Yes! Dancehall has negative effects on youths in Jamaica.

Studies have shown that graphical lyrical

music can impact adolescent sexual and violent behavior (Crawford 2010). Dancehall music tends
to contain explicit sexual content that continuously encourages violence and promiscuity in
adolescents and even adults. This genre of music is a vital part of the Jamaican society economically
and culturally but over the years has proven to be more negative than positive. Consequently, skin
bleaching and oral sex has become predominantly acceptable for young adults. The practice of
bleaching was long before dancehall but skyrocketed when the popular dJ vybz Kartel sang about it,
it was promoted using dancehall as a medium. This negative influence can even be proven with the
huge sales received from songs encouraging bleaching. The ardent attention received from
bleaching dancehall songs had almost every school boy and girl toning their faces. Dancehall music
can also be seen in the same light as alcohol, very addictive and linked to sexual activities. Oral sex
was once said to be an American culture only. Now it has become widely accepted in Jamaica.
Since popular artiste Kartel and many others encouraged this sexual behavior and praised it in their
lyrics both young and old people began embracing it openly. The song Freaky gyal hit number 1 on
charts which later led to adolescent girls piercing their tongues and men openly displaying their like
and acceptance for oral sex. It has been noticed also that when people drink alcohol they tend to
want to have sex, just like listening to dancehall music. Many would say they get high off this type of
lyrics which mostly contains sexual content. Dancehall music has a way of plaguing the mind. I can
attest to that, whenever I listen to dancehall music a certain vibe is felt which puts one in a certain
sexual mood. According to an author, lyrical contents of dancehall genre have the potential to
impact the brain, and affect emotional behavior in humans, especially for the young people.
(Crawford 2010)

Popular dj Vybz Kartel before and after Bleaching

In dancehall today, if an artiste is not singing about sex it is about violence, its very rare when
positive lyrics are promoted. The violent lyrics that these songs portray are very influential in the
lives of adolescents. Some teens demonstrate the actual violent scenes portrayed in the musical
content which increases the crime rate in Jamaica. Gangsters nuh walk wid knife, only Aks and
forty-fives, song by artiste, David Movado Brooks is a prime example. This can be linked to teens
going to school with knifes but later transferring to guns for protection. They are often a part of
crews which is connected to gang violence. The lyrics which glorify the use of illegal guns and
supports violent behavior contributes to the deterioration of our nation. Dancehall artistes needs to
realize that they are seen as role models and their music has great influence in the lives of both young
and old people. If they should lessen the graphic violence and degrading sexual content in their
music it would be safe to say a positive change will definitely be seen in the Jamaican society.

Our youths minds has been corrupted from the impact of dance hall.

Reference
Crawford AD. The effects of dancehall genre on adolescent sexual and violent behavior in Jamaica: A
public health concern. North Am J Med Sci 2010; 2: 143-145.
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16 Responses to Dancehall has negative effects on

Jamaican youth. I agree!

1.

expressyyuhselfMarch 26, 2012 at 10:40 pm #

I so agree with everything that you have said and what is so funny is that they do not consider what
they are doing as any form of impact on the persons who are listening to their music.
REPLY

britneyNovember 17, 2013 at 12:50 am #

i need the full name of the author and the year it was wriiten to put in my project , lit review
AsAp!!!!!
REPLY

Safiya WhiteNovember 28, 2013 at 3:20 am #

My name is Safiya White
I wrote this 2013

Safiya WhiteMarch 15, 2014 at 5:12 am #

Correction 2012 sorry:(
Based on research conducted by A.D. Crawford from results obtained it was found that
females gravitated to sexually explicit lyrical content while on the other hand males are
more inclined to lyrical contents that were conscious and others gravitated to violent.
However, both males and females responded similarly to lyrical content of expletive
language.

The promotion of sexual behaviors from a young stage.

One cannot therefore reject the fact that Dancehall indeed has negative effects on youths
within Jamaica since it helps promotes their sex drive and violent behaviors based on the
lyrical contents of the songs they listen to.
In concluding one can only say that dancehall plays and integral role in the lifes of
individuals in society which is affecting it negatively because they are highly influenced by
the dancehall industry however, it is leading to a downfall in society where the youths are
concerned. Therefore, there is indeed a relationship between hardcore dancehall genre and
the sexual and violent behavior of youths.
REFERENCES:
Crawford.A.D, (2010 March).The effects of dancehall genre on adolescent sexual and violent
behavior in Jamaica: A public health concern,North American Journal of Medical Sciences,
Volume 2. No. 3, retrieved March 13, 2012
fromhttp://vle.bcatja.com/file.php/6/Readings_for_CAT_1000/dancehall_effects_and_adolesce
nt_sexual_and_violent_behaviour.pdf
Dancehall Culture: How does it affect our children?, retrieved
from:http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/oppression-afrikans-culturally/38951-dancehallculture-how-does-affect-our-children.html
Watson.J, (April 2, 2008). Dance Hall Music and Jamaican Society, Yardvybz, retrieved
March 14,2012 fromhttp://www.yardflex.com/archives/002444.html

Dance Hall Music and Jamaican Society

By Webmin on April 2, 2008 12:36 PM 40 Comments

By: Jodi-Kaye Watson

Dance Hall music is a vital part of Jamaican society. What would Jamaica be without dance hall music?
It is unimaginable. Although dance hall music is an important aspect of the Jamaican society this genre
of music has proven to bring about both positive and negative effects on Jamaica.

Economically, dance hall music contributes to the

National Income of
Jamaica. Tourists are drawn to Jamaica because of our
music. When tourists visit Jamaica they bring in foreign
exchange that helps in the growth of the Jamaican
economy. Many of our artists contribute to the economy
in the form of taxes. Several of our dancehall artistes
have charity programmes and help in the building of
community centers. This is referred to as Social
Responsibility.
Whether you are a fan of dancehall music or not you
will still come in
contact with it. Dancehall music is everywhere in Jamaica. You may hear it while travelling in buses or
taxes, while walking down the street and just about anywhere. For a genre that is so popular in society
why has it been having so many negative impacts on society?
Some dancehall artistes promote violence. This can lead to an increase in criminal activities in
Jamaica. Some of these lyrics make it seem
acceptable to just hurt or kill someone without showing any remorse. It has also been alleged that
some artists have been involved in some of these criminal activities.
What some of these artistes fail to realize is that they are role
models. Men, women, boys and girls look up to them. When will some of
them realize how influential their lyrics are? Just imagine a Jamaica with only positive and uplifting
music? Crimes will decrease and then we can truly say "SWEET SWEET JAMICA".
Teenage Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases are on the
continuous increase in Jamaica. Teenagers seem to be having more sexual relationships than adults.
Promiscuous behaviours that are taking over this beautiful island have become one of many reasons for
an overwhelming increase in the number of HIV/AIDS and STD cases.
Some of these dancehall lyrics promote immoral acts. Women nowadays no
longer seem to be concerned with establishing relationships or marriages before "sleeping" with men.
Many women are guilty of having "one night stands" (unprotected).
Although the guys are involved we truly can't blame them. If women
respected themselves men would show them respect. If dancehall music was to address and speak out
against these behaviours it is safe to say there could be a decrease in the number of teenage
pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Whilst there is a negative side to how dancehall music impacts on the
Jamaican society it has also brought about positive impacts. Some lyrics of our dancehall artists uplift
men and women in society. They often push ghetto people and people in general to be strong and never
give up regardless of the situation. Some lyrics stress the importance of education and encourage
children to stay in school. Kartel has a song titled "school girl," where he encourages school girls not to
have sex in buses and to put their education first.
Our dancehall artists are extremely talented. They have the power to
encourage, uplift and influence the actions of those who come in contact with their music. They need
to unite and take a stand against
counter-productive vibes!

http://littlejulliet.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/dancehall-has-negative-effects-on-jamaicanyouth/SAMMY ZONE Music plays an important role in the development of young people. The
different elements of music such as its lyrical content can evoke different emotions and
impact on physical behaviour. Dancehall music is very popular in Jamaican society. It is
heard numerously all across the island whether in public transportation, homes and even in
schools.
Jamaican youths are easily attracted to this genre by its rhythm, beats and lyrical content.
Dancehall artists have continued to portray sexual images, violence, aggressive behaviours,
smoking, promiscuity and the promotion of alcohol and skin bleaching in the lyrics of their
songs. According to Manning 2008, these contents have the potential to impact the brain
and influence emotional behaviour in humans especially among adolescents. As a result of
hearing dancehall music very often, they seem less of a nuisance and more of a norm to
adolescents. In a study conducted in 2008, 30% males and 50% females said that they
sometimes heard the music in their heads while focusing on other things. It has become
prevalent within their subconscious.

Songs like Movados Neva Believe yuh and Vybz Kartels Dumper Truck depict lewd
images of how women in particular and men should behave.

Is this what we want our teens to be emulating? Backing it up on each other to loud music
in public displaying sexual behaviours. Artists fail to take responsibility for their strong
influence on the nations youth. Women are also degraded in these songs; referring to
women as Gyal in a demeaning and derogatory manner.
Parents play your role and educate your children. Monitor their behaviours and ensure that
they maintain a level of respect for themselves and towards others.

References
Crawford A.D. (2010) The effects of dancehall genre on adolescent sexual and violent
behaviour in Jamaica: A public health concern. North American Journal of Medical Sciences;
2: 143-145
Forbes M. A (2010) Music Media and Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica. Arawak Publications;
1st Edition.

Music, Media and Adolescent Sexuality

Marcia A. Forbes (2010) Music, Media and Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica. Arawak Publications:
Kingston, Jamaica.
Reviewed by Elsa A. Leo-Rhynie CD, PhD (Univ. of West Indies)
The information explosion of the late 20th century coincided with a technology revolution and
heralded a new century in which the worlds population is bombarded by messages of all sorts,
through a variety of media. These messages are powerful because of the creative new media
technologies carrying them and the appeal they have to individuals in different demographic
categories based on factors such as age, gender and social class.
Marcia Forbes, in her very comprehensive investigation, has targeted messages in music videos
which communicate with their audience in visual as well as auditory modes. The particular audience
she has selected to explore is Jamaican adolescents of both sexes, and her focus is on the sexual
feelings, opinions, attitudes and behaviour which are associated with their exposure to music videos.
The research which was conducted for a doctoral degree was carried out with the necessary
academic rigour, and is methodologically sound. The result is a publication which will be of value to
the entire academic community and which should be required reading for students pursuing a variety
of university courses, but certainly those in education, sociology and media. It should also be
appealing to many audiences the curious adolescent, the caring parent, the conscientious
educator, the committed media practitioner, the dedicated social worker and the concerned citizen as
well as policy makers who should find this book invaluable as a reference point in the design of
educational and developmental programmes for children and youth.
The author, noting that adolescents .voraciously consumed the messages contained in music
videos which feature expletives, partial nudity and sexual content which could be described as soft
porn, skillfully probed the views of her sample of 543 Jamaican youth, ages 10 to 18 years. She
used focus groups and interviews in both urban and rural centres across Jamaica in order to
determine adolescents consumption of (number of hours spent watching) music videos as well as
various outcomes from this consumption. The data collected are rich and have been analyzed and
presented in chapters, each of which has been carefully constructed to address the major concerns
of this research investigation.
One of the most interesting chapters of the book contains the testimonies of the adolescents In their
own Words (the author provides translations where the spoken words in Jamaican patois may be
difficult to understand). It is here that the reader is able to appreciate the textured nature of the
response which such music messages generate and the behavioural implications. The videos do not
merely provide models of dance for the adolescents, but also dictate fashion, provide new norms
for male/female sexual relationships, inform gender interactions and encourage the persistence of
patriarchy. The chapter includes interesting opinions from the sample to the explicit sexual content
and slackness in the lyrics and images to which they are exposed.
The investigation also explores the role of family and the church in the consumption of music videos
by adolescents. Family restrictions and the teachings of the church do seem to moderate this
consumption to some extent, but the influence does not seem to be significant and is greatest in
younger adolescents. This is troubling as the findings point to heavy consumption of music videos
being associated with risky sexual behaviour, permissive attitudes re multiple sex partners, and an
inability to effectively differentiate between reality and fantasy in what is portrayed. Of interest also is

the section in which adolescents report that music videos stimulate their sexual desire, and the
effects of such stimulation.
The students, on the whole, viewed music videos in a positive light. Across the social class groups
there were expressions of the positive impact music videos had had on the adolescents lives, and
several respondents cited these videos as having contributed to the resilience they possess and the
positive directions in which they see their lives going. A number of performers were identified as role
models and the girls, in particular, identified with popular female performers. Forbess investigation
demonstrates that Jamaican adolescents are not unique in their opinions and attitudes as they are
part of a globalized youth culture consuming a culture of sex which is linked by social networks and
music videos and this makes the content of this book highly relevant to persons interacting with
adolescents in any culture.
The author not only clearly and comprehensively sets out the problems and issues associated with
consumption of music videos by adolescents; she also offers suggestions as to how the negative
factors associated with this culture can be addressed. The book is an excellent addition to the
literature on adolescents and media, and fills a gap which has existed for decades.
Elsa Leo-Rhynie is a former Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies
(UWI) Mona Campus. Her career in education has included stints as high school teacher, Lecturer
and Senior Lecturer in the UWI School of Education as well as Professor of Gender and
Development Studies, Pro Vice Chancellor and Chair of the Board for Undergraduate Studies and
Deputy Principal of the Mona Campus, UWI. She also served as Executive Director of the Institute of
Management & Production (IMP) which is now part of the University College of the Caribbean. She
was named Professor Emerita by the UWI following her retirement in 2007.
Professor Leo-Rhynies academic interests centre on education and gender and she has researched
and published extensively in these areas. She currently sits on a number of Boards and Foundations
which advocate for and support educational initiatives. She was awarded the national honour of
Officer of Distinction (Commander Class) in 2000.