Dancehall set to ‘blow up’ in a big way, says Hanna

The Minister of Youth and Culture the Honourable Lisa Hanna, MP, has said that Jamaica’s music, particularly dancehall, was set to make another major impact on the world through the ingenuity and innovation of the promoters of Sting.

 

According to Miss Hanna, social media and television were providing new exposure and new young fans to the genre, which will have an impact on the global popularity of Dancehall music.

 

6 million viewers

 

Minister Hanna noted, “Whether or not you agree with the lyrics, the fact is that if you look on YouTube now, Charly Black’s (and J Capri) Whine & Kotch has more than 6 million viewers. If you look on Konshens with Gal A Bubble, more than 2 million viewers, so dancehall is going to blow up in a way that you’ve never seen before.”

 

She noted that while on her visit to Paris recently, she witnessed hundreds of francophone youth dancing and singing, word for word, the lyrics of popular dancehall act, Aidonia, among others.

 

The Minister was speaking at the recent launch of the annual Boxing Day dancehall concert, Sting.

 

The concert is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

 

Minister Hanna hailed Sting’s longevity and congratulated the promoters for ensuring that for the first time, the concert experience will be available to a global audience via pay-per-view.

 

She said, “the global telecast will have exponential benefits to the country, as persons will be able to see, in real time, our culture, fashion and entertainment venues. This exposure could be transformative to the earning potential of performers and promoters and, ultimately, could lead to the creation of new avenues for cultural and creative revenue.”

 

For the original report go to http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20131128/ent/ent5.html