REFLECTION & REASON

I've recently discovered that I fall on the conspiracy/deep-internet philosophy side of reality. This realization hit me while Beyonce was performing on Christmas day, and not one person at our family gathering was aware of my recent 'facts' about Beyonce and her boo, Shawn. Aside from the regular CP24 reporting. Thoughts and alleged facts that I'm not sharing in public print, obvi. One thing we were all able to decipher and discuss was the chatter about Luigi Mangione, as his now-public manifesto has been a popular topic of discussion both online and IRL. Discussion about health care. Power structures. The haves and have-nots. The American dream, and the political parties and oligarchs that vow to purchase our quickly fading Canadian dream too. Naturally, I thought about my own manifesto. Something I haven't yet articulated in one location. My thoughts have been expressed in various platforms, across various decades, but to date, I've only had "concepts of...

It takes many moving pieces for dancehall reggae culture to evolve and continue to be innovative. With varying levels of visibility, appeal, and entertainment value, each player has a crucial role in maintaining and sustaining the culture's history, current trajectory, and future impact. THE MUSIC The producers, musicians, selectors, songwriters, artists, and engineers. THE INDUSTRY The business managers, promoters, event organizers, record labels, streaming platforms, and distribution services. THE CULTURE Innovators like dancers and influencers. THE SUPPORTERS Investors, sponsors, organizations, media, bloggers, podcasters, and advocates. Then there is the segment of support that exists IN PRINT: in theory, in classrooms and universities, and articles. The dancehall academia, thought leaders, professors, and authors. For your reference, we have curated a list of dancehall books (non-fiction, children's, and fiction) from the last 25 years. These texts support the culture by d...

As I configure my perspectives about the public figures I receive inspiration from, this year I have tried to reconcile my approach to listening to and implementing sounds, words, and ideologies from the various voices broadcast to me. I've already given up on many of the elite musicians and Hollywood A-List types. Whether they are actually the evil do-ers they're alleged to be, or if they're unfortunately just victims of Babylon's System and a twisted form of artistic slavery, I have made an executive decision to just enjoy their music, movies, and "personas" as is: as entertainment. If I happen to be inspired along the way, then even better. Needless to say, the lyrics, performances, interviews, statements, and characters that I innocently enjoyed for decades, have been...tainted at best. The songs still hit. The movies, productions, and autobiographies are still motivational by design...but the people. The people's images have been deeply compromised. B...