Blakk Rasta and Buju Banton
Ghanaian Dancehall/Reggae artiste Blakk Rasta has weighed in on Buju Banton's recent comments criticizing Afrobeat artistes for being uninspirational and not using their platform to uplift the continent.
During his radio show on 3FM on August 28, 2024, Blakk Rasta acknowledged Buju Banton's concerns but argued that not every music genre is designed to promote consciousness.
He suggested that Buju Banton might be too eager to see Afrobeats achieve what Dancehall has struggled with for years.
“Every music has a beginning. Sometimes it starts so slowly, then it powers up and it jumps into other things again, not every music genre supports consciousness in one way or the other.
“Buju Banton is so much in a hurry to see Afrobeats do what dancehall could not do for so many years.
“Up to now, Dancehall is still inundated with a lot of profanity. It's even been inundated with American trap and it has lost its roots. And people like Buju are fighting to bring it back,” he said.
He cited examples from Soca music and Jamaican Dancehall, noting that these genres often focus on themes like dancing and entertainment rather than social upliftment.
He pointed out that even within Dancehall, artistes like Capleton and Buju Banton himself have shifted from profane lyrics to more conscious messages over time.
I have not heard any soca song that is uplifting in the sense of consciousness. It's about dancing. Calypso in the past, also talked a bit about vulgarity.
“Jamaican Dancehall has been inundated with slackness, what we call profanity in Ghana. There was a time when some Jamaican artists, like Capleton, used to sing songs with profane lyrics. He came out and said, ‘listen too much profanity. We must use the music to uplift.’ And they changed the course. Of course, not everybody followed them, but people like Buju Banton who sang a lot of profane lyrics joined. The interesting thing about these artists is they all still have one or two conscious songs that they have sung aside from their profane songs,” he stated.
Blakk Rasta emphasized that inspiration can come in many forms, including making people feel good and dancing.
“Africa is going through a lot. What is inspiration? When you make Afrobeats and people dance to it and feel good, it's inspirational, isn't it? So if music is able to get you do this, it's inspirational. Inspiration doesn't have to be in the lyrics alone,” he said.
Despite its challenges, Blakk Rasta believes that Afrobeats can still be inspirational in its own way.
ID/OGB
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