The battle between lawmen and gangsters climaxed in the streets of Kingston this week… Saturday Hustle uses music to tell that story.

No Guns To Town, Natty King

Rastafarian singer Natty King’s No Guns presents a conscious effort to criticise violence and instead embrace unity and love.

August Town, Etana

August Town might be far from the volatile Downtown Kingston (the nucleus of the outbursts), but reggae songstress Etana’s experiences within the community in which she was raised tells a similar tale of brutality.

Concrete Jungle, Bob Marley

Perhaps Marley was being prophetic when he penned the still-poignant Concrete Jungle. “No sun will shine in my day today…darkness has covered my light/ And has changed my day into night.”

911, Wyclef Jean featuring Mary J Blige

There’s something intrinsically beautiful about this urbane track; perhaps it’s the duality of meaning. In one sense the song describes the danger of falling in love with an outlaw, and in another, the danger of love itself. “If death comes to me tonight, girl/ I want you to know that I love you… So tell the police I aint home tonight/Messing around with you is gonna get me life.”

Five-O, Elephant Man featuring Wyclef and P Diddy

The term “Five-O” is code for police on the street, so it was no surprise when, using the ‘Bad Boy’ analogy, dancehall star Elephant Man collaborated with ‘Clef and his boss Diddy to warn that “the boys in blue were coming”.

“Search, search, search, but they can’t find nothin… My lawyer got me off now I’m sittin’ in somethin’,” toasts Ele on the track.

Anytime, Bounty Killer

“Police out a road dem a fight crime… Corruption and war a go reach its prime,” sings Bounty on the track which became the anthem for the oppressed. There you go, need we say more?