UK ARTISTE THEOUTCOME SAYS DANCEHALL IS DYING IN EUROPE
UK Born Dancehall artiste TheOutcome who has recently relocated to Jamaica in his pursuit of local notoriety is quite concerned with the state of the music outside of the Caribbean.
Growing up in the UK, Reuben McCalla, known as TheOutcome, worked closely with his father’s sound system ''Innovasion'' and gradually made the transition from playing the music to making it himself.
'' I would often pattern Buju Banton, Baby Wayne, Frisco Kid, Papa Levi and others when I started and always looked up to Dancehall music and its practitioners” TheOutcome noted
“What other genre can host a party that gives praise to God, then deals with poverty, then deals with corruption, then entertains the ladies? Now that's DANCEHALL” he added
Over the years TheOutcome has seen a marked decline in the visibility of this form of expression on main stream platforms in the UK. With less Dancehall music being played on radio stations and less live events showcasing Dancehall acts.
This decline he has attributed to the lack of intelligence and ignorance to social behavior by artistes and artiste representatives and most of all their overall lack of business etiquette. He also believes the lack of unity in the industry in general is negatively affecting the Dancehall movement.
“Being in the industry I
see that a lot of slave plantation mentality is still in existence, this only affects us as Dancehall practitioners. There is no solid network that houses, producers, songwriters, distributors, Djs and live venues. Instead of assisting and teaching each other there is a lot of segregation.” TheOutcome explained
The artiste also believes that young acts, including TheOutcome , have a lot to offer the industry on the international platform but are not getting the opportunity to shine. He believes that letting in a new generation of artists who have learnt from the past artistes, both good and bad, will increase the international appeal of the genre in the UK.
“We need to promote fun music that remind people that Dancehall isn’t about fighting each other and that artistes aren’t difficult to work with on a professional level. We have to help to repair the image overseas in order for the genre to grow” TheOutcome Added
TheOutcome is currently in promotion mode for his single and video for ‘Love Fi Party’ which has received almost 40,000 views on YouTube since its release less than a month ago. He has plans to release an EP later this year.
Janice Young
Radio Announcer (FAME 95 FM)
Event Planner/PR Director/ Media Consultant
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