Attorney weighs in on ‘bad lyrics’ debate, urges artistes to get more creative

In light of the recent arrest of dancehall artiste KipRich, triggered by what law enforcers described as lyrics that “promote criminal activity”, at least one entertainment lawyer is encouraging artistes to get more creative with their content.

Ronald Young, an attorney with some two decades of experience under his belt, says while the police’s recent stance borders on infringing on an artiste’s right to freedom of expression, entertainers are responsible for finding more palatable ways of expressing themselves.

“You can speak about what happens in reality without saying certain things. The biggest lesson in all of this is for the artiste and it says, don’t shy away from speaking about reality but remember that as an artiste you have a responsibility and you do have to become more creative in getting across your point. Speak about what happens without promoting harm against any group of persons,” he said.

“At the end of the day, there is a whole other generation of people listening who may take these lyrics in a literal way and we all want that cycle to stop.”

Outlining the violence that erupted from the Gully/Gaza feud between Vybz Kartel and Mavado, Young shared that it is often not an artiste’s intent for situations to become so explosive, but urged them to err on the side of caution as some fans will take lyrics very literally.

“You the artiste may be simply speaking on what happens around you and you don’t necessarily want any harm to come to anybody else, but the whole point is, it may incite someone else to harm on your behalf because they are excited by the songs and believe in what they say. So, that is where responsibility comes in,” he expressed. “We see it all the time and not just in Jamaica. The whole Tupac, Biggie Smalls saga. You think as an artiste you’re doing a lyrical battle and it becomes so much more than that because your followers are so excited they end up in fights and shootings. We all have a responsibility to do better.”

However, with that said, Young also expressed that there needs to be a balance between artistes being able to express themselves creatively without becoming police targets as a result.

“We need to strike the delicate balance between the two. There needs to be a middle ground between the police trying to carry out their duty to serve and protect and the artiste trying to build his career through art mimicking society,” he said. “The police have to be reasonable and the artistes have to be reasonable in how they both go about doing their duties.”

The debate surrounding the right to freedom of expression and the law enforcer’s right to serve and protect by policing an artiste’s lyrics is nothing new. Just last October, dancehall newcomer, Eddy G Bomba saw the plug being pulled on several of his shows following the release of his single No Cap.
The song became a viral hit when his music video showed a police officer being hit by a motor vehicle, supported by his lyrics, “Mi wi lick dung police a grung.”

It may have just been a coincidence but following the release of the track, several officers were reportedly mowed down by unruly motorists. In response to the killings, the St James police refused to approve any events with the artiste billed to perform. At the time, the police chief for the parish, Superintendent Eron Samuels told the media that he believed it wouldn’t be right given the tragic demise of some of its officers to lend “support to that kind of song.”

“This particular song, whilst I am for freedom of speech, sometimes not all rubbish should be free and so there are things that sometimes we have to censor,” the lawman said.

Following the police’s decision, the artiste’s management team shared that while they understood the police’s concern for public safety, “an outright ban could be seen as an extreme response”.

“Artistic expression often touches on controversial or difficult subjects, and while it’s important to address the potential impact of harmful messages, censorship may not be the best solution. Instead, there could be open dialogue between the authorities and the artiste about the content and its implications,” the artiste’s representative said at the time.