Sizzla Decries Gun Violence, Says His ‘Gun Songs’ Were Only For Sound Clashing, Entertainment
Despite having voiced a series of gun songs in the past, Good Ways singer Sizzla Kalonji is condemning gun violence in Jamaica, arguing that those songs were solely for entertainment and artistic purposes and are not applicable to real-life situations or problem-solving.
Sizzla had used his Instagram platform to decry gun violence on the island, which has been the source of the island’s crippling murder rate, which, from January 1 to March 8 this year, stood at 280, across the island’s 19 police divisions, according to Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) statistics.
“Bun gun. Wi nuh waan hear bout nuh gun,” Sizzla said on his live IG feed a few days ago.
“When yuh hear wi do a likkle ragamuffin song, gun song, a jus fi di music and di purpose a Dancehall; di purpose a sound clash. Keep it in di music,” he added.
The August Town native also admonished persons who have been resorting to guns to settle disputes, as soon as they come in possession of these types of weapons.
“Yuh born come si knife an fork inna yuh house, machete, big stone outta door an yuh naw use dem suppm deh kill. But as yuh get a gun inna yuh han yuh start kill. Show mi di significance,” he said.
“Yuh bredrin ova yah suh an you deh ova yah suh. You a pree him or him a pree yuh – a fi oonu business dat. But nobaddy naw attack nobaddy ova di years but as yuh get a gun, yuh start attack. What’s the difference?” he questioned.
Sizzla has had his own share of gun songs, with his 2005 hit Run Out Pon dem (Big Long Gun) on Snow Cone’s Applause riddim, being his most popular, but most controversial gun song to date in which the Rastafarian artiste declared in the hook:
Ah some big long gun ah run out pon dem
Extra loaded clip a dun out pon dem
War dem from night till sun out pon dem
Gangsta, Guerillas come out pon dem
In the aftermath of Run Out Pon Dem, Sizzla had clashed with his colleague Norris Man at Capleton’s St. Mary Mi Come From fundraiser stage show after he contended that Norris Man’s song titled Big Long Gun on the Red Bull and Guinness riddim, was a counteraction to Run Out Pon Dem.
Sizzla had chased Norrisman off the stage, following which the Home and Away artist told the August Town native to “s_k his mother, resulting in members of the Million Times singer’s entourage immediately pouncing on the St. Mary native, where they tried to beat the daylights out of him.
Sizzla’s Wrath, also known as Gangsta nuh leff Dem Gun which was released in 2006, was also highly popular.
Among his other gun tunes are Guns Out released in 2001 on the Saddam Birthday Party riddim.
He also teamed up for the track Gun Session with Akon, Vybz Kartel, and Shabba Ranks in 2005.
The Solid as a Rock artist who turns 45 on April 17, is revered though, for his classic hit singles, such as Black Woman and Child, Thank you Mama, Dry Cry, Just one of those Days, and Solid as a Rock.
Deemed one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists, he is noted for his high number of releases with more than 70 albums to date, the most recent being Million Times.
Despite his gun songs and various shenanigans over the years including a tiff with Khago, outside of the music industry, Sizzla has contributed to community development in his native August Town by establishing the Sizzla Youth Foundation which assists youth in August Town in overcoming their struggles and providing a haven from violence. His property at Judgment Yard in August Town, has also been repurposed into a Community Centre.
The Sizzla Youth Foundation was also hailed in early January 2017 as being among the key peace builders which worked to ensure that August Town remained murder free in 2016.