Daggering In The Heart Of Dancehall Music
PRISM
"Let us read and let us dance, two amusements that will never do any harm to the world" - Voltaire
Dancehall is a prominent and influential culture within contemporary Jamaican music. A subgenre of reggae, dancehall emerged in the 1970s, as a parallel to Hip Hop in the United States. However, dancehall isn't as welcome in Jamaica as one would think. Musicians like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh or "roots" re
Dancehall is a prominent and influential culture within contemporary Jamaican music. A subgenre of reggae, dancehall emerged in the 1970s, as a parallel to Hip Hop in the United States. However, dancehall isn't as welcome in Jamaica as one would think. Musicians like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh or "roots" reggae artists are considered icons, whose songs were about love and resisting conformity. Dancehall songwriters are often described as lewd, misogynistic, homophobic, hedonistic, and generally lacking substance.
In response to backlash from the "moral majority", Jamaica introduced a piece of legislation called The Noise Abatement Act, which prohibits performances during certain hours of the day, which happen to be at night, and typical dancehall hours of operation. Measures like this have continued to push dancehall into the shadows and not be recognized as culturally relevant, as opposed to the country’s traditional music known as Jonkonnu which has a style similar to the music of Carnival in Brazil. Films like Dancehall Queen and the new movie starring and produced by Nick Cannon, King Of The Dancehall explores contemporary dancehall and gives insight into the lives of the people who are part of dancehall culture.
Upon closer observation of the dagger style, it actually ranges from being quite tame, not too different from what is your run of the mill grinding to grandiose exhibitions of sexual acts, or something out of professional wrestling. The aerial maneuvers, crude antics, acrobatics, and ridiculous displays of daggering have even become popular topics on memes and the subject of countless GIFs. Made popular by artists such as Mr. Vegas, Vybez Cartel, and Popcaan to name a few dancehall artists. There is even a dagger dancehall champion dancer, who goes by the name “Skerrit Bwoy” and his contemporary "Marvin The Beast", as well as a "Guide To Daggering" music video by the popular dancehall artists Major Lazor.
Dagger seemed to appear in 2006, it has been described as a style of dancehall that has its roots in the street culture surrounding Jamaica's discos or "dancehalls". Daggering music and dancing, which included lyrics that graphically referred to sexual activities and a dance which has been described as dry sex on the dance floor. Songs like Hold Dem and Wuk Dem, Stab Up Mi Meat, and Cabin Stabbin gives you an idea of the subject matter typically found in dagger music.
Daggering is slang very rough sex. Doctors from Kingston say that they have been seeing patients with fractured penises as frequently as every other week. They believe that the sharp rise in injuries as a result of daggering. Kingston health officials explained the most common cause: during very vigorous intercourse, the penis slips out and in an attempt to ram it back in, the man hits the woman's pubic bone and ruptures the penis. There is a loud popping sound, excruciating pain, and swelling.
Due to the controversy surrounding daggering, The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica banned broadcasting and cable stations from playing any daggering content. The Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation defines Daggering is a term used in dancehall culture to describe publicly engaging in dry sex or simulating sexual acts in public. Some American artists have been fined and even imprisoned for violating indecency laws against swearing, as the laws are currently written dagger music and the dancing is not only immoral but illegal. The law currently states “There shall not be transmitted recordings, live songs, or music video which promotes the act of daggering, or which makes reference to or otherwise suggestive of daggering".
Like reggae, dancehall has become a global phenomenon emerging in places like the United Kingdom. Once again the appearance of daggering has come with some startling allegations of sexual assault and potentially endangering the welfare of youths attending underage clubs. Speaking on the behalf of The Children’s Commissioner's Office for England, the Deputy Children’s Commissioner, Sue Berelowitz stated,
"When children do it though, does it represent a new frontier in the sexualization of childhood or just harmless cultural copycatting? “I’m worried about this. It’s not just me being prudish. What concerns me is there’s not a lot separating that kind of behavior from actual violent, coercive sex taking place.“The thresholds for children around what’s acceptable; when they can say no; what consent means have shifted to such an extent that they no longer feel able to be in full control of their sexual lives".
Aside from the bone-breaking and sexually provocative gestures we have seen on Instagram, YouTube, and other social media. Is this style of dance anymore provocative than any other style in history? Twerking, the butterfly, can-can, burlesque, the twist, and tango have been deemed salacious. Many types of dance have raised pulses in their time and a few have been banned. Remember, at one point even Elvis was censored from the waist down because of his gyrating hip movements. So is daggering just a crude act of exhibitionism or a new layer to the vibrant culture of dancehall, whether it continues to be a trend or a fad is entirely up to the people.