last.
"Appearance is a very important factor. The way you appear in front of the people, that alone will make you get applause from now till the show done. Your appearance on stage is the first way to conquer the hearts of the people, so if you come out boring, it will mek di people all lik u dung wid bottle," he said.
He also noted that people expect different things from different artistes, indicating that fans would not expect Bounty Killer to give a performance in the same light as himself or Beenie Man, be the differing images.
He explained that the poor performing artistes can indeed receive help, but they will have to attend 'Ninja Man's School of the Performing Arts.' "Mek dem come to me and we will teach dem how to perform. It is not something that you can really talk about; it is all about action. A something weh mi affi show dem," he said.
In a nutshell, the 'Don Gorgon' said that delivering a good routine goes beyond vocal or lyrical prowess, because that has to be mixed with the appropriate gesticulations.
"Yuh affi have different expressions fi every tune. Yuh affi express weh di tune a seh, not only wid yuh voice but with facial expressions, hand movements and so on. Mek the people feel weh you ah seh just by looking at you," emphasised Ninja.
The Sunday Gleaner also spoke with Norbrook's own, deejay Sean Paul, who disagrees with the view that he is a lukewarm performer. He admitted that there are days that he does not perform at the same intensity as others, but attributed the fact to the treatment meted out to him by some audiences he faces.
"Some deejay get the vibe from the audience as soon as dem name get mentioned, but some crowds nuh give mi nuh vibe because dem waan see other people. So if the people nuh check fi yuh, weh yuh mus do?" he asked.
"Mi nuh feel the major stage show crowd dem, mi nuh know ah why. Is jus like a teacher of a class. If yuh ask if everybody understand, yuh waan hear, 'yes sir'. If you nah get nuh response from dem, yuh ago feel like dem nah learn. So mi jus feel like me nah connect wid some audiences," Sean Paul said.
He made special mention of 'Sting' as one of the audiences he has problems connecting with. However, he pointed out that he does not face this problem with the youths, especially high schoolers and also when he performs abroad. According to the 29 year-old, when he is abroad he mostly does sets of forty minutes to an hour, but he is unable to this in Jamaica.
It might seem that certain dancehall fans have attached a stigma to the 'uptown youth', as Sean Paul is branded in many circles, but he refuses to point to that as the sole reason why certain hardcore stages are not feeling his performances and, quite frankly, he is a bit disappointed.
"It hurt me too, dem won't even accept me. All my life me a grow up I have been viewed as an uptown youth, people nah appreciate me. Mi nah seh fully that is the reason, but probably it has something to do with it," explained Sean Paul sentimentally.
Additionally, he said: "It bother me in a way, but too much thing a gwaan inna di country weh mi love fi it really bother me too much. Dem use to seh the same ting bout Shabba too, so it nuh really bother me."
Sean Paul also ruled out the arguments surrounding a phobia as a possible cause of being what some people deem him to be - a bad performer. "Mi nuh 'fraid, performing in front of people ah something that I have been doing almost every week fi di last five years, so mi cyaan be afraid. Mi go all abroad go dweet. As a matter of fact, mi wouldn't class miself as a bad performer. Mi nuh gimmical and mi nah climb up pon nuh weh, but mi is a different kinda artiste," he noted.
