Post by Admin on May 1, 2014 12:59:08 GMT -4
What's going on in another culture
MANY have weighed in on the 'social decay' that has made Jamaica one of the most violent countries in the world.
Politicians, academics and roadside sociologists have had their say. Singer Hu'manuwah has thrown his hat in the ring with his latest song.
On Indomitable Soul (Don't Give Up), he takes a jab at the negative forces he believes are driving the arts and popular culture.
"The creative arts control yuh, it's like hypnotism. It can be destructive, especially when yuh are young an' there's no one to guide yuh," he said.
Without giving names, Hu'manuwah argued that negative elements are prevalent in academia, dancehall music and on local radio. Their influence, he believes, has contributed to widespread delinquency among teens and young adults.
Although he recorded Indomitable Soul to empower misguided youth, he says it is "applicable to everyone... I want to reach all ages".
The self-produced track is released by Hu'manuwah's Soul Journey Universal Records label. While he has been recording since "way back", his productions have been sporadic.
According to Hu'manuwah, that's because he does not conform with a policy that has dominated Jamaican music for decades.
"Mi nuh waan dey pon nuh 'riddim' wey every man dey pon. There's no longevity in it," he said.
Hu'manuwah (Prince-Emmanuel Smith) is from the Waterhouse community of Kingston, a working-class area with a rich musical heritage.
For most of his career, he has done songs that honour the Waterhouse roots tradition. Earlier songs include Grow Spiritually and Greater Than for French company Makasounds, and Earth is a School, which was produced by Sheldon 'Collie Bud' Stewart.
C
