Jamaican Slang EditorialTHE Blog for Jamaican Slang, Patois, Reggae, Rastafari, Real T’ing dem and Jamaica

We’ve been really lucky to have some great interviews so far this summer (if you are north of the equator).  Give Thanks! First we connected with Riddim Express and now Scally Ranks.  Scally Ranks is really unique in the world of Jamaican culture, music and entertainment. The first thing that really stands out about Scally is his amazing art skill. Scally is the go to guy for claymation, especially dancehall claymation. Click here to see his stuff on YouTube! Secondly, Scally is so up on what is happening in Jamaica, it is almost scary. Especially for a guy from Manchester, UK.  Finally, you check out Scally on manchesterradioonline.com where he plays the biggest and best dancehall tunes.  Bottom line, Scally Ranks is doing it big and is someone you should definitely be on the look out for in the future. Here is the exclusive interview with Scally where we talk about dancehall music, claymation, daggerin and much much more. Enjoy:

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Oh, and he’s an Arsenal fan. Big Up Scally!

Elephant Man was dropped from the performance roster at this year’s Caribana Festival in Toronto due to his extremely homophobic lyrics. This is just one of several artists to suffer some sort of ban outside of Jamaica because of negative lyrics against the gay community with some of the lyrics promoting violence. Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye Bye” was banned from several  radio stations in North America because the song was very offensive to gays. The truth is that being gay in Jamaica is not easy. PERIOD. In many cases, gay Jamaicans are “in the closet” because being gay is just NOT embraced by most groups in Jamaican society.

Rastas make it clear that homosexuality is forbiden and is subject to death. Dancehall artists like Elephant Man and T.O.K. have songs that blatantly diss homosexuals. You might ask, why is there so much anger and hate against homosexuals?

Jamaican lesbian activist Staceyann Chin believes the following explains why homosexuality is so taboo in Jamaica.

The macho ideal is celebrated, praised in Jamaica, while homosexuality is paralleled with pedophilia, rapists,” Chin said. “Markers that other people perceive as gay — they walk a certain way, wear tight pants, or are overly friendly with a male friend — make them targets. It’s a little pressure cooker waiting to pop.

Even though many of the other caribbean islands are very conservative, Chin goes on to say,

(But) what stands out about Jamaica is how absolutely, head-in-the-sand unwilling the authorities have been for years to acknowledge or address homophobic violence,” he said. “Most notably, three successive governments have completely, utterly, publicly refused even to talk about changing the buggery law — which expressly consigns gay people to second-class citizens and paints
targets on their backs.

The other thing that is not brought up by Chin is the African influence in Jamaica. Most African communities in the African Diaspora are very homophobic. For example, The Source magazine ran a piece on trying to find out who the gay rapper was. Even though, there are gay rappers, none that are openly gay are in the mainstream. Many believe being a homosexual rapper or athlete goes against the idea of being a thug or being tough. Additionally, Rastas and others continue to support the argument that it is not natural.

Although this is a much deeper issue worth exploring in depth, I think it is important that people new to Jamaican Patois and Jamaican Slang get familiar with some of the words typically used to refer to gays. Here are some of the main words:

Chi Chi Man

Batty Bwoy

Fassy

To read more about being gay in Jamaica, click here. And here is the song that cause Elephant to get banned from Caribana.

Elephant Man - Log On

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We were on a little holiday for a few days, so you probably noticed a slow down in posts. Despite the time away, we are back and feeling poetic. Speaking of back and poetry, I thought it would be a good idea to post a poem about returning to Africa. For those of you in the know, repatriation (returning to Africa) is a big deal in the Rastafari movement, but is it really the best thing for people of African descent brough over in slavery. The famous Jamaican author Louise Bennett aka Miss Lou contemplates the idea of returning to Africa in the poem ‘Back to Africa‘. By the way, this poem is in Jamaican Patois, so you really get an idea of the grammar and maybe some Jamaican Slang.

Back to Africa, Miss Mattie?
You no know wha you dah seh?
You haf fe come from somewhe fus
Before you go back deh!

Me know say dat you great great great
Granma was African,
But Mattie, doan you great great great
Granpa was Englishman?

Den you great granmader fader
By you fader side was Jew?
An you granpa by you mader side
Was Frenchie parlez-vous?

But de balance a you family,
You whole generation,
Oonoo all barn dung a Bun Grung-
Oonoo all is Jamaican!

Den is weh you gwine, Miss Mattie?
Oh, you view de countenance,
An between you an de Africans
Is great resemblance!

Ascorden to dat, all dem blue-yeye
White American
Who-fa great granpa was Englishman
Mus go back a Englan!

What a debil of a bump-an-bore,
Rig-jig an palam-pam
Ef de whole worl start fe go back
Whe dem great granpa come from!

Ef a hard time you dah run from
Tek you chance! But Mattie, do
Sure a whe you come from so you got
Somewhe fe come back to!

Go a foreign, seek you fortune,
But no tell nobody say
You dah go fe seek you homelan,
For a right deh so you deh!

Source: Black Woman Thinks…

So, should we go back to Africa? I’d love to hear your feedback on this, since it is such a big deal in the Rastafari movement. More Time.

Right now in Jamaica, the ban on “daggarin” is a big issue. For people living “a foreign” (abroad/overseas) this is probably news to you. But before we get into the details, don’t you want to know what is “DAGGARIN?”

No, daggering is not some insane stabbing done by Jamaicans. And no it is not a Jamaican form of sword fighting …pause. The Jamaican Broadcasting Commission, who banned “daggarin” in the first place defines it as “a colloquial term used in dancehall culture as a reference to hardcore sex or what is popularly referred to as dry sex, or the activities of persons engaged in the public simulation of various sexual acts and positions”.

The truth is, I can try to tell you about daggering or you can actually witness it with your own eyes. Here is a video of “daggarin”  done by emerging dancehall artist, Aidonia.

By clicking below you can see the sequel to this video where Mystic Davis, a friend of a friend (Big Up Spliffy!!), talks about daggering and dancing in Jamaica.We are hoping to interview Mystic in the coming months, so stay tuned. Also, pay attention to her Jamaican Patois…real ting dat!

Jamaica Originates: Mystic Talks About Daggering

We’d like to hear your comments on “daggarin”. Should it be banned??? Click here to read more on the ban on “daggarin”.

Here is a video of Mystic doing her thing, just as a bonus!

I was recently listening to some friends talk about their lives in Jamaica and one of the topics was uptown women versus downtown women. The conversation got heated at some points, but it was very insightful and definitely something worth sharing with the rest of the world.

Uptown versus Downtown is a subject that continually comes up in Jamaica, especially amongst people from Kingston. For those that do not know, Kingston, the capital and largest city in Jamaica is divided into two parts: Downtown and Uptown. Although, Downtown and Uptown are divided geographically, there is more to it than just that. It is as if there are two cultures living in one city (even though there are many cultures in Jamaica, to form one Jamaica). Downtown people acti different from uptown people and alot of attention has been placed on the ladies. Here are some perspectives from various Jamaicans on Downtown Women versus Uptown Women.

ok.. its obvious that those terms aren’t locked to geographical location right… cause a ppl can live uptown ad be classified as “downtown” or vice versa, so it based on their vibe, personality etc.

altho, geographical location is highly affecting in jamaica, therefore, a girl living downtown with an “uptown” attitude is probably really “downtown” indeed, and that part of her may come out when she’s angry, letting her guard down etc.

usually uptown girls are classified by: brown skin (obviously not all), rich, most time dont tek bus, maybe have a car by age 18.. tho thats really uptown. usually long relaxed hair, salon every weekend. when them go uwi etc them party girl, always dressed up and all glammed.. classified as freaks cause they usually stray to the bisexual, oral sex loving type of girls. they twang too, they dont try to speak like a normal jamaican, but sugar coat their accents with usa phrases such as “and like”, “omg” etc etc.. usually dont know ho to do chores because they have helpers etc.

downtown girls may be classified as “butu” in an uptown setting. they speak creole, no sweetening. they style and fasion is usually dif from uptown girls where jamaican fashion is dif from new york fashion for that season. their hairstyles will differ likewise… certain disciplines are instilled in them such as gay is wrong, oral sex is wrong. even tho this doesnt say that they arent just as bisexual, lesbian or “freaky” as any other… uptown girls are more bold and OUT THERE with their “freakiness”
downtown girl listen more danchall music than uptown girls. usually wear less make up. generally more skilled in cleaning cooking etc

That is really a very raw perspective, but the feedback given below is really a clear picture of the differences or perceived differences.

Uptown Girl = Uptown girl is a girl that is from an uptown neighborhood in Kingston. She would have received a good education, and have many of the American amenities at her disposal. She would have a helper, driver, a pool, gardner, etc…She as someone mentioned before, would be able to get her hair and nails done weekly, as well as attend all of the “expensive” uptown parties.In days gone uptown girls, were usually mixed race, lighter skinned, long relaxed hair, etc….Now that has changed as some “Downtown” people have moved into some uptown neighborhoods

Downtown = is usually poor, uneducated ghetto people. They would like in other parts of Kingston, they would be the ones to sport the different weave hairdos, in all the different colors. Their manner of talk is different from someone that lives uptown. They would shop in certain stores, and frequent certain parties. They would dance more slack, and go on their heads etc…

This might seem strange for many people living in North America or homogeneous cultures, but this is the reality for many societies in the Caribbean, Latin America, and other places around the world. Many people go to Jamaica and never really get in touch with this aspect of society, but it is the perceived reality in Kingston.

No Jamaican Slang covered in this post, just a valuable insight into Jamaican Society. To read more commentaries about Uptown vs. Downtown, click here. And if that is not enough, listen to this Richie Spice tune to catch the vibez. Zeen!

Richie Spice - Uptown Girl

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Happy 4/20 people. Today is the Ganja smokers holiday! So if you see a bunch of people in a circle and all of a sudden a cloud of smoke comes out, you know the deal. Well, since it is a holiday based around the use of Ganja, I thought it would be ideal to hit you with a “likkle” quiz as it relates to Ganja (Cannabis aka Marijuana) in Jamaica and Rastafari. Hopefully, you didn’t smoke before taking this quiz or maybe hopefully you did. So, sit back, grab your lighters…and take this quiz!

1) Ganja is legal in Jamaica and everyone walks around smoking spliffs.  (True/False)

2) When Columbus “discovered” Jamaica in 1494, he found the Arawak Indians harvesting large fields of Ganja. (True/False)

3) Rastas were the first people to smoke Ganja as part of their culture. (True/False)

4) All Rastas smoke Ganja and drink alcohol casually. (True/False)

5) Rastas believe that Ganja was the plant found on King Solomon’s grave. (True/False)

6) Bob Marley smoked Ganja. (True/False)

7) Rastas were the first Jamaicans to use/smoke Ganja. (True/False)

Okay, so I hope that wasn’t too difficult. Since nobody cheated, we are going to go through the answers.

1) False - Ganja is illegal in Jamaica.

2) False - Although, nobody is certain about who brough Ganja to Jamaica, the early English settlers in Jamaica and the United States of America were fond of using Ganja for medicinal purposes and to create clothes.

3) False - The Ancient Hindus of Nepal and India were the most famous smokers of Cannabis in the ancient world. In fact, the word Ganja comes from ancient Sanskrit.

4) False -  A devote rasta will smoke ganja, but will never drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes.

5) True - Rastas believe that marijuana was the special herb found on King Solomon’s grave. This is an instrumental part of Ganja in the Rasta believe.

6) True - Bob Marley certainly smoked Ganja.

7) False - Before the rastafari movement in the 1930s, other Jamaicans used Ganja for medicinal purposes, for teas, and for special blends with tobacco. Once the rasta movement gained strength, the usage of ganja went to a “higher level.”

Well, I hope you enjoyed this quiz as much as you enjoyed your holiday…pass this post around. Bless.

Here’s some Collie Buddz to celebrate 4/20!

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Have you ever noticed urban hair trends? In the beginning of this 21st Century, cornrows were the rave of urban hair styles. Now cornrows are on the way out and now, dreadlocks seem to be the latest and greatest trend in urban hair styles. I just left the grocery store where I saw a couple with blonde and red dreads. I see dreadlocks in Rap Videos, at the book store, supermarket, airport and many more places. So, are dreadlocks going to be the next corn rows or mohawk? Here today, gone tomorrow…

No way! Dreadlocks, an element of Rastafari, have been around for thousands and thousands of years.  Yes, Bob Marley and Rastafarians made dreadlocks famous, but dreadlocks have been worn by more people than Rastafarians in Jamaica, Africans or Hippies. The Ancient Celts, John the Baptist, the Vikings, and many other people in history wore dreadlocks. Dreadlocks are embraced by various cultures because they represent a natural way of wearing your hair. Dreadlocks are not just for people of African descent, they are for all different hair types.

Rastafarians, specifically, use their hair in dreadlocks because of Leviticus 21:5 in the Bible. The verse says the following:

They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cutings in their flesh.

The important thing to realize is that you do not have to wear dreadlocks to be a Rasta and many of the people you see around with dreadlocks are not Rastas. As far as mainstream culture goes, dreadlocks might not be here for long, but dreadlocks are much more than a trend.

(This is a classic reggae song by Morgan Heritage - Don’t Haffi Dread)

P.S. - You might only know dreadlocks as a hairstyle, but it is also the name of a very important group of people in Jamaican history and culture! Stay tuned.

P.P.S. - To read more about dreadlocks and how to care for them check out Abagond!

http://www.vimeo.com/3979390

Reggae, especially dancehall reggae, is highly competitive and territorial. Similar to hip-hop and sports, there are rivalries. Most of the rivalries develop out of something small and then blow up, but there are definitely some people like Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel that attract drama all of the time. With the Vybz Kartel and Mavado beef continuing to escalate like Ja Rule and 50 Cent or Nas and Jay-Z, I thought it was time to shed some light on some classic dancehall beefs. Here is Jamaican Slang’s interpretation of Complex Magazine’s list of the Ten Biggest Reggae Beefs. We have reduced it to the five best, zeen!?:

#1 - Beenie Man vs. Bounty Killer :

This one is the grandfather, king, and still champion of feuds inna di dance. They’re both legends, and they’ve found more things to squabble about over the past 15 years than a long-married couple. Whether it’s Beenie kissing RuPaul on an American talk show, Bounty appearing in a No Doubt video with a naked man, or most recently Beenie marrying Bounty’s longtime girlfriend D’Angel, they’re the Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant of reggae (except they’re both alive and neither of them has a she-male for a daughter). Their dysfunctional relationship is the defining thread of modern dancehall, even going so far as to entangle their younger protégés (the beef between Bounty’s protege Mavado and Vybz Kartel intensified when Kartel attended Beenie’s wedding).

#2 - Vybz Kartel vs. Mavado :

This feud started back in 2006 when Vybz left The Alliance, an unofficial group of artists (with Mavado, Busy Signal, Wayne Marshall, and a few dozen other DJs) started by Bounty Killer. At the time of his departure, Vybz Kartel was a member of the Alliance along with Mavado. Once separated from The Alliance, in typical Vybz Kartel style, Vybz started to diss members of The Alliance and it was the rising star Mavado that responded. There are dozens of diss tracks recorded by both artists and although, the beef take a breather in 2007, the heat was on again in 2008 with Sting 2008 as the battle of all battles to decide who would win. Four months later and people are still debating who won on stage at Sting 2008. This beef is pretty personal because both know each other well.

#3 - Beenie Man vs. Capelton:

This feud made it to the top because it’s like the Crusades. You have the Bobo Ashanti Fire Starter vs. The King of the Dancehall. Two ideologies against each other. Truthfully, this stems from Beenie calling out Capelton’s Bobo Ashanti rhetoric on the song “Hypocrites”. Capleton fires back with a CLASSIC track called “Who Dem.”

#4 - Vybz Kartel vs. Assassin & Spragga Benz:

Kartel and Assassin clashed first as a friendly rivalry, but then things got heated. Eventually, Assassin’s big homie Spragga Benz (pon di ends) had to get involved for the feud’s climax over the “Stepz” riddim. This one turned out like 50 vs Game: both landed stinging shots, but both also lived to fight another day. It just seems like Kartel is looking for fights!

#5 - Mavado vs. Beenie Man:

Mavado’s line in the song “How High” mentions “Baby Brian” (“give him some fat teflon fi try on/mek him madda cry ‘cause him die by my han’”)—and even though the song was released before Beenie’s half-brother Brian was murdered in 2006, Beenie understandably caught feelings. Based on the timing, it might be Mavado making a 50 Cent move going after the King of the Dancehall. For those that do not know, 50 Cent dissed Jay-Z well before Get Rich or Die Trying. Later on 50 admitted that by dissing Jay-Z he figured Jay would come back, which he did, thus helping 50 get on the map. The Alternative view is that Bounty Killer sent his new top soldier to go after the reigning (self-proclaimed) King of the Dancehall.

Here are some other honorable mention beefs in dancehall:

Ninja Man vs. Mad Cobra

Vybz Kartel vs. Bounty Killer

Ninja Man vs. Pretty Much Everyone to Step on Stage

Super Cat vs. Bounty Killer

Super Cat vs. Nitty Gritty

Deva Bratt vs. Munga

Merciless vs. Bounty Killer vs. Ninja Man vs. Beenie Man

To hear more of the songs associated with these beefs to learn more about them, visit the Complex Magazine Feature. Complex probably needed to link up with www.jamaican-slang.com to get better with the Jamaican Patois, zeen?!

Jamaican music as a whole has influenced so many genres and cultures around the world. You can find reggae in Israel, South Africa, Brazil, Holland, Germany and many other countries.  We can certainly thank Bob Marley and his legendary music for being the ambassador of reggae music around the world, but the story of Reggaeton has its own twist.

The origin of reggaeton is always a matter of debate between people that believe it originated in Panama versus people that believe that it originated in Puerto Rico. Both places are valid candidates for being the birthplace of reggaeton. Puerto Rico is a logical birth place due to its  proximity to Jamaica and Panama could also be the spot due to its large West Indian population who went to Panama in the early 20th Century to work on the canal.  Many afro-Panamanians can trace their roots back to Jamaica and other islands in the Carribean. Often, they speak English as well as Spanish, some even speak old school Jamaican Slang!

So here is the thing, if you listen to the Panamanian Reggaeton from back in the day (like in the 1970s), it sounds like people rapping in Spanish or English over merengue and bachata. There are a few songs like El General’s Pu Tun Tun that are in Spanish with a traditional dancehall riddim, but for the most part the original reggaeton was really different from what we hear now. Early on, in Panama, artists would hear Jamaican reggae and dancehall tracks and translate them into Spanish. Some of the pioneers include El General, Nando Boom, Chico Man and several other Panamanian artists. Once the music started to become successful in Panama, it spread across the Caribbean and Spanish speaking world. Simultaneously, hip-hop and reggae were being introduced in Puerto Rico.

I remember a few years back I went to Puerto Rico and when we jumped into the cab, I thought I was going to hear Sean Paul over the bookshelf riddim, but no, it was some local artist “chatting” in Spanish over the bookshelf riddim. It was fyah! In the late 80s and 90s, Puerto Ricans were producing their own riddims with  influences from hip hop and other styles of music such as salsa, reggae, dancehall. These riddims became the foundation for the modern day reggaeton track. Unfortunately, the larger Puerto Rican society was not ready for reggaeton or Reggae Rap in Spanish. The police aka Babylon, often raided underground rap events, defaming artists on the radio and the distribution of reggaeton tapes.  By trying to hold back the underground reggae/rap movement in Puerto Rico, the police helped fuel the fire that would result in what we know today as reggaeton. It was in the underground music scene that famous artists like Daddy Yankee and Don Omar.

In recent years, reggaeton has become bigger than life. Reggaeton albums continue to outsell other genres of music at a time when album sales are down overall. The success of reggaeton can be directly linked the Spanish speaking immigrants and their children in the United States and the internet. Reggaeton artists tour all over the Americas, often selling out stadiums.

Although, reggaeton has influences from various styles of music, there are still some similarities to reggae and more specifically dancehall. Lyrically, most reggaeton songs are about slackness. The beats are different, but there is a certain rhythm to a reggaeton track just like in dancehall. Don’t expect to learn any jamaican patois when listening to most reggaeton, but please feel free to shake your bottom!

Here are some reggaeton tracks to help you get familiar:

El General - Te Quiero Mucho

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Tego Calderon - Cuando Baila Reggaeton

Daddy Yankee - Lo Que Paso, Paso

A few weeks ago I did a post on Buju Banton. If you didn’t read that post, please click here to get caught up to speed. In the post I mentioned that Buju was one of the most controversial Jamaican artists and with good reason, he has made some songs that bothered people. One of the first songs he recorded that really got people mad, especially women, was “Love Me Browning” off of his 1992 album Mr. Mention (definitely a classic and worth getting…the “Love Me Browning” single came out in 1991 though). You see, in Jamaican Patois a Brownin‘  is a light-skinned woman and the song is describing Buju’s love for lighter skinned women, but anyone who is familiar with Jamaica knows that the majority of the people are darker in complexion. Darker-skinned women took offense to the hit song and Buju moved quickly to create a song dedicated to the darker women of Jamaica appropriately called “Love Black Woman”.

Although, this song casued controversy in Jamaica in the early 90s, the roots of the controversy date back to slavery. More often than not, lighter-skinned people of African descent fared better in Jamaica and other parts of the New World. Many were able to move between the world of the slave and the slave master. As time went on and the slave masters left Jamaica, many of these lighter-skinned people became the island elite. This might be shocking to some, but this can be seen today in Jamaica and other post-emancipation societies. If you want to see this for yourself, head to Kingston and visit Downtown and then Uptown. This is a complex topic, but it is important to understand the roots of the controversy of Buju’s song. Not surprisingly,  this incident would certainly not be the last time Buju Banton released a controversial song, but that is another blog post for another day.

One of the great things about both of “Love Me Browning” and “Love Black Woman”, is that they are great songs to learn Jamaican Slang/Patois. The whole Mr. Mention album is a Jamaican Slang Classic.  The album has so many classic riddims, essential patois grammar and vocabulary and just hit track after hit track. Buju was on “fyah” at this point in his career, kind of like Mavado is now, even though their lyrics are so different.

If you want to learn more about Buju and Jamaican Patois, head over to www.jamaican-slang.com and pick up a copy of the Rastaman Vibration. The book is a wealth of knowledge and has a section about Buju in the book.

What? You thought I was going to leave you hangin’ without posting those classic Buju songs, not this time! Here they are:

Buju Banton - Love Me Browning

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Buju Banton - Love Black Woman

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