Beverly's Record Shop used to be at this spot, at the corner of Orange and North Street in Downtown Kingston. -Norman Grindley photoDANCEHALL MUSIC in Jamaica never stops
evolving.
It has come under fire for its lewdness, violence and explicitness, yet it is praised for its vibe and energy, the employment opportunities it provides, and the international recognition the island gets for it.
From its early origins in Kingston's inner city, dancehall music has changed in many ways. The style of delivery, the rhythms that are used, the topics discussed, the marketing and packaging of the artistes have all changed.
What has also changed with this genre is the geographic diversion of the music from Kingston's inner city into what is known as Kingston's 'uptown' areas.
Dancehall historians will agree that Downtown Kingston was once the hub of activity where dancehall music is concerned. In his book Wake The Town and Tell The People, Norman C. Stolzoff states that sound systems, a permanent fixture in our dance halls, and dancehall itself both had their genesis in Kingston's inner city.
He states: 'Part of the dancehall's potency was and still is
its omnipresence in the Downtown neighbourhoods'
(P. 63). 'The sound system dance, or 'blues dance' as it was called, was strictly a Downtown phenomenon, which means it attracted black, lower-class people who lived in ghetto areas' (P.49).
Recording studios, record shops and early DJs could all easily be found Downtown, and the early dances were held in inner-city communities, but that has all changed now.
The majority of the established stage shows and dances are now held uptown, the majority of recording studios and record shops are also found uptown and several artistes who were born in inner-city communities now live in upscale Kingston neighbourhoods.
Record stores like Prince Buster's, Beverly's, High Times, Bunny Lee's and a few others were originally found Downtown. Now they are either closed down or are no longer there. After being Downtown for several years, musician Derrick Harriott's record store was relocated uptown to the Twin Gates Plaza in Half-Way Tree. The Shocking Vibes and Penthouse recording studios are amongst the latest to have moved their offices to locations Uptown. Randy's, a recording studio and record shop, has been re-named, but the store no longer has a studio.
"The commercial hub of the city was Downtown Kingston, so it made sense to have your business there," reasons veteran musician Grub Cooper. "If you follow the development of most cities, they started at the waterfront and expanded from there. Downtown Kingston was the hub of everything at one point. Vessels were coming in at the pier, sailors were coming in from sea etc., and all the shops were close by. Because of this, it would be suitable to put a business there because everyone was there."
There are varying views among Jamaicans as to why recording studios, record shops etc. moved from Downtown to other locations in Kingston. Each music producer who spoke with The Sunday Gleaner gave separate explanations as to why the 'music moved', but they all note that unpredictable outbreaks of violence played a huge role.
In Cooper's view, it is a combination of the natural progression of how Kingston developed, plus certain acts of violence which made some move their stores. He said that as time went by the city expanded, and businesses began to spread from Downtown Kingston to other uptown areas.
"Downtown had the propensity for violence but it was more sporadic than anything else. It came from being a peaceful place and as the violence grew some merchants moved while some stayed. For these merchants, since the shoppers did not come to them, they went uptown to the shoppers," says Cooper.
Jimmy Metro, the owner of the sound system Metro Media, musician Derrick Harriott and music producer Jeremy Harding all share that view as well, but Metro adds that management decisions caused the movement. "Crime and violence cause it for me, but other businesses moved too. The people who ran the studios were entrepreneurs, and the deejays who were from Downtown didn't have that type of money, so the entrepreneurs moved the business to areas where it became more profitable," he told The Sunday Gleaner.
Harding, a producer and manager of deejay Sean Paul, is one of those persons who operates uptown. He says that apart from the music stores and studios, the whole dancehall entertainment scene has moved uptown because there are less restrictions, in contrast to when they are held Downtown.
"The entire scene has moved uptown now so naturally the music will follow. The venues will accommodate us and we will not get bothered by the Night Noise Act etc. You can't keep a dance in some areas because it will get shut down by the Night Noise Act, but if you go to say certain venues uptown the music can go on," he states. "For studios, in the earlier days I had to go to Arrows Downtown, now the youths don't have to go there, the music is brought to them," Harding said.
Some argue however that with this shift from the initial hub, Downtown Kingston, dancehall music lost some of its original flavour, style and appeal. They think that with the advent of several uptown studios, many of them being able to fit into garages, bedrooms and basements, the quality of the music has suffered. They argue that the focus of dancehall music has shifted from 'consciousness', reality and social commentary to partying, 'sporting' and celebrating American culture.
"The music will change because each generation has its set of youths who make music. Kids growing up in the digital age now are making the music the way they can and the way they want it. This makes the music grow because now it is evolving," states Jimmy Metro. "Every era goes through that, you have to have a little fun sometimes, I wouldn't worry about that, what I would worry about is the lack of trained musicians in the business."
"They are with the trend of the world youth now," argues Cooper. "Nowadays youth don't want to hear much about their problems, they are into 'hype', fashion, party etc. Music tends to reflect the society and that is what the society is about."
Popular Kingston producer Tony Kelly shares that view as well. "Every era has its type of dances and songs," he states. "It's a cycle. You will have a time when only certain types of music will come out and dominate. Every single period in reggae music had this time."
Jerome Hamilton of Headline Entertainment thinks that having this type of music is only adding another dimension to dancehall's variety. "You always find that the youths will love what they are grown up on. They are just enjoying what is the trend in their era now. In the older days Downtown was the roots of the music, that's where it began. Now the music has grown many branches," he argues.
From the opinions of these producers, the geographical shift of recording studios, record shops and dancehall events is all a part of the evolution of dancehall music. The main fuel for the flames of the genre is society itself, so whatever is happening in the society will ultimately influence what comes out as the music, one way or another.
