He that dwelleth in the place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. They that dwelleth in dancehall, shall abide under the evils that follow dancehall. Music and dance has been our being even before we were slaves, as slaves it was told from one master to another to allow us our time to dance and sing as that brought contentment to our hearts and made it easier on the plantation masters. Easier on them because we were content enough to work the way in which they wanted us to work, content enough not to rebel, content enough to settle with the ills that slavery brought. Song and dance has always been our expression, education and praise , there is no way we could part with it even if we tried. The more we became free, the more we sang and danced, we began not only to congregate , educate and recreate through dance, but also to de-humanize, demoralize each other through the same music that we used to hypnotize ourselves to contentment through.
Dancehall moved from the street corner to ball rooms and into the queens closet.. Moved from poor people fun time to wanna be rich ppl showtime . Dancehall has become is a silent disgrace, everyone is afraid to talk about the evil that has befallen lives through dancehall.
– There are the ones who leave there children to rally behind every sound system
leaving their young babies at home in bed while they become hypnotized not only to the music but the sex selling that has also invaded dancehall.
– People become addicted without realising what to, they dont know if its the music or the people, but they are unable to stop going.
To support the lifestyle, that rose from poverty , the lifestyle of buttering/clutching was introuduced. I mention this because it seems to me as if this is where our serious ills began. Here are people who are in dancehall wearing clothes that they are not working to afford but go out of their way to get. They steal with their children, teach their children to steal, sell food stamps in order to buy the stealings from another butterah/clutcher in order to be the ”looker of the night”.
These same children whose parents put their pictures in the videos to make it seem as if they are good parents.
-Mother leaves home around 2 am everynight, goes partying, leaves the 10 year old in charge of the brood. That 10 year old has to take care of the other sibblings, while mommy dolls up and goes out for the night, and maybe comes home with a man she meets from the dance that night. What they seem not to realise is that these people who were dancehall babies before cripple not only themselves, but their generations.
- A child you leave home to go partying, you do not love. Not even for a second, a child you teach to steal you must surely hate. That child you come home to from a dance you dont dress them for school because you are too tired to even open your eye to give them a cup of tea.. That child becomes their own mother. You must not really care!
- There is a very popular lady on the New York scene who had a son who died years ago, he was shot I doubt she remembers his burial spot, but remembers every party there is . She now has grand children and a son who was in and out of homes because till now, she hasnt realised that she played no role as a mother. Even if you go home and try to discipline your child away from dancehall and the ills, it may not work. Children live what they learn, they grow old and become what you are. The dance ”tehteh” who was once afraid of stealing but now steals to survive. Nothing has ever became of anyone who is/was a dancehall ”tehteh”, they raise children who adore them in their childhood but despise them in their adolosence. Despise them because they finally figured out what Mom really was. Promiscuous, thief who not only stole clothes but stole the youth of their offspring. A thief who stole for the zeal and status that their theft brought.
- Almost everyone who is in dancehall has had an A.C.S /B.C.W. case, one of their ”friends” called the city on them. A/C.S most often than not, finds a case, and why? It is because there is always a case, and the same friend who calls, is doing the same thing to her children or knew what you were doing was wrong, but will only call A.C.S when the friendship has gone awry. Your children are all you have , dancehall will not be there forever , but your children will be the ones to feed and bathe you when you are too old to lift your hands. The life you are teaching them, are sending them to prison for life, and shortening their days on earth . There will be no one to help you when you need someone, no dance, no crew and no man.
- Life if lived long enough will dim, your vagina will no longer attract money making men, your body will sag and wrinkle and your eyes will finally open about what life is all about, when all those things you thought you were good are gone. Then those who you realise are important, will remind you that they were once unimportant to you..THE CHILDREN OF DANCEHALL