MUSIC aficionados, members of the media and the music fraternity were constantly reminded of the holistic concept on which Rebel Salute was established as the 17th renewal of that popular cultural showcase was launched in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel on Tuesday evening.

Speaker after speaker at the well-attended event, extolled the virtue of the positive approach taken by Flames Production in the promotion of reggae music that has characterised Rebel Salute since its inception in 1994.

Wearing a different, lighter hat, Minister of Agriculture Dr Christopher Tufton — in whose constituency the cultural fiesta unfolds at the Port Kaiser Sports Club in St Elizabeth on January 16 — stressed that music has a critical role to play and leadership requires us to buck the trend when the trend is going in the wrong direction. “Rebel Salute does that,” Minister Tufton observed.

“One of the things I believe Rebel Salute does, and has done over the years …it has maintained a position that is clearly based on a conviction of what is right, despite the trends, despite what else is happening in the society. And we need that type of leadership in today’s Jamaica to move us forward,” the guest speaker also said to rousing applause.

Recognising the widespread support from home and abroard for this musical product, Tony Rebel, founder of Flames Productions, organisers of the music festival, defended the theme around which the product is built.

Rebel highlighted the decline in sales of music and, without calling names, mentioned the fact that a lot of artistes are being barred from entering certain countries. He was cheered when he said, “A long time we a warn and tell the people dem sey, the precedence weh Bob Marley and the original people dem set abroad…all over the world, we fi make sure we maintain that.”

More applause was to come when he added: “You can’t preach violence in music and expect the people of Germany to accept it. Because Hitler already show them what violence is. You cannot teach the French and the Americans about sex. A dem mek it. What they love about us, is when them going through hardship and terrible times dem hear ‘don’t worry about a ting’. That is what they want…And the next thing too, sometimes we’re trying to follow some people who were already following us. We set the trend with Daddy U Roy and the hip hop generation tek wi ting and most time we behave as if we are following them. And we are not saying that you must not merge and you must not combine and all of that. But you see what make you what you are don’t leave it, a di original, a di foundation. So mi want tell all a you sey … don’t apologise for endorsing and loving and support the real authentic side of Jamaica music,” he said.

According to Rebel, the line-up of the 2010 staging of Rebel Salute includes the London-based Steel Pulse, Queen Ifrica, Tarrus Riley, Etana, Capleton, Alaine, Marion Hall (aka Lady Saw), Sasco (aka Assassin), Richie Spice, I-Octane, Brown Sugar, Stream, Romain Virgo, Noddy Virtue, Hezron, Bugle, Ras Penco, I-Wayne, Gramps Morgan (from Morgan Heritage), Jah Mason, Stevie Face, Chevaughn and C Sharp, Freddie McGregor, Junior Murvin, Singing Melody, Leroy Gibbons, Daddy U-Roy, Pinchers, Peter Metro, Ronnie Davis of the Itals’ fame from which a member David Isaacs died recently, and many others.