Junior Banton

BERLIN, Germany:

Junior Banton, one of the rising home-grown stars on the German reggae and dancehall scene, says the social, economic and cultural disparity between Jamaica and Germany has not prevented white artistes like himself from gaining a voice in the European market.

The situation on the ground in both countries is very different. While Jamaica is teeming with shantytowns densely populated by disadvantaged urban youth, poverty is not necessarily the iconic status of dancehall patrons on Germany's club scene. Gangster lyrics glorifying guns and the 'rude boy' persona doesn't resonate as strongly with German youths as with the islanders, who survived more than 1,600 homicides in 2008. That doesn't mean that dancehall won't elicit 'booyaka' or other 'forwards' at a joint in Continental Europe.

Cultural divide

Banton says despite the cultural divide, the underlying message of positivity - or 'livity' - is the core value that interweaves Jamaican and German music.

"It's not so easy to take Jamaica to Germany to say Germany is the same place like Jamaica, considering the ghetto and how poor people live and the Rasta t'ing,' Banton told The Gleaner in an interview at the Cassiopeia nightclub in the Freidrichhain district of Berlin, Germany, in the wee hours of Sunday.

"But in Germany, it works because of the transportation of the message and the message is universal. The message of betterment, goodness, of positivity, all the positive things that Jamaican artistes express.

"Of course, in Germany, you can't sing about guns, about certain things that are the reality in Jamaica, but through all that struggle, the artiste expresses a positive way of life and thinking and consciousness."

Junior Banton doesn't walk with the signature swagger of Jamaican deejays. His Patois accent is almost 100 per cent authentic, but his speech is measured, perhaps an indication that clear pronunciation and proximity to standard English are critical for access to German youths. His reserved, laid-back demeanour contrasts with the flash and hype of the movers and shakers in the Caribbean island.

Club gigs

The singer, who partners mainly with sound systems in club gigs, explained that sourcing robust support from international recording companies is still an uphill task for most reggae and dancehall practitioners here. The grim economic reality of the industry, said Banton, forces the majority of performers to self-produce, which sometimes compromises the quality of the music.

Junior Banton, who said emceeing and singing with sound systems was never part of his original career path, is working on dropping an album, but didn't give a timeline for release. He's collaborating with Jamaica-based Scorcher, hoping that this move could be the launching pad for his music.

For Banton, cultivating links with 'Yard' is key to crafting a genuine brand of reggae.

"Jamaica is still the origin and foundation for it. It's the place where the creativity and the things happen," he said.

andre.wright@gleanerjm.com