Consistency, Return To Proper Songwriting, Will Put Dancehall Back On Top, Says Nigel Staff

Ruff Kutt band leader and producer Nigel Staff has lamented the inconsistency in the number of hit songs coming out of Jamaica in recent years, a phenomenon which he says, is, to a large extent, a result of flawed songwriting.

“We have never been able to consistently make these songs come at them consistently as a force to be reckoned with.  You have this act come with a good album, then four years lapse, then somebody else comes with a good song, two years lapse then somebody comes with a good album.  Whereas Reggaeton, Pop R&B there is consistency,” Staff said during a recent interview with The Bridge FM’s Nikki Z.

In response, the host agreed with Staff and pointed out that inconsistency was indeed a grave issue, but argued as well that the broadcast format and mode of operation of many radio stations was also a grave issue for the music.

“The consistency is one of the things I have been screaming about in my entire radio career,” Nikki Z said, before segueing into the role of free-to-air radio in propelling hit music.

“You have people who run radio stations that constantly hire the local; deejay off the street or the hot guy off the street and they have no knowledge of radio.  Radio and street-playing is two different things, so if there is not consistency in hits, then you are not going to get that kind of energy like every other genre is developing. And that, is a major problem,” she added.

Staff in return, made it clear that as far as he was concerned, repeated radio airplay still remains critical to whether a potential hit song, actually becomes a hit or not.

“Radio is sacred in my eyes.  And there is a gatekeeping system that we’ve kind of turned our eyes away from that… we need to realize that it is important because radio has a role to make hits.  Repetition is what makes a hit, so the more you play the song repeatedly –  and it has to be a good song for it to work – ‘cause you can’t make a hit enuh.  People decide what hits.”

“The industry has a way of sifting through and allowing the cream to rise to the top… We have to start with the songs though… When we can get back to proper song-writing, not lyrical prowess: song-writing – we will be back in the game front and centre,” he added.

Staff’s sentiments about inconsistency, echoes that of Dancehall producer Leftside, who in an interview with Television Jamaica’s The Entertainment Report, in May this year, made the same lamentations.

“Look at Spice, Shaggy and Sean wid Guh Dung Deh.   Dem neva play wid di marketing pan dat. And when dah song deh drap everything was at a standstill for a good two three months… That was one song, but where was the consistency?  Where is the next one like dat wid dat same Dancehall heavy bass.  There wasn’t a next one after dat to follow it,” the Find It producer had explained.

Staff’s concerns about song structure/song-writing were similarly echoed by international producer JonFX, who, in September, pointed out that new-day Jamaican Dancehall songs are failing to rack up numbers on streaming platforms such as Spotify, as the majority are improperly produced, and lack “the basic rudiments of music structure,” particularly melodies.

In contending that artists were also not working with seasoned producers, who are able to ensure that these songs had melodies and followed the tested and proven structure for music, said many of the current songs lack the format for all Dancehall hit records:  intro, pre-hook, chorus and bridge.

“All these records have the structure… and then the verses come een, then there’s the pitch,” the producer had explained.

He had also recommended that artists work with competent producers who understand vocals, are able to find that chord structure and “find what works around the voice.” 

“But what artistes are doing, they are writing to the beat.  But the song- it’s about the song.  We as musicians should write to the song.  Not you geta bunch of beats and you have to write the songs to the beat, because then it takes out the musical elements out of it,” Jon FX had said.