Do “Gimmicks Artists” Belong?

Dancehall and Reggae both began out of a love for music culture, it wasn’t until later on in the life of each genre, that they began to generate profit. This, of course, was only possible because of the strength of the community built around the music. It went from just being a platform for the masses to express themselves, to a lucrative lifestyle. From the peanut salesman, the soup vendor, right forward to the promoters and artists. It spawned an ecosystem where the multitude could benefit. I believe that even as these genres continue to evolve, that initial effort to cater to the multitude remains a primary drive. 

What many are calling “gimmicks artists”, from Cliff Twang, right back to our most recent A’mari, seem to be the latest to be catered to.

This is concerning for a lot of stakeholders in the industry for obvious quality control reasons. The supporting argument is that these “gimmicks artists” are setting an unwanted precedent for Jamaican artistry that stands to hurt more than it can help, particularly on the international scene. These are fair, reasonable concerns. The typical counter-argument is that all poor people deserve an opportunity to live a better life. The whole badmind rhetoric would ensue, and so on.

Instead of said counter-argument, and in the vein of adding to the discussion; the metamorphosis of Jamaican music will continue, and it will continue to provide for the people on whose behalf it was created. Vloggers, and podcasters, journalists and other types of content creators have a constant source of inspiration because of music.

Media corporations, publications, all sorts of businesses can be built around our industry that can feed so many more people than just the creators of the music. Many of these more modern tech-related opportunities within our developing industry are still fresh, but who knows where it will really stop. Perhaps as long as there are poor, marginalized people, the music will continue to produce opportunities. 

The concerns about quality control persist, and yet even we who report, were given the opportunity to provide for our families through our passion for music. There was no gatekeeper there to stop me and say ‘hey, you’re going to ruin journalism.’

We were given room like everyone else to make our mistakes, as hard as that continues to be in this time. So, who am I to deny someone else an opportunity to do better for themselves? The concern for the genre is noble, indeed but lest we forget that we were born into this world with music, why should we be the ones that chokehold what defines it?

These “gimmicks artists” can’t become sensations on their own, and we can’t fight the forces that conspire for that to happen. There are people that like it, decide to enjoy it without judgment for the passing moment of entertainment that it is. We can’t make them dislike it and it can’t become sensational without them. I think the most we can do is hope for the best for these temporary stars and trust that they make good use of their 15 minutes. We must also trust that this music is a force for the people and that it will always do that, despite our fears.