So, as a queer man I often find myself on shakey grounds when it comes to my support and enjoyment of the dancehall genre. I've been a fan of the music coming out of Kingston and other Island Nations since I was kid, but sometimes I get pretty pissed off with the outright homophobia that permeates the scene. Whether it's Mr. Vegas talking about cutting 'batty boys' with a machete, or Bennie Man professing his desire to hang 'chi chi gals' with a long a piece of rope, I often feel out of sync with the music I love and the life I live. A recent example of this is found in Vybz Kartel and Spice's new(ish) track 'Romping Shop.' In the intro, Vybz and Spice have a bit of a back and forth which leads up to the quote 'Man to man, gal to gal that's wrong. Scorn Dem.' One thing that's really interesting to me however, is that Vybz chose an adapted version of this song to be used for a commercial advertising his condom brand 'Dagger In Codoms.'
I find this ad both entertaining and hilarious. And I think that Vybz is doing something great here; HIV/AIDs and other STD/STVs are rampant in Jamaica, and he has chosen to use his success as a means for promoting safer sex. However, it's a bit tragic that he still finds the gay community, one that is highly impacted by this epidemic, to be 'scorn' worthy. I understand that the culture of the Caribbean Island Nations has historically been centers of anti-homosexual sentiments and it's somewhat ingrained into the peoples of those nations, but I just wish that there might be a way to someday strike a balance of tolerance. For the time being though, I'll make playing dancehall an empowerment thing. Here's the MP3 and video for 'Rompin Shop.' Be warned, this song is DIRTY!
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