Remember that LKJ poem “It Noh Funny“?
“People sayin’ dis, people sayin’ dat / bout the youth of today / how dem gone astray / And it noh funny”
Well people have been saying this and that about the decline of reggae music lately. Despite the efforts of dancehall bashers, fossilized old-school devotees, the government, the church, and assorted gay-rights organizations, despite declining record sales, the theft or embezzlement of Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation’s entire record collection, and widespread abuse and exploitation, reggae isn’t dead. No, it’s just been appropriated by R&B and hip hop. Or, put another way, Jamaican music’s influence is so pervasive as to be almost imperceptible. And it no funny. (more…)