ENGLISH LANGUAGE

SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT

Candidate's Name: Shay-Ann Francis

Candidate's Number: 100157
Centre Name: Garvey Maceo High School
Centre Number: 100157
Teacher's Name: Ms. Lewis
Territory: Jamaica
Year of Submission: 2023
Theme: Dancehall Music
Topic: Impact of Dancehall Music on Crime and Violence
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Plan of Investigation…………………………………………………………….

Artifact 1………………………………………………………………………….

Artifact 2………………………………………………………………………….

Artifact 3………………………………………………………………………….

Reflection 1……………………………………………………………………...

Reflection 2…………………………………………………………...………….

Reflection 3……………………………………………………………………….

Group Report………………………………………………………………...……

Artifacts for Group Report……………………………………………………….

Oral Presentation Plan…………………………………………………………..

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………
PLAN OF INVESTIGATION

I chose the topic " The impact of dancehall music on crime and violence'' because
dancehall music has influenced many things into young youths.

I will be using three artifacts, an article, a poem and a song.These artifacts will be
sourced from the internet.I will use my summary writing and comprehension skills to
analyse my material and write my reflections and my group report.I hope that this SBA
helps me become a better English Language student by improving my vocabulary and
grammar. Finally,I will use the materials I find to help me produce an impactful oral
presentation.
 ARTIFACT 1

Dancehall as crime trigger

82% polled believe music influences lawlessness
Share 10

Published:Friday | August 19, 2022 | 12:13 AM

PreviousNext

Despite strong public sentiment that dancehall music fuels criminal behaviour in
Jamaica, an Anglican priest and human-rights advocate is insistent that proponents
of that view are scapegoating the popular genre.

Father Sean Major-Campbell has described that perspective as misleading, arguing

that blaming dancehall music for crime is a “course in obfuscation that leaves us
with an anecdotal diagnosis of the problem”.
His views come against the background of an RJRGLEANER Group-commissioned
poll showing that 41 per cent of respondents believe that dancehall music played a
very big role in influencing criminal behaviour.

Thirty per cent of persons polled said dancehall had ‘somewhat’ of an impact; 11 per
cent only a little; while 11 per cent said not at all.

Seven per cent of respondents were not sure.

Based on the results, the Don Anderson poll suggested that cumulatively, 82 per
cent of all Jamaicans believe that there is a connection between dancehall music
and the incidence of crime.

Fieldwork was done between July 16 and 26, during which 1,113 Jamaicans were
interviewed. Anderson said that the dominant views were held primarily by older
persons rather than younger ones aged 18 to 24.

Younger Jamaicans were less convinced that there was a direct connection.

Major-Campbell argues that Jamaica’s history of crime predates dancehall, noting

that the country continues to be divided on its manifestations in society. He said that
some people even use “religion to bless some forms of domestic violence”.

But Winston ‘Wee Pow’ Powell, veteran owner of sound system Stone Love, is
adamant that the contents of modern dancehall have contributed to crime.

He argued that some dancehall artistes who rose to stardom assumed the profile of
crime bosses.

“They become dons in their own way, and we all know how dons operate,” Wee Pow
said in a Gleaner interview.

However, dancehall promoter Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards argues that music, of itself,
is not the driver of crime.
There are thousands of people who live in inner-city communities who listen to
dancehall songs and are not violent, he noted.

“People who listen to Skillibeng’s Whap! Whap! in America and London, they are
not going out there and doing any crime. Some of them don’t even know what
that Whap! Whap! means. They just like that part of the song,” Edwards said.
A concerned Prime Minister Andrew Holness has specifically cited Whap! Whap! as
a song that has a negative impact on society.

Edwards theorises that individuals are influenced by peer groups, family, and friends
to carry out crime.

The dancehall promoter said that many artistes using offensive lyrical content are
not lawless.

Elite sports personalities, lawyers, and other professionals who are fans of violence-
laden songs listen in order to “energise themselves”, Edwards said, suggesting that
the imagery was figurative.

Major-Campbell, who pastors Christ Church in Vineyard Town, St Andrew, said that
crime is a far more complex problem.

“While we are readily repulsed by news of violent crimes, we have not been honest
about our poor conflict resolution skills, an ugly history with police brutality, gang
violence, and the lagging united political will to address social ills and a challenged
justice system,” he said.

The Reverend Peter Garth, pastor of Hope Gospel Assembly, however, believes
that music can be a turbo-charged motivator, emboldening listeners to transform
metaphor into reality.

“Persons drink, persons become intoxicated, and if you have a desire to do certain
things, it will be deepened when you stand up and listen to lyrics that are asking you
to retaliate and use guns and all of that. It influences persons,” the clergyman said.
Garth called entertainer and convicted murder Adidja Palmer, better known as Vybz
Kartel, “a genius” but said people with his talent often had sanitised versions of
expletive-riddled songs – proof, he said, that they could toe the line of decency.

Lecturer at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Professor Donna Hope, took
issue with how the poll question – ‘To what extent do you feel that dancehall music
plays a role in influencing criminal behaviour?’ – was framed.

Hope argued that the question helped predetermine the answers.

“The outcome for this question that is already leading is going to be that more
people are going to give a positive response and say ‘yes’ in various ways,” said
Hope.

The academic said that three of the variables in the poll prompted respondents to
say ‘yes’ to some extent.

“So ‘yes’ very much, ‘yes’ somewhat, ‘yes’ only a little, so already the question and
the way the responses are structured are going to give you a positive response to
this question,” Hope added.

editorial@gleanerjm.com
 ARTIFACT 2
Bringing to awareness

What society really is like to prepare young adults for the future,

an effective advocate against political oppression, where the youths are the diffuser,

dancehall music, a positive and negative influencer is a major part of the lives of teenagers.

Created to dance along, sing along, move along and just have fun

ironically, become a broadcaster for teenagers to take drugs!

For marijuana never left the system of the socalled "thugs".

Dancehall music is a trend everybody wants to be a part of.

If the artist sings jump, the crowd shouts "how high?"

It creates role models for teenagers.

Ah mean- are these really the people we look up to?

singing about the bleaching of the skin

where in fact, a lot of teens had to be sent home for.

The tight fitted pants and short tunics

were the ways in which they broke the dress code.

for what reason though? to be apart of the trend? to feel accepted?

Degrading females os acceptable in the dancehall culture.

Woman are seen as salacious figures of sexuality to keep the men's company mothers and
caretakers of those men which causes sexism,misogyny and violence.

it also causes young girls to groom in the acceptable ways of women a way of submission. It
also promotes promiscuous behavior which is having more than one sexual partners
Promoting crime and violence is by far the biggest effects of dancehall well, when i think of
dancehall that's what I think of

influencing youths to bring to school all sorts of weapons and to form in school all sorts of
gangs.

Imagine, if dancehall was against crime and violence as how it is against man on man and
women on woman

the world would be a better place then youths won't have to pree evil for they want to be a part
of the trend but on the bright side dancehall has its light

With motivational songs pushing youths to work hard

I myself have listened to an ironic song

where after Vybz Kartel sang about killing he gave a speech at the end telling youths to focus
on schooling

motivating youths to work hard and make money

are positive effects to the dancehall music

promoting endurance never giving up and bigdreaming are also positive effects of the
dancehall music

acting as a relief of stress for youths that

are depressed

promoting peace with peace dances influence youths to settle their differences

informing youths of what to expect from society whether it is how society treats the lower class
or how politicians try to oppress citizens it prepares them for the future no wonder why they
listen to these songs.

Written by: Christina Allen

 ARTIFACT 3

Is dancehall promoting crime and

violence?
Share 23

Published:Friday | May 22, 2020 | 12:14 AM

THE EDITOR, Madam:

DANCEHALL MUSIC enjoys one of the greatest following from marginalised

Jamaican youths.

It appears to be offering what generally appeals to the underclass, and therefore,

could make it perilous having a correlation with crime. Most artistes may pass off
combative and violence-touting music as mere creative expressions, not intended to
be confused with the real world. And yet, one is left to wonder why so many artistes
are charged with the very violence that is claimed to be exclusive to music.

From the pre-Ninja Man era to the present day, it is not unusual to see DJs on stage
whose lyrical duel swiftly falls apart and descends into physical rumpus because of a
deficiency in rebuttal or because the other guy is gaining the ascendancy.

There seems to be, in many instances, a very thin line separating entertainment
from reality, and when creativity becomes injured or compromised, brute force takes
over.
Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox

Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.

Even if most artistes intend nothing but entertainment in their messages, the
pressure from fans can easily push them over on to the wrong side of the law and
blur the line between art and real life. A song appearing to promote wicked man can
only fortify the already-warped views of reality.

Thus, the violence that is glorified in dancehall music is not insulated from life, or life
from it spills both ways, it appears, and especially aided by the already vulnerable
acolytes. Neither can sound clashes which are carried by sound systems be
excused or separated from this equation – where rounds of dubplates are often
rebuked and confronted to the expulsion and salutation of live gunshot.

So, is it possible to contain such form of enjoyment within the province of

entertainment only? Does dancehall music influence crime and violence even
indirectly?

HOMER SYLVESTER