Restructuring Dancehall

When dancehall culture started to emerge in the late 1970s, no complex structure was needed per se. The dancehall music and dance halls simply provided an outlet for self expression and “a space for cultural creation and dissemination of symbols and ideologies that reflect the livid realities of its adherents, particularly those from the inner cities of Jamaica,” as stated by cultural scholar Donna Hope. According to Norman Stolzoff, author of Wake the Town and Tell the People, it was emphasized as more of a cultural than consumerist space. He posited that dancehall wasn’t just a space with the intention of pushing consumerist ideals, but a space of consistent cultural production that represents an avenue where “ghetto yutes” articulate and project a distinct identity in varying contexts. 

Now, given the age of globalization, and culture being seen as a commodity to be commercialized, it is the view of some creative economists that dancehall should take a more deliberate approach to set up shop on the international market. One such way, would be to make the genre more accessible internationally, by removing language barriers. Additionally, critics often make reference to the “Mi jus’ want a buss!” culture, which often results in little detail to work and, resulting from poor work ethic, a prodigy becomes an afterthought. However, some critics still hold true that dancehall should remain a space for cultural generation and regeneration, as putting it on the market leaves it vulnerable to repackaging and appropriation, although, it is already being appropriated. In my opinion, part of the former’s approach should be to improve the administrative processes of dancehall through a process of delegation. 

When one speaks of administrative structure, one speaks to the presence of a public relations specialist, artiste manager and bookings agent for any given artist. These people form the core of the artiste’s administrative team and act as liaisons to facilitate communication between the periphery entities such as event promoters, the media and in some cases, supporters.

Usually, these core administrators are provided by the artiste’s record label, specific to their role. However, as an independent artiste, these roles may intersect at necessary intervals, as his or her team might not have a large amount of qualified individuals. In the past, this was where the problem rested. 

Historically, a dancehall artiste was not exposed to the complexities of a hierarchy in management within the business. Usually, the artiste was either managed by themselves and had a bookings agent, or had a manager who executed the artiste’s game plan. For some, this worked, as we have had quite a few artiste bursting pass our borders to penetrate international markets under this system of autonomy like. However, just because it works, does not make it agiven that the method was effective enough to influence productivity significantly.

With the upward progression of administrative roles, resulting in the rise and successes of artistes such as Shenseea, Spice and members of the Indiggnation family, within the last few years, it can be said that the productivity of the industry, on the international market has changed drastically. There has been a shift in the idea of how to package the dancehall product in a way that is audience friendly, not only for locals, but also an international audience. Of late, damage control, in response to drama, is something that is sought out in Jamaica. Traditionally, it was just drama that bolstered artistes to the top. But people are fast realizing that different brands match a different market when we take into consideration the global market for dancehall music. Therefore, in order to increase profitability on the international market, if that’s an artist’s goal, not only through tours, but album and single sales, one must take into consideration an artiste’s image and public appeal. 

A perfect example of this would be the strategies employed by Spice and her PR team cultivated over the past few years. Her placement as a regular cast member on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop Atlanta’. As a result, her visibility increased which was a good catalyst to facilitate her next now-infamous, fake bleaching PR stunt, used to promote her single “Black Hypocrisy.” Since then, she’s not only been gaining rewards locally, but has augmented her legitimacy as one of the foremost voices of dancehall on the international market. 

It is fair to say that a business works better when people work according to their specifications and their strengths. In this particular context, the Jamaican music industry rests in the hands of, not only the artistes, but those who manage them and their affairs. The administrative culture of the Jamaican music industry, we can say, has become much more complex over the past couple of years. Upon observation, it’s fair to say that some of dancehall’s successes has been strongly influenced by a change in the approach to business when it comes to artistes. With this approach, it is my opinion that dancehall can remain one of the main spaces of cultural retention, while also being more profitable.