Reggae artiste Kingseyes believes

that local artistes have lost some of their significance because of the current

trend towards producing songs that glorify trigger-pulling, misogyny and

the sexual exploitation of women.

He noted that in the past, the Jamaican

culture and music had a major impact on the world, as acts like Gregory Isaacs,

Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley were loved for their message.

“People still listen to music

coming out of Jamaica in Africa. Unfortunately, violence glorification and

dancehall pornography is the Jamaican culture that is mostly being exported to

that part of the world,” Kingseyes said.

Technological innovations aside,

Kingseyes believes that Jamaicans need to recognise the dynamics of their niche

market, and return to the roots so that the product sounds authentically

Jamaican instead of like “Jamaican-sounding songs on poorly produced

hybrid hip hop rhythms”

“Most producers in Jamaica are producing rhythms that people can’t dance to even though they could do the same and maybe do it even better,” said Kingseyes, who recently released the music video for his song called All I Want to Do Is Party.

“To those who think people are doing, taking, or using the music and not acknowledging the source, please tell me how would Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran sound like if it was sang by Charly Black and the beat was produced in Jamaica? Can someone imagine how Work from Rihanna would sound like if the dancehall queen Spice sang it? I don’t think even Richie Stephens would have sampled his old work had they asked him to produce that song. What I’m trying to say is: How do we expect the world to know that some things are from Jamaica, if the Jamaicans don’t claim it by using what is rightfully theirs?”