I must congratulate Ian Boyne on a very relevant topic in his article, 'The Gully-Gaza war'. For too long these perpetrators of negative dancehall music have used the excuse of 'dancehall reflecting society' to justify their lyrics. I have always wondered why persons who claim they love ghetto youths and want to see upliftment would turn around and tell another ghetto youth to pump bullets through his fellow brother. There is just no way this can be explained.

Of course, we can agree that violence existed way before dancehall music but, as he rightly said, the negative lyrics serve to add fuel to the fire. I am saying this as a concerned Jamaican and also one who has suffered loss due to the effects of this 'negative dancehall music'. My cousin was murdered a week ago by thugs whom he knew - people he interacted with on a daily basis, who were carrying out a robbery.

Brutally slain

He was brutally slain and when one of the suspects' phone was called and it went straight to voicemail there was a chilling greeting, a song courtesy of one of the dancehall artistes. The young man went on to recite the song in full, with all seriousness. Some of the lines were 'me nuh fraid a nuhbody ... rifle deh beside a me'. When I heard it, all I could do was shake my head and feel sorry for him.

This only goes to show that youths are violent, yes, but are also encouraged by the lyrics they hear in this negative type of music. It really has to stop and we should all be concerned.

I am, etc.,

MELLISA WALKER

mel_walker1988@yahoo.com