‘Controversy Sells’, But Devin Di Dakta Is Over It
Though he’s guilty of it too, dancehall storyteller Devin Di Dakta is displeased that some of his peers have to incite controversy to draw attention to their music.
Speaking on the latest installment of Razor B’s Tongue Talk show, the artist said the music-consuming audience has grown so accustomed to gimmicks and publicity stunts, he believes they expect it from all entertainers.
“It’s sad because sometimes as an artist, yuh waan just focus on the music but people are more focused on you and your lifestyle outside of the music,” Devin Di Dakta said. “It works for some, but yuh haffi remember seh some people nuh really inna dah drama deh, so, yuh cya expect that from everybody.”
He employed some gimmicks of his own for the rollout of his 2019 single Internet, which he teased with a cross-dressing photo.
The wig-wearing continued with the actual music video which illustrates the implications of the dark side of cyberspace, from instant gratification and catfishing, to identity play and the phenomenon of going viral.
Though he received backlash for the cross-dressing, Devin Di Dakta believes it worked as the response supported what the song chronicles.
“Me achieve the goal for dah song deh from the moment me release the picture,” he shared. “Look, how people stay, before dem even check out waa gwaan, see the message or anything, dem nuh see that. Dem just blinded by waa gwaan, so, dem prove me point but mi nuh business wid dem. Once me seh a dat me a go do, anybody who knows me know a dat me a go do and who vex, a go just vex.”
Other artistes who have employed stunts and gimmicks include Alkaline (contact lens), Vybz Kartel (skin bleaching), RT Boss (fake relationship with Mackerel), Spice (fake skin bleaching) and Blak Ryno (skin bleaching).
Speaking of the internet, the When I’m Gone artist admitted to actively struggling with being more active and engaging in the space.
“Mi waan just deh a mi yard; mi nuh need fi deh infront of mi phone and a turn idiot fi people see me,” he said.
Though he joked about being silly behind-the-scenes, he said, “Mi think mi find it hard fi transition over inna dah part of the world deh and, again, a something weh mi think nuh need fi do but yuh haffi find a way fi get with it because a just deh so the world deh -like it or not. But big up the idiot dem out deh weh a mek money.”
With that said, he’s been assessing his approach to creating and releasing new music.
“It’s more about substance now, he said. “I think that part of me was lacking publicly. As mi seh, some of the times, mi nuh sensible, but dat a behind the cameras, and then mi have some type of reasoning, but, that, too, a behind the cameras, so, now it’s about bringing dem reasoning deh to people because the space kinda need it, so, that a just my contribution. But me still a work pon some other things fi mek the girls dem know mi still deh here.”