Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

Gospel Deejay Stitchie says unhealthy competition has found its way into Christian music. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

One of the most prominent aspects of dancehall music has apparently found its way into the holy sanctuary, as gospel artistes have accused their peers of bringing rivalry and competition to the music of praise.

Gospel deejay Stitchie says, "What I find happening at many gospel shows is that it's one of competition, not ministry, where artistes try to outdo one another. This is something I detest because many of these artistes are coming from the church. But I am coming from the secular, where I know about these competitions between artistes."

He added, "This is not a pill that I'm going to take or get involved in or be a part of in the body of Christ, because it is giving no glory to God."

Stitchie says "sometimes artistes have a problem with the position they are placed at in the concert and the length of time they are given."

Competitiveness

Goddy Goddy, another gospel artiste, says the competitiveness is so extreme that "man all a tell people fi wave chair and jump up jus fi get a hype an seh a dem tek di show."

However, Prodigal says he is at a point in his career where such issues are minor or non-existent.

"If dem (promoter) tell mi open a show, mi open it; if dem tell mi fi close it, I do that. Wherever a promoter put you on a show, you are there to minister, so just minister. However, my concern is basically how the promoters deal with whoever, not just me, but other ministers on a concert. You want to have balance and not show any favouritism," Prodigal said.

He says the only rivalry should be between ministers of the gospel and their enemy, the devil.

"For me personally, I am in rivalry with nobody and the fact is that most of the acts now that are there at the top, I have helped to mentor them there, from Prodigy to DJ Nicholas to Jason Mighty ... They are like my musical sons; they all came from my company. You will always have a person that come and have a buzz, but you have to maintain that buzz," Prodigal said.

Prodigal, however, advised that "those who have rivalry, dem have a couple choices. Guh pray and know seh dis a nuh competition, a ministry, or guh secular an guh tek on Beenie and Bounty. Rivalry is against di enemy, which is the devil".

Goddy Goddy says "artistes can still work within their time and be competitive".

"It a gwaan wicked an it fi cut out a Christendom. Nobody nuh come out bold an seh a dat dem a do, but wi know when a man a minister genuinely. One way fi know a when yuh guh a one show an nuff big name deh pon it. Some artiste nuh waan work within dem set time, dem waan work before yuh... Man a fight fi guh pon stage before you," Goddy Goddy said.

Low Confidence

He added that "nuff a dem jus don't want to work afta you because dem might not get di same amount of applause. But me nuh business a weh dem put me fi work, me nuh work fi forward, mi guh fi deliver a message".

Goddy Goddy says he feels "it's a lack of spiritual maturity why people come with that competitive spirit. And it happen a yard and abroad. It worse inna di Caribbean too, cause others a try outdo di artiste dem weh come from Jamaica".

Goddy says, "Mi pick an choose di show dem weh mi guh pon nowadays. Mi start find out who an who deh pon di show first."

"An nowadays, nobody nuh waan close no show; everybody waan fi guh on prime time wid all a di hype. An' closing the show is a good ting, 'cause yuh get fi do altar call an dem ting deh ... Suh a dat dem a run from?" Goddy asks.