Ovadose: Stop producing music that promotes violence

Up-and-coming dancehall artiste Ovadose has lashed out against his fellow recording artistes who have continued to produce music laced with violent lyrics amid the growing crime rate.

The entertainer, who is particularly concerned with the wave of crime that has recently swept over Clarendon and Montego Bay, is imploring entertainers to do better.

"People listen when we speak. We are entertainers, but we must also remember that we are the voice of society," he said. "Our kids, Black brothers and sisters, are crying out to be heard. We need to start setting an example by reaching out to the criminal elements with our music, to end the senseless bloodshedding that's going on in our country."

Ovadose says he is well aware that his colleagues will argue that music is an art form and violent lyrics are just another form of expression, and that they mean no harm.

But he said that music is never completely harmless.

"Some a di man them quick to say that music is just music and don't have negative impact on people. So how come when Vybz Kartel say Clarks, all of Jamaica start buy Clarks?" he questioned. "Isn't that influence? So how you a guh tell me that music don't influence people? And when one of dem do a one positive song, dem same one promote it, claiming they are trying to make a positive change. If dem nuh believe music have no influence, how dem a go believe it will have an impact on people when dem do positive songs?"

He noted that while it would be unfair to try and stifle an individual's art form by placing bans on certain songs, he wants the entertainers themselves to take the initiative to hold off on releasing songs with a certain connotation.

"Releasing violent content and criminal music in this climate is like having sex in church - the timing is wrong," he said. "What you are doing is adding fuel to the fire and providing a soundtrack for the criminals."

Instead of glorifying guns and crime, he suggested that there are more pressing issues artistes can sing about, like the raping and murdering of children and women, and the constant slaughtering of Jamaican men.