Hommophobia inna dancehall style...

Buju Banton has had some great conscious tunes, but does that erase the fact that he did the infamous "Boom Bye Bye" in which he sings "Boom bye bye inna batty boy head"?

Thinking about this .. you don't stop listening to the music you like. But you frame it.

You may decide that you can't, in conscience, give money to *artists* who hold these views. And therefore make it a point of principle only to pirate it.

Secondly, you are careful how you play the music to others. When you recommend or play it to friends, you point out the issue with the music. So if they choose not to listen they have the chance. And everyone knows you aren't going round spreading the memes because you agree, or don't care.

When playing out in public I guess, adopt the same policy, but more so. Really emphasize that this is a great tune BUT it's homophobic. And that this is a real problem with this genre of music. I occasionally play tunes on Campus Radio so I can do this. If I was DJing in a club or making a mixtape for a party where putting this kind of frame wasn't possible, I probably *wouldn't* play or include the tune.

With this policy I can still listen to and promote music, even if I find its message objectionable. But I am never actually pushing the message itself. If anything I use the music to signal my opposition to he message.

This statement is so stupid. Please don't kill me, beat me, fire me, discriminate against me or whatever is not a MORAL STANDARD invented by HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS. I think holding people to the idiotic 2000+ year old moral standards of these moronic repressive body denying religions is what bears examination.

discuss...

No one should be exposed to the Bible because it is FILLED with bad ideas.

Are there dancehall lyrics pertaining to lesbians? or to jews for that matter?

I don't really know enough about dancehall to parse which of those forms seems to be the dominant one. And I'm certainly not trying to excuse the latter, just pointing out that it's a hugely different proposition.

look at cultures all over the world that don't use the bible - do they actually embrace homosexuality? did they ever?

The thing is, Rastafarianism is a Judeo-Christian religion that places great emphasis on apocalypticism. Since the apocalypse (greek for "relevelation") will "reveal" who are the chosen people-- the "elect"--as opposed to the "damned," apocalyptic belief helps to console adherents (who are often oppressed societies) by telling them that there will be a better life for them in the next world/after the day of judgement. Babylon will fall and believers in Jah (the tribe of Judah) will take their rightful place as the "elect." Like Zionists, Rastas believe that there will be a homeland for their people. They think that the bible is talking about the Rastaman's plight--their homeland, the place for "the Israelites" of which Desmond Dekker sings--is in Ethiopia.

Rastafarianism, as an apocalyptic religion, is a very powerful force in the creation of community. The community must have a strong sense of itself, but it also must have a very strong sense of what constitutes the "other" i.e. who IS NOT part of the community.

While the community can provide some extremely positive things, such as empowerment to oppressed people and a sense of validity for one's culture, the desire to abject the "other" requires a clear definition of what doesn't fit. Where does one find this definition? In the Bible, of course!

Babylonians are equated with non-Rastas (significant supporters of the Babylon system being folks like George Bush, the Pope, the Queen- and her facist regime, etc.). Non-Rastas are also those who do not support Rasta belief and, say, commit un-Rasta acts such as having an intimate relationship with someone of the same sex.

The problem for me is that I agree that Babylon is wrong and populated with evil people like George Bush, persay, but I don't like how oppressive forces of Babylon are equated and collapsed with the so-called moral corruption of homosexuality.

just wanted to be clear...

Which is more likely the subject of these homophobic songs: a) Elton John or kd lang b) Joe Q. Homosexual and his longtime companion, taking the LIRR to Fire Island every weekend c) Homosexual folks who share much the same cultural milieu that the dancehall singers come (or came) from or d) Some beast that's about as grounded in lived experience as the baby-eating horn'd Jews in several centuries' worth of anti-Semitic fantasy?

I dunno, I think the issue of holding other people to moral standards mainly devised by human-rights lawyers bears some examination.

The original poster was expressing her disgust at people who wanted to kill: labelling murder as evil is not some cirlicue of recent European liberal legal trends but is rooted in "Thou Shall Not Kill" (or a corruption or a misunderstanding or a oversimplification of the same).

Doesn't anyone think that the 'right' to actively pursuing sexual minority status is a bit of a luxury in the grand schme of things?

When taken in the grand scheme of the way the rest of the world lives now, or the way the mankind has lived throughout most of its existence, or the way sentient creatures typically live within nature, ALL rights (both with and without scare quotes) start to seem like luxuries.

I live a lie too. I am trapped by my extreme need to sleep with supermodels instead of ratty indie chicks. I am unable to act on this and blame societal factors, such as the fact that I'm in a low- paying job and thus am not attractive to same. My thwarted desire is causing me to lead a shadowy mockery of an existence and my desires are ridiculed by friends and family. What's more, an army of feminists is on hand to tell me I am sick, dangerous and the source of all malignity. Why can't I proudly act on my desire to sleep with supermodels?) Yes I know this is disingenuous.

It's not disingenuous. It's chickenshit.

The phrase "exposed to cultural products" here is probably a little too weak. If I thwacked you in the face with my Louisville Slugger, would you say that you were "exposed to Clarke's bat"?

And I was, like, kickass interesting rhythm or not, that's fuckin' bullshit.

That's about it.

we need more seminars, like the juggalos

Maybe the civil rights organization behind the planned boycotts of those venues could try to engage Mr. Banton a little more directly?

We should just send them both a link to this thread.

hugs not thugs

i ain't gonna play sun city

I don't think the primary concern is changing attitudes in Jamaica; I think the primary concern is the people operating a venue saying "we do not people to think we condone this attitude".

^^^ truthbomb

what happened to my "want"

oh well, the gist should be clear

what happened to my "want"

you never it

if buju banton would record a song abt macintosh computers and graduate degrees it would mollify me somewhat

Maybe the civil rights organization behind the planned boycotts of those venues could try to engage Mr. Banton a little more directly?

― kingkongvsgodzilla, Friday, September 11, 2009 12:40 PM

not everything can be solved by having two monsters battle, kingkongvsgodzilla

I want hugs from thugs.

British diplomat found strangled in Jamaican home in suspected gay-hate murder (11/09/2009)

A note was left on his blood-soaked body branding him a "batty man" - local slang for homosexual. A cord and piece of clothing were still around his neck.

No word on Banton's alibi.

We know he wasn't at First Ave.

brooklyn seems to dig capleton's lyrical content and between-song banter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vylzh_-b1SU

wtf, it's machismo + monotheism, just like "white" homophobia. this idea that it's rooted in poverty is just fucked.

seriously wtf.

http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/murder-music-singer-buju-banton-has-first-meeting-with-gay-advocates.html

real thoughtful comments on that article.

did he MURDER DEM?

It was before the dawn of time, but oO_Oo at stelfox and maybe more so at the space cleared for him. WTF, ol' ILX?

Okay, maybe I'm reading way too much into this, but...look at Buju Banton's hands in the photograph. He's making a sign over his crotch that some people use to indicate a vagina. And I invite you to try to sit that way yourself...it does not feel like a very natural position to me. I'm guessing Banton is making the sign to mock the folks in the photograph with him.

Posted by: peterparker | Oct 13, 2009 12:55:15 PM

http://api.ning.com/files/AlF29i7dC3Lhgz6dtRJOtF-zI6-gsTxWDb550OQ2bq*G5yWUR*G9rj0LYG5BLdi5Zc8RA9mnIWVDDRHCbNYXsAf-Tz79y37h/Haile_Selassie_G_0485.jpg

http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/buju-banton-there-is-no-end-to-the-war-between-me-and-faggot.html

I want to hear Buju Banton's considered take on the Jan Moir furore.

fuck this guy imo

yeah it's really pretty much impossible to defend the dude at this point

this thread is filled with some amazingly condescending excuses for homophobia imo

coming from folks who would probably RAGE at length against the amount of instruments arcade fire dares to use on a song, or some other similarly big important social issue

just a thought

Okay, maybe I'm reading way too much into this, but...look at Buju Banton's hands in the photograph. He's making a sign over his crotch that some people use to indicate a vagina. And I invite you to try to sit that way yourself...it does not feel like a very natural position to me. I'm guessing Banton is making the sign to mock the folks in the photograph with him.

^^^^ i almost posted the exact same thing, it seems really weird!

remember omar, homophobia or even being a white power creep like some of those norway black metal dudes is no sin compared to being an semi-popular indie rock band that uncool ppl like

^^^^ i almost posted the exact same thing, it seems really weird!

― a perfect urkel (gbx), Saturday, October 17, 2009 5:06 PM

even after seeing the pic i posted?

incisive political cartoons inna dancehall style

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/Entertainment/images/20091015T200000-0500_161898_OBS__NO_END_TO_THE_WAR_BETWEEN_ME_AND_THE_GAYS___BUJU_TELLS_MUTA_1.jpg

It's "Gary."

http://www.alfingers.com/news/busy-signal-gary/

so much evolving going right now

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/us-news-blog/2012/may/18/beenie-man-rap-gay-rights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W90Moq_InEc

i don't even know what this is supposed to mean

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/assets/8071090/ed-cart-thursday-17-may.jpg

i'm not completely convinced. just a reminder that last time beenie "apologized" he came out with this right after:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5NDcksC0wQ

hell of a bellybutton on that gay community

why is beenie man wearing a stethoscope?

because he is The Doctor

Beenie looks away from the camera too much to make me think he feels it in his heart, but he feels it in his head.

The 100% cynical response of the people in the Observer video is probably otm, unfortunately.

The US recently cancelled the visas of a couple of dancehall acts and governments within the Caribbean, including Barbados and St Lucia, have started to refuse big-name stars work permits to play there.

Irrespective of whether it's heartfelt or not, it's still the right message.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dwS82qLToI

evolution is obfuscation, per crit darling (and upcoming no doubt collaborator - can't wait) busy

"link with the rainbow" seems pretty clear to me, but yeah most artists avoid directly targeting homosexuals these days because of all the visa issues

Buju Banton is undeniably gay

http://www.examiner.com/article/beenie-man-denies-apologizing-to-homosexuals-fellow-artistes-react-to-video

http://images.wikia.com/runescape/images/1/1f/Emoticon-Facepalm.gif back to the drawing board...

smgdh

it got kind of buried under the anderson cooper and frank ocean stories, but diana king ("shy guy") came out of the closet this week, too

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/diana-king-comes-out-jama_n_1652189.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

cool.

I like her description of homophobia as a "heavy burden".