Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

The line "We nah tun Rasta fe shot a Europe" from Konshens' song Rasta Imposter speaks to his decision not to grow dreadlocks to appeal to a white audience.

However, there is a wider issue behind this personal stance. There is the worldwide perception of Jamaica's music, represented by the conscious revolutionary Rastafarian with his message of peace and love.

Bob Marley's world-renowned anthem, One Love, was the introduction to Jamaican music for many around the world, and the 'Jamaica no problem' moniker reflects the idea which millions of foreigners have of the island.

However, that is beginning to change, and the critics are blaming the dancehall artistes, with their hard-core lyrics glorifying the gangster life, homophobic brutality, and reckless sexual prowess.

Now the 'Jamaica no problem' has been changed to 'Jamaica the land of the wicked', and the critics say much of that is based on the perception caused by dancehall music.

"With the death of Bob Marley came the rise of Yellowman. That is where the music took the wrong turn," veteran music producer Mikey Barnett argued at a recent Gleaner Editors' Forum.

He charged that music defined a country, and Jamaica "is one of the few countries with a defined music on the world stage".

One of the greats of Jamaica's music, Toots Hibbert, has been touring for more than 40 years and Andrea Davis, who has been associated with him for about a quarter of that time, has seen the reaction to his message.

Established a presence

"The whole core of his message is love," Davis told The Sunday Gleaner following the editors' forum.

According to Davis, Hibbert and other performers, such as Marley, Burning Spear, Jimmy Cliff and Culture, have established a presence which goes far beyond their physical reach.

In terms of the country, Davis said: "Given that one of our most famous tag lines is 'One Love', that is very much part of our image. When people come to Jamaica, what they find is a very warm and loving people despite the news reports.

"It is possible to find that energy in the people, and that is what has kept us in the game."

Dissapointment

However, the international homosexual community has expressed disappointment with some dancehall music, which it says, shows that the country has shifted from the 'One Love' image.

For Davis, while there has been a change in the international perception of Jamaica, this is attributable to not only dancehall, but also to news reports on violent incidents in Jamaica.

"The level of violence in Jamaica has been a standard concern for a while," added Davis.

But even as the debate rages over whether the music is affecting Jamaica's image, one young dancehall artiste is questioning why the image of the United States is not being defined by the violent lyrics and sometimes violent clashes of some of its performers.

"American rappers talk about killing people every day, including their mothers, and nobody says that makes the US a violent country," the young artiste said while asking that his name be withheld.