VAGINA CHRONICLES

By Starapple

We have certainly come a long way in the dancehall. In the 70's - 90's we had a smattering of females in the dancehall, but 2010 we have more numbers and not only that, but more airplay. Let's see we have Dawn Penn, Sister Nancy, Lady G, Lady Saw, Macka Diamond, Queen Paula, Tifa, Stacious, Timberlee, Cecile, Natalie Storm, Tessanne Chynn, D'Angel, Tami Chynn, Shema, Alaine,
Ishawna, Aisha, Denyque, Baby Tash, Face, Ikaya, Lisa Hyper, Spice and I could go on and on and on. Point is not only are there numbers, but there is airplay and more appearances at stage shows locally and overseas.

Having done the rounds at studios and hanging with the men and speaking with those in the fraternity and outside of the fraternity you would be amazed at how far we have come. Once upon a time you would hear real sordid stories about how a female artiste would have to give it up [no need for gross writing here] over and over before she could get on a riddim and even then her song might get a regular mix or not even appear on the track listing. You would even hear of the men styling the women is the most demeaning of ways, regardless of whether she has talent or not.

It pleases me now that the women are getting more airplay and have more presence despite the fact that the men still dominate the charts. If you scrutinize any chart carefully the top 10 is predominantly comprised of males, that is unless they have a combination with a male. Most times the songs that are in the top 10 are not necessarily the best.

What I find particularly disturbing is that in this day and age when more women are matriculating into higher institutions of learning and more of them are graduating and holding positions of power; when more of the female artistes are high school graduates and possess more knowledge that their predecessors, why is it that more of their lyrics are not empowering
Tessanne, Aisha, Tami, Shema, Denyne, Raine Seville aside.

Most of their lyrics revolve around the glue that they have, the tightness of their thing, how firm their bodies are, their ability to 'tek' your man, how well they can swallow the male 'member', how they would deal with their matey and other base lyrics. Is this what women want for themselves, is this the true mark of success? It confounds me that the majority of the lyrics revolve around these topics. How different are their lyrics from the men? Why is it that a 'good' song does not have to contain these lyrics?

It was so refreshing to hear that new song with Michael Bolton and Tami Chynn 'Can You Feel Me' and the new Shaggy and Tessanne 'Never Let You Go', Top 10 Billboard qualities without going to menial, common lyrical construction.

All sorts of songs can be accommodated, but don’t the men do enough of a slice and dice job of degrading women already, why do we feel the need to do the same of ourselves? Certainly we can sing about more than just about what lies below our necks.

We Say It How We See It

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BABY TASH LOGS ON T0 THE TOP TEN CHARTS WITH ‘FACEBOOK’

Easily one of the hottest females in the game, Baby Tash is generating major buzz with her new Facebook video which is currently at #7 on the HYPE TV VTX video top ten and #7 on the RE TV MVP Top 10 video countdown.
The saucy tech-savvy single has been bombing FM radio into submission since it was released last year.
She had a busy Christmas season where she performed on a number of major shows including Pepsi Teensplash, West Kingston Jamboree and the Jagra GT Taylor Christmas Xtravaganza.
The media critics raved at length over her powerful, energetic performances and her tight, well-rehearsed sets, and industry insiders and promoters believe that she has the goods to be a bonafide star. She has been added to the lineup of the Magnum Follow Di Arrow show on February 27th, and she will be one of the headliners at the RJR Communication Group’s Cross Country promotions FROM February 5th – March 6th 2010.
Under the management of Ray Alexander, she has been growing into a recording powerhouse as well. Her first single Mix Up was produced by the experienced Scatta Burrell, while the video was directed by highly sought-after, award-winning director, Jay Will. It was among the nominees for the coveted Hype TV Video of the Year Award for 2008. Now, she has cranked up her profile with the popular, socially conscious Nah Bleach and Facebook, so there’s no looking back for this bodacious Spanish Town resident.
“The people have really responded to Facebook, everywhere I go, people approach say they love the song and the video as well. And I have some new things for them in the 2010, just look out for it,” Baby Tash said.
Baby Tash is emphatic that she will not be ‘boxed’ into any one genre and is eager and ready to share her positive messages across musical lines. Established producers, impressed with her work ethic and her EXCITING sound, have begun sending beats her way.
“Dancehall is all about being creative; we have to mix up the thing and ensure that the crossover appeal is there, I will be doing some mad things this year,” she said.
You can bet a year’s salary on it. Word.

Good Up Good Up Ikaya’s Birthday Bash Saturday

On Saturday at the Outa A Road Headquarters, 83 Constant Spring Road, Ikaya will be celebrating her big day with friends and fans.
The event will see performances from artistes such as Gyptian, Unicorn, Merciless Capleton, Fantan Mojah, Ras Penco, Jigsy King, Rage, Tiki, Tyrical, among others.
“Of course there will be other top acts passing through, it may be my birthday, but there will be a lot of surprises in store for patrons,” Ikaya said a secretive smile playing about her lips.
With fun being the name of the game the upcoming artiste is encouraging everyone to come out and celebrate her day with her.
To ensure that the musical vibes continues non stop music will be provided by Zj Liquid, DJ Sunshine, Moschino and the Fresh Team among others.

ALL SYSTEM GO FOR DUANE STEPHENSON’S TOUR OF EUROPE

It’s been all systems go for singer Duane Stephenson, who’s on his first full tour of European continent.
The two-week journey, which kicked off on January 26 in Toulouse, France will see the singer touching down in various countries throughout the continent, as he promotes reggae music and what he calls “all the positives vibes”.
Duane has already performed in Madrid, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal and Bordeaux , Montpelier and Paris in France. A day off on Tuesday, will give him just enough time to catch his breath as he prepares for a hectic days ahead which will see him doing shows non-stop from February 3 to February 14.
“It comes with the territory and as artistes we just have to strength up physically and otherwise to take the trod. Music is what we do and we have to make every effort to respond to the call and to show that we appreciate the call,” the singer said.
Duane, who is on tour with Tarrus Riley, I-Octane and the Black Soil band led by saxophonist extraordinaire and producer/song-writer, Dean Fraser, is eagerly anticipating
He travels to the German city of Wuppertal on Wednesday for a performance inside the U-Club, after which the team moves to the Prague in the Czech Republic, Vasteras in Sweden, Zurich, Struttgard, two cities in Holland — Amsterdam and Rotterdam — and then returns to Sweden, this time Stockholm.
With no scheduled rest day, the group moves to Ghent in Belgium and from there to the United Kingdom where they will have three performances. On Friday, Duane will be in Manchester, Saturday will be Birmingham at the Sapphire Club and Valentine’s Day, February 14 the tour ends with a concert at the Brixton Academy in London.

I-Octane European tour going well

Singjay I-Octane is enjoying some positive energy on his European tour which kicked off on January 25. If he needed any proof that his voice has stretched across the globe he got it when he made his first stop at Toulouse in France, then Barcelonia, Spain where he had a huge turnout of Reggae lovers who didn’t seem to have a problem with the language barrier.

According to I-Octane it was a humbling experience for him and one that has seen him even more motivated to make an even greater impact on the international scene.

“I’m not even sure if they understand some of the words I was chanting on stage, but to see the way they embraced me, well that’s a feeling I cannot put into words,” he said.

From Spain, I-Octane will be moving on to Portugal, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and England.

On the local scene I-Octane is enjoying success with his latest single Lose A Friend which is now perched in the #2 position on the Hype TV Top 20 Singles Chart.