Jennifer Barrett who may not be known as much locally as she is internationally, recounts going on several European tours where she would be performing with reggae singers from all over the world, except Jamaica.
She states that last year June she was in Norway for the Bergen Festival and was surprised to learn that she was the only Jamaican reggae artist on the show. All other reggae artists were of a different nationality. And interestingly, the one-dancehall artist on the show was from the United Kingdom, not Jamaica.
Having been inspired by reggae legends such as Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Toots Hibbert, Jennifer says the problem with reggae music today is it lacks the message that existed years ago. She believes the solution is to release more quality music and better artists that are able to represent Jamaica in the world. She also says it’s important to focus on the spiritual aspect of the music, as that will lead us on the right path.
For the last few years there has been an open debate within the industry as it relates to the state of reggae music. There are reggae music shops and stores closing all over the world and they are all placing the blame squarely on the poor quality of reggae music coming out of Jamaica. I have personally always argued that if your business is failing it is because you lack the know how to survive in an economically challenging and competitive time. However, after hearing the views of artist like Jennifer Barrett and others who share the belief that the genre’s foundation needs to be examined, I think we as Jamaicans who work in this industry needs to re-visit this issue and make a real attempt at addressing it.
Some of the problems I think we should be looking at are 1) the rhythms being created without the use of real live instruments, 2) consistently releasing songs after songs as such, using one project to kill or stifle another, 3) reggae artists refusing to work with ghost/song writers and 4) the lack of professionalism in some of the artists and producers making the music. These are just some of the problems we are facing. In my opinion the biggest one is the share ignorance about the business of music on a whole.
Someone once said that if Jamaican musicians and artists do not pay attention to what is going on with the music, Jamaica would no longer be the home of reggae music. I tend to disagree with this view as reggae music itself comes from the inner cities of Jamaica. It comes from struggles and sufferation and oppression etc. Reggae music is Jamaican and will always be. That being said, we have to ensure that we are creating the type of reggae that made the world fall in love with our music.