Montego Bay’s 6IX Urged To Wake For From Musical Slumber
The fizzling out of the Montego Bay-based 6IX was a topic of debate recently, on the Let’s Be Honest Podcast, among the likely reasons being whether Alkaline had “written off” their careers; they lost the Gaza fans who had aligned themselves with them, or their novelty had worn off.
According to host Jaii Frais, the 6IX was the emergence of something new as they had even their own beat-maker Din-Din of Hemton Records, an assigned videographer doing their music videos and operated like a “new movement”.
“Is it a case where the dawgs did a get a strength off of being a new kid on the block? Because dat’s a ting enuh bredda, weh when a rookie come inna a game or any field at all… yuh know, your rookie year can be your MVP year. So was it that they were fresh and a bring suppm new? Because if we really be honest, we would seh dat was di Mobay surge; di country man dem. Yuh feel it was dat? Becaw it was a fresh sound and new producer did bus wid Din-Din dem…?” programe host Jaii Frais asked his co-host Chevi, later adding: “Di 6IX run was di last run weh remind me of the Gaza run. You have Unruly but Unruly jus gi yuh Pappy and Quada, deh a second.”
“Mi feel like when dem forward, it was like a new fresh Gaza… mi feel like a dat di 6IX come wid, and den dem did get di praises from Vybz Kartel… suh mi feel like seh a dat did gwaan, like 6IX replace Gaza, cause 6IX and Gaza come together (as) di G-6. Plus dem did a drop hot songs back to back. Suh dem did a do dem ting and now di fire out ote. Dem couldn’t maintain it,” Chevi responded.
Absence of Squash
The absence of the group leader Squash, from the island since late 2019, them being barred by the police from performing at many shows including Reggae Sumfest that year, and the lack of events in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was also thrown into the mix as excuses for the group’s dormancy by Jaii Frais. However, Chevi said that he doubted these had any bearing in the sluggishness of the 6IX.
“Because right now di music suppose fi speak fi itself. Who fresh on di scene after di 6IX dem a do well right now. And who did deh-deh before di 6IX dem still do. So you caan blame di scene. You caan seh no party naw gwaan, caw Kartel still a drop; Alkaline still a drop; Masicka still a drap; Skilli a drap; Intence a drap. Suh di gap before and di gap afta still a do di work. Wi caan jus blame no concert. Wi caan blame di authority weh did a fight dem And mek dem drop off. Di music suppose to speak fi itself,” Chevi argued.
Gaza fans moved on
The discussion also led to whether Gaza fans, who had started to pay attention to the 6IX, had turned their backs on them, owing to their leader Vybz Kartel himself focusing his attention on his solo projects.
“Di G-6 unit weh did form, yuh feel it did kinda kill dem in a way? Becaw, naw seh Kartel naw rep 6IX enuh, but right now Kartel deh pon a Skilli wave right now. Was it a case where 6IX neva really have no fans? Of course dem have fans buy you know di mass was really a share from Gaza and di core was not really 6IX fans,” Jaii Frais said.
“There is no really core fans once you affiliate wid Gaza, because Gaza gi yuh di push. And if Gaza tek weh dat push, no matter how strong yuh be, it a guh hard. I don’t even think Gaza teck weh dem gain from dem because nuttn neva gwaan between Gaza and 6IX; dem still good. Suh is a ting weh di 6IX dem itself just stop weh dem did a do. Das how mi see it bro. An mi caan even explain weh dem stop do. No mi caan even explain weh dem stop do, because dem still a drop songs,” was Chevi’s reply.
Alkaline
The controversy as to whether the top brass of the 6IX including Hillside artist Chronic Law, Daddy1 and Squash had fallen lyrically at the feet of Alkaline, after their longstanding series of diss songs against each other, also came up as a subject matter, with Jaii Frais arguing that the timing of the group’s breakdown, may not seem coincidental to many people.
“Chronic Law drop good songs, but dem naw hit. Dem naw hit and mi nuh know why. Mi nuh know if him team round him; mi nuh know if him as artiste a do him owna ting and him nuh have proper management or whatnot. But Chronic Law fi deh bigga dan weh him deh. And dat Alkaline clash – caw right now to how it look, it can be said Alkaline kill di 6IX dem and done dem career… It can be said, because rememba enuh, it wasn’t a case where it was Squash alone; di whola di man dem – you know the top three. Di Daddy1, Chronic Law and Squash did a do dem ting and now is like not even a top 10 song,” Jaii Frais said.
“Nuttn fi 2020 after such a big year? I think they died out fast for 6IX though… so if Vendetta fans dem waan fi seh dat, dem have all right fi seh it. Seh yow dem kill 6IX. But mi wouldn’t seh dat… And then how Dancehall is very competitive, it’s do or die if you are going at each other… And it wasn’t even Vendetta, it was Alkaline, cause nobaddy (else) nuh bus outta Vendetta,” Chevi responded.
Make a comeback
The failure of the 6IX members to keep themselves in the public eye and stay current was also factored in the mix, even as the hosts called on them to make a comeback in 2021. It was also highlighted that the members seem to be operating independently of each other.
“I feel like di man dem need fi start put out more song… dem need dem image up; interact wid yuh fans dem. Mi caan tell when last mi si nuttn from none a dem. Not even live; not even a little snippet. Dem haffi try keep da bond deh because what people nuh understand, we live a America and nuff a di tune dem weh a run di ground naw play here. Again this isn’t about being foreign-minded or whatever di case is. Yuh want yuh song play ova yah suh. Yuh get shows ova yah suh. Di currency deh 152 to one. A yah suh di money deh,” Jaii Frais said.
“Jamaica is a small country; very impactful but is a small country. So you see, once Jamaica go suh and turn dem back pon you, yuh nuh really have nobaddy; yuh nuh have nobaddy afta dat so wha yuh a go do? Yuh haffi get yuh shit right and get yuh marketing out. Man dem need fi start try get dem visa and start try come eat some show money because right now if Chronic Law and Daaddy1 fi get dem visa, who a book dem really up yah bredda, if wi really a guh be honest? Get di ting right back weh it suppose to deh,” he added.