Who is Dancehall’s Most Notorious Rapist?
We seem to be in one of Jamaica’s darkest times at the moment in recent history. With Jamaica’s crime rate escalating beyond the level of chaos, and the recent curious case of Odane the alleged rapist, it doesn’t take an expert analyst to determine that we are in perilous times. Since I’m neither a politician nor social commentator and my department of expertise lies within the Dancehall industry, I will focus on Dancehall’s own alleged “rapist” Alkaline a.ka. Vendetta Clan Champ.
Before I delve into the most honest literature I ever wrote, I want to make it unconditionally clear that I am not insinuating that Alkaline is a rapist, in the most common meaning of the word. “Rape” is not associated with Alkaline for the despised act of sexual assault; it is rather associated with Alkaline for his act of stripping individuals of resources, images and ideas and using them for his own benefit. This is no different from how the ancient Europeans stripped Africa of its most valuable resources, escaped scotch free and have remained exceedingly wealthy and powerful ever since.
The Alkaline that we see today in the media is no more than a “mongrel” and I say this with no apology. He is just a combination of features from arguable the most potent and gifted Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel and a very controversial but clever media mogul known as Stamma Gramma.
Alkaline excerpts no originality in my view. Soon after Alkaline came on the Dancehall scene, fans and media houses alike quickly identified obvious traits in the artist that is very similar to Vybz Kartel. This was and still evident in the way Alkaline speaks, talks, looks, walks, and writes his music. He has even went as far to duplicate song patterns, choruses, verses and melodies that are acutely almost identical to that of Vybz Kartel .
Alkaline excerpts no originality in my view. Soon after Alkaline came on the Dancehall scene, fans and media houses alike quickly identified obvious traits in the artist that is very similar to Vybz Kartel. This was and still evident in the way Alkaline speaks, talks, looks, walks, and writes his music. He has even went as far to duplicate song patterns, choruses, verses and melodies that are acutely almost identical to that of Vybz Kartel .
Yes im sure you paid attention to word “repeatedly” I did indeed use the word because Alkaline refused to cease his raping with Vybz Kartel. He attempted to suck the life out of the mainstream and managed to drain the energy and hopes of the underground.
Alkaline soon turned his attention to Stamma Gramma, one of the more mysterious media mogels, but one cannot deny that there has always been some genius to his madness. The entire “Vendetta” image that Alkaline is now parading with all over the globe was raped from Stamma Gramma. According to Stamma, in late August of 2014 he contacted Alkaline and Notnice offering them the chance to tour the US and operate under the management of Vendetta Records and Gtunez media.
After a couple weeks of liberation, Alkaline decided to opted against the offer and soon after hijacked the whole concept of Stamma Gramma’s image and even his record company name “Vendetta”. Alkaline speared no hostages. He unreservedly killed the desire and motivation of Stamma Gramma to continue as an artist.
But who can blame him? According to Stamma, he knew he would fight an uphill battle against an artist like Alkaline who has legions of fans at his disposal and the greater share of popularity to his advantage. The media and fans alike would just dismiss his claims as “trying to look a hype” and award Alkaline the default win because he is Alkaline.
Time and time again we see popular media personalities hijacking the less popular and escape scotch free. It is so ironic that Alkaline chose to use the same mask that Stamma Gramma debuted back in 2013 in a video called “Scammer Anthem” that featured on WorldstarHipHop. It is even more ironic that Alkaline chose to use the same group name “Vendetta” that Stamma Gramma has been campaigning since his inception on the Dancehall Scene.
When asked about his new image on an onstage interview earlier this year, Alkaline said that Vendetta was just something that he invented. What Alkaline should have said was that Vendetta was an idea he stole from someone he admired, and he owed his whole career then to the impersonation of Vybz Kartel and his career now to Stamma Gramma for awarding a new lease of life after the downward spiral that his career was before hijacking the image.
Stamma Gramma added that he wishes Alkaline a fruitful career but he hopes that the artist will find his own image soon. According to Stamma, “all he would see in the mirror is a rapist if he was Alkaline and he could not live with his self”.
-All Rights Observed. Article Contributed.