MTV and Reggae

[RootsDem]

I'm new to this site, and i'm not sure if this has been posted before...But why don't MTV, Brit awards and all the other body's EVER have any Reggae artist up for awards?

The only Reggae artist that get props is Sean Paul (if you can call him Reggae) what about mans like Jonny Clarke, Bob Andy, and the like. Would love to see what would happen if SuperCat made a track that went top ten chart.
Would he be nominated???

[tingjunkie]

Super Cat is still alive? (kidding)

I think the main reason reggae has never really made it into the mainstream (aside from Bob, of course) is that the average Brit/American can't understand a single word the artists say.

Truthfully, I would like to see reggae's positive message be heard by the masses, but I really enjoy being part of a subculture. I like that reggae doesn't get played on MTV. Pure Babylon business dat!

[leggo rocker]

I never watch MTV. My decks look much more interesting than that when they are spinning the reggae vinyl groove!

Reggae has broken into the mainstream many times, like Sugar Minott's big UK hit with 'Good Thing Going'.

Plus, and this has been discussed here before, many ska, rocksteady and reggae tunes have surfaced as soundtracks to adds and even TV show or films.

However, the mainstream will never feel comfortable giving rebel music a lot of exposure. They tolerate rap only because it features plenty of self-indulgent attitude to help them fan the flames of material desire within the youth. No way would they otherwise allow black people with attitude so much airtime, but those flames mean profit for Babylon so they take the risk.

Meanwhile, as they did with Elvis Presley, they hunt desperately for a white star they can supersede the black originators with in their version of mainstream culture.

Reggae by its very nature, and because of its ghetto roots, surely can never make it in a mainstream (read: Babylon) way. It must remain a subculture always, no matter how many people come to dig it.

This all makes what Bob Marley did with reggae music even more incredible. Even given that the pill was substantially sweetened before it was delivered to the world wide audience.

[Roddy]

Leggo Rocker now a Mod, congrats, MTV is for the current booming music in terms of record sales right now like pop and hiphop and the rest. I'm sure if guys Like Alton Ellis and John Holt were shooting music videos like this other artist in the 70's and 80's, we would be watching them on VH1 classic, like those old rock bands.

[hiya]

i listen to reggae all day,night and dont consider myself part of a "sub culture".Everyday life for me is very reggaeular.I avoid telling people of my reggae obbession due to the fact the first thing they think is i smoke alot of herb,wich they never would have guessed before .Whats this got to do with mtv probably nothin perhaps everything.

[leggo rocker]

Sounds like you are in fact part of the sub-culture Hiya, like it or not!

You secretly listen to reggae and you smoke herb, that's the culture, and you're doing it behind the scenes, ie: not in the mainstream - that's the sub part!

And now you're even posting messages on roots-archives.com!

Welcome to the reggae sub-culture!

[Bellyman]

During the first Ragga/Dancehall wave in the mid 90s MTV had a program called 'Sound System' (sic, ha !), featuring everyone that (then) had been signed to a major record company like Super Cat, Shabba Ranks, Cobra, Ini Kamoze, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Shaggy, Patra, Aswad etc.
When the 'New Roots' sound after 'Kette Drum' went international they stopped the programme again.
Roots Controller rule

[Funkyfred]

Bellyman....

Wasnt Apache Indian di host for dat show?

[hiya]

Hi leg,sorry i still dont see myself as part of a sub culture,to me its just music .I am part of the human culture no subs no aboves..To let you know... i can hardly hide 2 walls of vinyl,so its not that secret,but alas i do have to be proffesional amongst some circles within my life that dont really know me personally.As a Grass Roots Movement we should all start saying no to being a sub-culture.Peace to evryone.



btw on the table is blue mountain presents exterminator live bmlp 035.

[leggo rocker]

As a Grass Roots Movement we should all start saying no to being a sub-culture.Peace to evryone.

Grass roots, Sub culture - it's all the same, just a different way of saying things.

My point is that this isn't a mainstream culture in Babylon. Reggae music is even frowned upon in some circles who associate it with drugs, guns and rebellion. So by definition, it's a sub-culture, just as Punk Rock was, and originally at least, even Rock and Roll was.

Babylon try to steal the culture and scrub it 'clean' to present it, sanitised, to the masses for consumption via the likes of MTV.

But you are right, it is a grass roots culture and can never be part of the babylon shitstem which it castigates in it's lyrics.

"You just can't conquer Natty Dreadlocks"