Vybz Kartel Blasts Skatta Burrell For Support Of Election Dubplates
Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel slung an indirect blow at Downsound music producer Cordel ‘Skatta’ Burrell on Tuesday, for his supportive stance for artistes who have been voicing dubplates for politicians aligned to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP).
Kartel made his discontent known hours after Skatta, who is a self-declared atheist, known for making daily iconoclastic statements on Instagram, about God, Jesus and other deities, especially on Sunday mornings, was quoted in an article published in The Star tabloid, pointing to dancehall’s ‘many factions’.
These factions, he said, were ‘fighting against each other and being hypocrites towards each other’, thus stymieing the progress of the industry, comments to which Kartel apparently took umbrage.
“Everyday dem dis di church pon dem page, but dem promote the State inna Star… dem ni–ers ya!!??…smfh,” Kartel wrote, before adding three clown icons in the post, made on his Instagram Stories.
Skatta’s comments had come against the outcry from Kartel himself and artistes such as Tanya Stephens, Bounty Killer against politicians. The three had outlined that historically politicians have been, collectively, the antithesis to Dancehall, yet are now, using the music during the run-up to the Jamaican General Elections, to drum up voter support.
“We are pushing this disunity even further by asking other artistes who are doing nothing wrong and illegal to take a stand with them based on how they see things,” Skatta had said.
The producer had also likened the decision of artistes to do dubplates for politicians to One Love Peace Concert in April 1978, when reggae legend Bob Marley, playing the role of peacemaker, symbolically held up the hands of political rivals and late former Prime Ministers, Michael Manley and Edward Seaga together. Skatta argued that this ‘similarity’ proves that “music has always been a vital part of politics, and that will never change”.
“If the great Bob Marley never shy away from it, don’t expect these young cats to shy away from it either. I support artistes doing what they want to do because it’s their careers weh dem struggle over,” he told the tabloid.
Vybz Kartel’s comments about Skatta denigrating the Church, is not dissimilar to those made by Bounty Killer in 2018, after the producer and lambasted the Living Dangerously artiste for promulgating Christianity, which he described as a “religion created by the slave masters” on his Instagram Live.
The Calabar High School old boy who was raised in the church, and baptised at the United Pentecostal Church of Jamaica and credited his musical development to his time in church, had even told the Grunggadzilla to start reading in order to educate himself properly, before speaking about God and Christianity. Bounty Killer had dismissed the producer, claiming he was only seeking to remain relevant.
In September 2018, Skatta was rebuked and told to repent by dancehall gospel deejay Chozzen during a Star Chat programme for “ridiculing the church” after he claimed that God did not exist.
On Tuesday though, while some dancehall fans said they preferred the musical dubs to the violent clashes of the past, and that the artistes were wise to grasp the opportunity to make money, the majority took objection to Skatta’s juxtaposition with Marley’s 1978 concert, claiming it was nonsensical.
“There is no comparison between the political songs of today and Bob’s actions in 1978. Back then he was promoting peace not orange or green,” one commenter said, while another declared: “Skatta, what Bob did was different, he wanted peace, these dubs are the opposite and as election done they forget unu until election again. Only part mi ok with a di dj dem a eat a food from the spoils.”
Other followers argued that many of the artistes who have done political dubs do not know the history of dancehall music and are “just doing a hustle”.
“The amount of laws these politicians put in play to kill dancehall culture, mi cya rate none of who out there doing dubs. Anyone do should be doing dubs is the soca artiste because their music always get the green light here. Wen carnival a keep, no police cya stop it,” he said.
“Everything is wrong about dancehall Dubs. Dancehall and reggae was designed to highlight government oppression… Dancehall burn politics not join it. Bunup,” another fan said.