Every recent interview you hear with a reggae artist they seem to be saying the same thing, “dancehall artists are messing up the business”. On the other hand, when you speak with dancehall artists they have nothing but positive things to say about the reggae acts of yesterday and today. This leaves one to ask the question, why are reggae artists so negative on their dancehall colleagues?
Could it be that they are jealous of the success today’s dancehall artists are getting?
Dancehall has become a 20 billion dollar industry with the corporate world investing in dancehall artists and producers like never before. These young dancehall entertainers are aggressive with their promotional efforts and they are getting results. No one will argue that the lyrical content needs some adjustment as it relates to being a little too derogatory. However, that aside these young people seem to be doing everything right.
With that said, is it fair to say then that the reggae artists of today may be doing something wrong? Put this question to dancehall artists and many have said yes. The thinking is that the reggae artists have not upgraded their promotion tactics to connect with what is happening today. They don’t campaign; they don’t try marketing strategies that will capture immediate attention. Instead, they seem to be doing what worked some 15/20 years ago and are surprised when their songs are not getting as much rotation as the dancehall artists.
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MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 