Dancehall Unity: Bounty Killer Unites With 14 Artists To Voice ‘Brighter Day’ Anti-Violence Track
Following Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ recent statements that the integrity of Jamaican music is being threatened by a plethora of violence-laced songs, Bounty Killer has announced that he has teamed up with 14 other Dancehall artists, some of them well known for using their music to promote gangsterism, to record an anti-violence song.
A few days ago Bounty showcased a photograph and a video clip on Instagram of the recording session, which was being undertaken for the accompanying music video for the song titled Brighter Day, in his native Seaview Gardens community in Kingston.
“BRIGHTER DAY video shoot Seaview Gardens…The biggest song right now tackling crime violence and injustice of unkind mankind featuring: 15 Artiste,” Bounty noted, listing his collaborators as Julian Marley, Leaha, Gyptain, Turbulance, Jahvillani, Kiprich, Wasp, Liquid, Dre Island, Mr. Pike, Anthony B, Saaje and Maestro Don. Uncle Demon singer Tommy Lee, who had a longstanding conflict with the Warlord years ago, is also featured on the track, which is an indication that the two have buried the hatchet.
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The Living Dangerously artiste also posted a photo which was also snapped during the video shoot of himself Jahvillani, Maestro Don, Gyptian and Chambah and captioned it: “This is how we kicking off 2021 with a force of unity”.
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Several other Dancehall artists, including Popcaan and Spice hailed Bounty’s handiwork. His fans also expressed their appreciation for his attempt at unification in what has been described as a very fragmented Dancehall industry.
“Yes me General we need it too much segregation in dancehall,’ one fan officialreal_dj_staino said.
Another fan while twingybritish noted: “Yow killer seems like you’re really the ONE.. big up mi DJ , you care about Jamaica and the people and all what’s happening in Jamaica more than these corrupt politicians from both parties,” to which the Coppershot singer noted: “That was long ago established ever since I came on the scene.”
During the opening ceremony of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) Regional Investments and Capital Markets Conference which was held in Kingston earlier this week, Holness had said that while Jamaica’s music industry is held in high regard by the Government and people across the world as being on par with science and technology as a tool for economic development, it has for decades, been “overtaken” by violent songs.
Reinforcing the fact that intellectual property is of great value, Holness had said Jamaica’s music has been a powerful tool, not just for the island, but for the entire world and was seen as a means of liberation, but was now being devalued by songs promoting anti-social behaviour.
“It elevated us in the eyes of the world. Other nations took our music and it has become anthems for progressive thinking right across the world for freedom, and resistance and we embrace it as our culture. But in the last few decades, our music has been overtaken by violence,” he said.
“We also see that there is serious work that needs to be done in our creative industries to ensure that we can produce works of art and music at are edifying and uplifting,” the Prime Minister had added.
Weeks prior to Holness’ utterances, international Dancehall star Sean Paul had also called on younger Dancehall artistes to pen tracks that are non-violent and Billboard worthy, as violent lyrics will never make the grade internationally and were not helping Jamaica to be progressive as a nation either.
“Is not dat di lyrics and di music is causing it yuh nuh… mi a try seh to di deejay dem: people a put up good work bro; play some tings and build di people dem back. Caw everybaddy a guh one direction anna dat car crash dat an mi nuh love dem ting deh. Mi don’t love it fi tell di truth. So we mus be versatile, we must can sing dem ting deh and some odda hot tings weh gone pon Billboard…,” Sean had said.