Politicians Started Jamaica’s Crime Epidemic, Not Dancehall Music, Says Foota Hype

Foota Hype says the Dancehall fraternity should disregard political leaders who are blaming Dancehall music for Jamaica’s horrific murder rate.

In an Instagram Live which he said was a direct address to Prime Minister Andrew Holness recently, the veteran music selector said politicians are the ones who kick-started the rampant gun violence in the country in the 1970s, during their squabbles over political power and attempts at political one-upmanship.

According to Foota, only when Jamaica’s current crop of politicians confess or admit to the role of their political parties in the distribution of weaponry and the ensuing death and destruction within Kingston’s inner cities, back in the 1970s and during the bloody 1980 General Elections, should Dancehall artists pay them any mind, as Kingston is still feeling the after-effects to this day.

“Until the politicians of Jamaica start taking some blame for the violence and the heightened violence in Jamaica, Dancehall naw guh teck da blame deh enuh.   Di gunman lyrics dem naw guh teck dah blame deh enuh… yes wi wi teck blame, but di politician dem haffi teck blame first,” Foota said.

“It start from inna di 70s and it rise to di heights inna di 80s.  Memba 80 election is one a di bloodiest.  Dem time Skillibeng nuh bus; Fully Bad nuh bus; Masicka nuh bus; Bounty nuh bus; Beenie nuh bus.   Kartel neva bus dem time deh.  Mavado neva bus dem time deh and wi did have ridiculous gun violence and mayhem and murda… mi a blame all a oonu.  Yuh si like how oonu waan blame Dancehall fi di crime, mi a blame all a oonu,” he declared.

Foota argued that politicians, in going on public platforms to denounce the music and its content, have conveniently forgotten that it is “the spill-off of guns in the communities” which has caused Dancehall artists “to have these content to put in their songs because it is a part of their day-to-day lives that politicians created”.

“Oonu enforce, empower, strongmen in both political factions with guns an bulletproof and all kinds of weaponry, fi secure territory and votes.  I am yet to see one politician ever come forward and say we take responsibility for the destructive acts that we have done that are now present in the society.   I have never heard that,” he said.

“I have never seen a politician come to the House of Parliament and seh: ‘Speaker of the House, politicians are responsible for a percentage of the crime that is plaguing our inner city communities, because politicians have funded dons, area leaders, provided weaponry, provided strategy, and have been responsible for multiple amounts of funerals and deaths of both guilty and innocent people in these areas’,” the Calabar High School old boy added.

Arguing that guns could not have gotten into poor inner-city communities without political influence back in the day, Foota demanded that politicians address these historical antecedents when making criticisms, as their role in dividing communities and causing bloodletting is well known.

Foota added that it was evident that there is very little correlation between gun songs and crime, as at present the entertainment sector is still shut down, yet the murder rate in Jamaica is still out of control.

“If mi want speak facts right now or be realistic or honest, since dem lock dung d music a Jamaica, di crime rate gone through the sky.    When oonu lock dung di music, more people dead; more war gwaan, more ting happen because di way how oonu hate di music oonu nuh si di beauty weh music duh.  Oonu nuh si di positive side a di music.”

“Politicians, teck blame seh oonu create di environment weh di deejay dem sing bout, den w iwi teck blame fi I lyrics.  But oonu caan come throw di burden pon lyrics when oonu naw talk bout oonu importation of guns an oonu mindset weh oonu set up dah yute yah, gainst dah next yute yah and cause community enemies and murder an mayhem.  Talk bout dat!” he said.