Jamaica’s prominent dancehall deejays were noticeably absent from the protest rally held last Friday adjacent to the consulate offices on the east side of Manhattan.
Although some of the genre’s leading names are being targeted internationally by various advocates of homosexual lifestyle, not a single recording artist, manager, producer, or record label representative managed to rally in defense of the cause they promote onstage.
Reportedly, Sizzla and Capleton are in New York.
Both names are also affiliated with VP Records, the label whose paid consultant Maxine Stowe sent advisories regarding the importance of rallying a show of protest against a pro-gay culture.
Neither the consultant Stowe, nor any member of the Chin family who owns VP Records were present when flag-bearers waved pride in the nation’s response to Amnesty International’s Nov. 2004 report.
Stowe had given assurances that she would be present. However, on the date of the rally, it was reported that she had missed all of the many flights departing Jamaica.
In addition, the fact VP signed recording artists have been banned from entering England and other European cities is reason enough to have shown solidarity with supporters of Jamaica’s current constitution.
“Some of them can’t eat food now because dem cyan tour,” a dancehall fan said on behalf of reggae names. “Maybe Sizzla and Capleton inna studio right now ah mek dub plate ‘cause that’s all dem can get,” he continued.
“Who Colt The Game?” punctuated a reasonable commentary Carl B. Moxie gave on his Saturday radio broadcast on WRTN. The time-shared broker played the popular Bob Marley song as a final spin on his statement surrounding questions he said he pondered.
Who called the rally?
Why is it that IRIE-JAM’s DJ Roy campaigned so fiercely to rally support? “D.J. Roy are you looking at a political future?” Moxie said quizzically. Moxie said he did not receive any media alerts. He asked that radio voices not mislead or confuse leaders who may not have the facts.
He also took time out of his programming to explain the British gender law defined as “buggery.” He briefly talked about why it was implemented as law throughout the colonies.
Although Moxie gave an inaccurate definition of the acclaimed international lobbyist organization by defining it as a gay rights group, he also explained some of the reasons Jamaica was targeted by the human rights advocates.
He said it was due to the preponderance of violence against homosexuals on the island. He railed against radio deejays who exploited the day by revising their play-list to dominate with derogatory dancehall recordings long absent from rotation.
Apparently, after the rally some brokers exalted in propagating “bun dem,” “chi-chi-man,” and hurling negatives at the homosexual community during their paid broadcast timeslots.
Homophobia is one of the issues Amnesty International has denounced. However, their principal reason for rallying surrounds police brutality and incidents of violence condoned by governments.