THE EVENTS that aborted the 20th staging of STING at Jamworld in Portmore, St. Catherine, were an embarrassment to the entertainment industry and Jamaica. A violent scuffle between prominent deejays Ninjaman and Vybz Kartel ended with blood in the face of one and multiple injuries to patrons and journalists.
This public brawl was a clear indication of entertainment gone awry to the point of national disgrace.
STING, once nicknamed 'FLING' because of the recurring episodes of bottle-throwing, has become a haven for unsavoury incidents among stars in the dancehall genre.
Renowned as a lyrical battlefield, STING has instead become a genuine war zone today where not only the artistes but also patrons suffer injury from bottles and crowd stampedes.
The promoters of this event - including the corporate sponsors, the artistes who perform and patrons who support and participate in this irrational violence must be held accountable by some authority. Certainly, responsible corporate bodies must rethink the type of events that they choose to promote.
Hours before the on-stage violence which brought the show to an early end, patrons were expressing their displeasure at everything by pelting bottles at whatever offended them on and off the stage. Many artistes were also swearing obscenities with total disregard to the law which in recent years has shown that it has teeth and will be used against such offenders.
This is uncivilised behaviour; and it is unclear how any reasonable thinking person could find violence or the impending threat of violence entertaining.
In the United States the similar earthy genre called Rap has had violence rear its ugly head where stars cussed each other in song, gathering throngs of supporters on either side.
Rappers Tupac and Biggie Small were eventual casualties of a play of a lyrical war gone crazy when both were gunned down, one in 1996 the other in 1997 as the crowning end of what became known as the East-West feud.
Now when the positive exploits of deejay Sean Paul abroad have placed Jamaican dancehall music on the lips of the international community it is hardly a time for other artistes to be displaying such uncouth behaviour.
At some supervisory level of the music industry there must be cool heads willing to initiate corrective action that will make this kind of entertainment palatable to the people at large as well as visitors to our country. Otherwise the harsher palliative of law enforcement must be brought to bear to soothe those savage breasts.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
