JAMAICA-BORN New York-based radio disc jock Dwayne ‘Lava’ Beswick believes the recent call to ban dancehall music from Barbados’s airwaves is utter hypocrisy.

“Dancehall has been getting a fight from day one. Calypso (is) slack, but they’re not calling to ban that. Dancehall music will always be here,” he told the strong>Jamaica Observer from his New York base.

Beswick, a top-flight radio jock on New York’s Linkage Radio and owner of sound system Lava Sound, was responding to pronouncements by Barbados Culture Minister Stephen Lashley who linked dancehall music to “reckless behaviour”. The minister cited a connection with the music and that country’s growing crime rate.

The disc jock drew parallels between art imitating life.

“People sing about what they see. It’s because dancehall music comes from Jamaica, it gets a bigger fight. Look at hip hop, there’s no call to ban it,” he said.

Hailing from August Town/Hermitage community in Kingston, Beswick migrated to New York in 1997. He did several radio gigs before landing a three-day slot on Linkage Radio. Airing on frequency 101.5 FM and linkageradio.com, the station covers Bronx and Westchester County which has a huge Caribbean population.

“We play whatever is hot in the streets…We don’t discriminate, dancehall, soca, hip hop, soul, gospel and R&B. I have three programmes weekly: Throw Back Thursdays; Ledda Belt Saturdays; and Sore Foot Saturdays. My programmes are popular and I have a large chunk of the Caribbean community locked, especially the females. Any artiste who stop in New York has to visit my station,” he said.

A former student of Holy Trinity High in Kingston, Beswick said from a career in music was inevitable.

“I used to save my lunch money and buy cassettes in front of the arcade in downtown Kingston. I aslo started a sound system called Serious Gold in my community.”

Today, the sound system owner said he has gigs lined up throughout the entire summer.

“Lava Sound is booked every week for the rest of the summer. We have dates in Virginia, Philly, Connecticut, Boston and (New) Jersey,” he said.

Asked his view on the state of dancehall music, Beswick said Jamaican entertainers need to educate themselves on the legal side of music.

“Musicians need to know about credits and publishing. You have to have your credits on your music. And follow the paperwork, it is very important,” he said.

— Brian Bonitto