Agent Sasco Hasn’t Gotten Over His Primary School Teacher ‘Dissing’ Dancehall
Science Genius Ambassador Agent Sasco says he has found it hard to forgive a primary school teacher of his who, many years ago belittled and demeaned his beloved and revered Dancehall music, and some of the genre’s greatest lyricists.
“The love that I have for this music and the respect for the art form and the practitioners has been something that has been there… I remember being offended for example at primary school after mi win a deejay contest, everyting yuh a guh hear seh now, ‘choo yuh is a big deejay yuh waaan come meck noise in di class’” Sasco said.
“Anyhow, I rememba one a di teacher sayin dat if I think I would become no eediat deejay, or suppm like dat. And meck mi tell yuh suppm, is like dat ting deh really hurt mi… I don’t think I forgive her fi it even right now, because I am looking at these guys as just incredible, talented and I am wishing to do what they are doing, like Professor Nuts and Lieutenant Stitchie and Papa San; you name it – Charlie Chaplain at the time and dem time deh it was Shabba Ranks and Tiger dem a run di place,” the Winning Right Now artist explained.
The Hope Valley Experimental School past student was speaking during an interview on Radio Jamaica recently, where he outlined his journey from being an amateur deejay in primary and high school to becoming one of Dancehall’s greatest lyricists.
“Suh di teacher neva haffi seh it but di kinda perception and di negative stigma dat go on wid di music, it used to really hurt mi, because as I say, I am looking at these guys as really just incredible and just doing something that me only wish seh mi coulda do,” the Camperdown High School old boy said.
In 2017, Agent Sasco was vindicated and proven to be on the right side of history when the Jamaica National (JN) Foundation collaborated with Mathematics and Science Professor at Columbia University, Christopher Emdin, to launch its ‘Science Genius Jamaica’ education project, which fuses Dancehall music with science.
Sasco was hand-selected as a Science Genius Ambassador, as well as Tanya Stephens, and his music compatriots Wayne Marshall, Tifa, and producer Mikey Bennett who served as both judge and mentor, were among those invited to mentor the students to create their songs under the theme “Where Science Meets Dancehall”.
Back then, the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), reported that whereas Science Genius uses hip-hop music in the United States to reach students, Science Genius Jamaica would use Dancehall music to bring the subject to life for students and teachers in an exciting ‘dancehall clash’ competition geared “at helping them to explore and discover the wonders of science”.
At the time, Senior Manager, Learning, Development and Culture at JN Group, Dr. Renée Rattray, said the initiative was aimed at inspiring the confidence of students by using music and culture to get them more enthused about learning. She had also said that the project’s goal was to connect youth culture with education, so that learning the rigourous content of mathematics and science becomes more effortless for them.
“The influence of Dancehall on our young people is a no-brainer. It is our popular culture and its influences, today, extend beyond class boundaries and country borders. It is like the air our children breathe,” she said.
Then Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, had also welcomed the project, noting that it would convert students into science lovers through the use of popular culture, improve CSEC performance, and “give birth to the new generation of scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, engineers, botanists” in the “land of Reggae and Dancehall”.
Professor Emdin had also stated that by connecting Dancehall to Science “you are retraining the brain of youth who are embedded in dancehall, to reimagine themselves as scientists”.
“We are engaging in not just a cute programme; we are engaging in rewiring our generation,” Professor Emdin said.
In the final phase of the competition, the schools had engaged in Dancehall clashes called BATTLES, an acronym for Bringing Attention to Transforming Teaching, Learning and Engagement in Science, where they were judged by a team comprising of their project mentors, other professionals from the music industry, scientists and educators.