'REEL' GUNS raise concerns
published: Sunday | April 9, 2006

Teino Evans and Kavelle Anglin-Christie, Staff Reporters

Vidoe Director Ras Kassa believes that guns in music videos should be used responsibly.


IT IS said that dancehall music glorifies violence, and some argue that the brandishing of firearms in music videos is another instance of this. Others argue, however, that it serves as appropriate illustration of reality. Artistes like Vybz Kartel, Busy Signal and Bling Dawg are among those who have used the gun, whether fake or real, to depict or illustrate violent or potentially violent scenes in their music videos.


In a music video, which features Vybz Kartel and Bling Dawg, the two were shown in a scene, driving around, looking for some culprits who had ransacked Bling Dawg's apartment.
The scene went on to show the two, shooting at least three other persons, before speeding away.


ARGUING AGAINST GUN
While such a video may fall in the minority, artistes have contended that in most cases, the use of the gun is not to depict aggression but to argue against it. Some artistes have maintained that the use of guns in videos have, for the most part, been advocating for the non-use of them. "Anytime yuh si somebody wid a gun is jus like the movies, but is just for entertainment and is a whole heap a different scenarios.

Busy have a song bout Too Much Guns that is encouraging persons to put down the gun," said manager Julian Jones-Griffith.


REPRESENTING THE GUN
Another artiste, Ras Ghandi, also used guns in videos for his songs Message To Mamma and No More Bloodshed.
According to his manager, Nuffy, the use of guns in the video was to make the video more realistic.
"Mostly a fake gun wi use, cause wi definitely still nah try fi use nuh gun inna no way, but we go about it real. Yuh have some man weh have access to license gun. More time wi use it, but most time wi nuh haffi guh suh far cause a jus fi demonstrate a ting weh happen," he said.


There seem to be very little restrictions on the use of the weapons except in the messages such use conveys. According to Jackie Jackson, Information Officer at the Broadcasting Commission, "the Children's Code for Programming does not prohibit the simple presentation of firearms or any other genre of programming. Rather it requires an assessment by the broadcaster or cable service of the visual and lyrical messages associated with the presentation."


The basic elements of the code were outlined on their website http://www.broadcom.org which suggests that the media (broadcast radio and television) rate, schedule and filter the 'problematic material'. Even though music videos are sometimes done on small budgets and are sometimes very informal the use of firearms, though not prohibited by the Broadcasting Commission, should raise some legal questions.


According to Altermorth Campbell, regional detective inspector for the St. Andrew South Police Division, "we (the police) can't do anything unless we know that the gun is a real gun and in order to do that we would have to take it in for forensic analysis, whereby a certificate is issued saying that it is in fact a weapon capable of discharging deadly missiles equivalent to a gun. If it's an illegal gun, we would have to go through the same process."
However, no artiste with whom The Sunday Gleaner spoke admitted to having real guns in their videos.


"I don't think any of my videos have guns in there, not to my memory, but is not really a big deal. If the video call for it (gun) yes I would use one ... and I would use a fake," Spragga Benz said. Jones-Griffith, also agreed with Spragga, saying "If it's appropriate to illustrate a scene, then we would use imitation firearms, wi nuh really need fi use real guns."


SERIOUS REPERCUSSIONS
Alozade believes that using real guns in the videos could mean serious repercussions for an artiste. "I write songs on a hardcore basis, but I believe that Kingfish a watch these videos and when a man si a gun in a video is like yuh convict yuh own self an mi nuh really deh pon dat, a informa ting dat," Alozade said.


However, Heather Lyttle-Whyte, in her capacity as convener of the National Steering Committee for Values and Attitudes, believes that there may be other repercussions on wider society as well. She is imploring artistes to find other means of bringing their point across in music videos.


"They have to be careful how they depict guns and violence because our society is violent and the images are strong in people's minds. We have to encourage lyrics of a wholesome nature and even victims might be forced to re-live the memories or those affected indirectly would not want to relive that memory, so while showing reality, it does not have to be so explicit," she said.


According to Lyttle-Whyte, several persons on the Committee are musicians, including Frankie Campbell of Fab 5 who has been encouraging artistes to not depict violence in their videos. "One time when we went to a school and asked students where they learnt about guns, most of them said they learnt about it through songs and music videos. If they could find a different approach in music videos it would be better, you can say it but you don't have to show it," Lyttle-Whyte said.


A member of the public also agrees. "I know what is right from wrong so it does not affect me, but I have a problem for the young people who are watching it and believe that it is real. Like the children who think it's something big to see and they don't know the dangers," Julia Gordon said.


Gordon added that some guns were used in videos to promote peace and this was understandable, but could not deny the fact that there was a clear bias against its use in music as opposed to movies.
"People a hit out against it, yet still they pay money to go see it in a movie and that's just a double standard," she said.


BLURRING METHOD
One method that could be utilised, and is widely used in the United States, is to blur guns in music videos, lessening the impact that it might have, while at the same time, successfully demonstrating the point. Only very few music videos in Jamaica adopt this method.
Music video director, Ras Kassa says music videos only depict society, but directors should be mindful of how they bring their videos across.


"Music is an art, making a film is an art, it's poetry and it depends on how you do it. Wi not glorifying gun, wi jus a shed a light...all video like Youths So Cold, Richie Spice and Jamrock. How yuh a guh mek a story that is real, come to light without having certain things in there? There is a reason why yuh see these things on T.V. because it happens and all we do is shed light on it, so Jamaica and the world can see," Ras Kassa said.
Kassa, however, says he does not condone the way in which guns are portrayed in some music videos.


"The directors need to be more creative with what they do, having a gun pointed at somebody in a video, I don't agree with it. In America, from a police have di gun, dem cool wid it and if di youts dem have it inna dem waist an don't draw it, dat is okay, but I wouldn't condone, like a drive-by an dem ting deh. Directors should choose more artistic, abstract ways of depicting things," he said.

didnt hip hop go down this road?

Remember seeing Ras Kassa in an inteview where he was asked as a rastaman how can he sanctiondancehall slacknessand would he mind if hiswife/babymotherdid the same as say Lady Saw. I wasn't impressed by his answer then.

If violence is a fact of life then gunman lyricswill always be glorification indeed justification for some. In this world good and evil walk hand in hand.

Le moor I know as much as u want to be specific with a particular genre encouraging guns to be used or whatever, i don't feel you can do this. You have to look at the likes of hip hop as well as the two are very close in culture.

When I saw the opening line I ROFLMBAO

Tell me how this guy can say "......... guns in music videos should be used responsibly"

Now unless this video is about hunting or a war, how can guns during a regular music video be responsible? LOL

Apparently oral history, written history, and now visual history cannot persuade people from making the same mistakes over and over and over.