Ace radio disc jock, Barry ‘Barry G’ Gordon said last week’s ‘Sting’ fiasco represents the entertainment side of the crudeness into which Jamaica has sunk, but firmly rejected suggestions he helped promote the current wave of ‘slackness’ permeating the dancehall.

Gordon, who rose to fame in the 1980s with his “Two to Six Super Mix” programme on the then JBC Radio One, was among social commentators whose views were sought by the Sunday Observer on the developments at the ‘Sting’ concert ,where deejays Ninja Man and Vybz Kartel clashed violently, precursor to the pandemonium which broke out when crowds rained missiles onstage after learning that headline act, Bounty Killer, would not perform.

“Crudeness is everywhere and Sting only represents the entertainment side,” said Gordon.

A leading promoter who asked for anonymity, saying he was fearful, blamed the disc jockey for the direction in which dancehall music is heading. “Gordon promoted this and made Yellow Man, a star. Yellow Man brought slackness to the surface, made it popular and accepted,” the promoter told the newspaper.

Asked to comment, Gordon admitted that he was influential in promoting dancehall in the 1980s, but insisted that he had distanced himself from the phenomenon when he saw the direction it was heading. “I was blamed by critics for promoting this crudeness, but Yellow Man never fought on stage, nor carried a gun, he was a gentleman.”

The Sting incident on Boxing Day set off an intense debate which, over the last week, was played out on verandahs, radio stations, in recording studios and newsrooms over the direction that dancehall was taking.

While some persons saw the incident as a glitch in the industry with possible debilitating consequences, others argued that it was a one-off situation reflecting negatively on the artistes involved and not the industry.

“This is not a sign of dancehall’s degradation, mainly that of Kartel’s naivety and disrespect for Ninja Man,” said Dr Carolyn Cooper, head of the Reggae Studies Unit at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Ishiwawa Hope, who grew up in the music industry accompanying her father dub poet and UWI folk philosopher Mutabaruka, to shows, believed that the Boxing Day stage antics would only damage both artistes’ careers. “Those two are not international artistes, so it won’t affect the industry abroad.”

Most of those interviewed by the Sunday Observer blamed Sting’s failure on the promoters who allowed bottles into the venue. They also largely agreed that ending Sting would not solve the problem of Jamaica’s degeneration into violence.

“Sting has some memorable moments and stopping it will not change anything, it needs better management,” remarked Oku Onoura, dub poet and promoter.

Clinton Hutton, lecturer at UWI’s government department, said that he attended Sting in its second year and decided against a re-visit because of the ‘vibes’, but was unsure if the event could rebound from the latest clash.

Mutabaruka, Hutton and Gordon agreed that Jamaican society was cruder than decades before, pointing particularly to the under-25 age group which was described as extremely crude.

“The violence of the 60s, 70s and 80s has negatively impacted our Jamaican males who now have a vulgar perception of masculinity. So a simple thing as a verbal clash, which is part of our African heritage, is taken overboard and Vybz Kartel has to prove that he is the bigman,” commented Hutton.

Ibo Cooper, former band mate of premier reggae group Third World, now music teacher at Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts, argued that verbal sparring was part of our inherited culture.

Hutton suggested that a cleanup of the entire Jamaican society would spill over into the dancehall culture, noting that much of what was wrong with Jamaican society was reflected in Kartel’s hit song, Tek Buddy Gal. The single was number seven last week on Mega Jamz top 20 list, after only two weeks on the chart. He also has four other songs on the chart.

Ibo predicted that the song, which is currently riding a wave in the dancehalls and enjoying massive radio play through its edited version,”is gimmickry made popular because of it circus nature, but is bound to experience a short life span”.

Agreeing, Mutabaruka labelled the current dancehall music as “toilet paper music”.

The outspoken Mutabaruka declared that the Jamaican society had been “stinging for a long time” and renamed the Sting concert “Fling”. He expected sales of Sting videos to be “massive this year because of the brawl”.

Dr Cooper shared the view of those who charged that the fight was staged. “It seems more like a premeditated set up,” she said, suggesting that the two daily newspapers were in on the act. “It is very suspicious that both papers had the same headline. They sensationalise the violence and the rest of media pushes the hype.”

Ibo, who defends dancehall, citing its entertainment value and calling those who criticise it stupid, said that the fight was tragic, mainly because it detracted from the fun which dancehall represents. He lauded Elephantman as the DJ who brought fun and dance back into the dancehall.

Hutton, however, had a view of Elephantman, known as the ‘Energy god’, as part of the problem. “His song with the lines bad man doan bathe wid dem baby modda rag and shotta clothes doan wash wid gal underwear, perpetuates this rough view of masculinity.”