Amina Blackwood Meeks, Contributor
DID FANTAN Mojah really say that? I really could have called him up to clarify. Or I could have chosen to call up the author of the article to make sure that he reported accurately. But why should I? First of all, we repose a certain level of trust in the ability and the integrity of people who report the news. Dem at least should know that "there's a whole barrage of righteous people out dere" and some not so righteous but all of them depend pan reporters fe know how tings go. Second of all, what a debil of a bump an boring if everytime we read something into piapa every Jack Mandora pick up phone fe ask de writer if is so it really go. De writer hooda hoarse an wudden fine time fe write anyting eva again.
So, did Fantan Mojah really say that? Me nuh really mean fe sey somebody misquote him but me really asking how him mean fe sey dat or if is dat him really mean fe sey? He is quoted, not reported speech, de marks dem dat yu learn in school mean de exact ting what a person did speak from dem mout - he is quoted in the entertainment segment of the other newspaper of Friday, August 19, 2005, like dis: "The most conscious tunes right now is me do dem. A me alone a hold out with even my new songs. A me alone a hold out," he insisted. No sah, him cudda neva mean dat him is the only one a carry positive message into de reggae music. Something leave out.
Certainly him shudda clarify inna which age group him mean. Or maybe him mean into a certain studio, or pan a certain stage show, or pan a certain label or some such, but him cudda neva mean inna de entire music business of Jamaica. Meck we reach fe Jah Cure, Buju Banton, Warrior King and Tanya Stephens as some a de upful yute inna de business inna fe him age group. Or meck we reach forward to some elders who dey bout from long time an still a chant upfulness, Jah Bunny Wailer, Sister Marcia Griffiths, Culture, Burning Spear and such. People who never utter one profanity pan stage or pan record, who never have fe teck back dem chat and sey is not so dem mean or apologise bout how dem conduck demself or put any promoter in financial straits or odda embarrassment an den turn roun an expeck people fe sup it jus chu dem claim sey dem a chant positive tings.
IN LOVE WITH SELF
Likkle Miss Jing Bang sey besides de fack dat some a we tink sey once we dress certain way and claim sey we embrace certain philosophy people fe teck any ting we dish out. Part of we downfall is dat we love tink sey a we wan a do what we a do. Dat is nat even a star ting for any star gazer know sey de heavens more attractive when nuff stars in deh and people who recognise and know de value of stars love every single one and love can pint dem by name and say, "See Milky Way dey and Big Dipper and Likkle Dipper", an whatever else Massa Gad put up deh. And sometimes dem all feel a way when a cloud pass an hide some a dem even some a dem still visible. For is so de relationship wid de stars dem go. Who love dem have a special love fe each a dem. And JB sey she nuh tink sey de star dem up inna heaven a beat dem chest bout who shine brighter and how de sky wudden pretty widout dem.
Den meck we haffe gwaan so? Especially we who a fight spiritual wickedness in high and low places, why we haffe hug up de Babylonian one-donship? All when Junior Gong ah sing bout "Rastafari stands alone". JB sey dat a mussi de one line inna Welcome to JamRock dat she doan like. Well, dat an de line whey him diss storytellers but a de one-man band ting we debate pan now. A dat a we problem. A dat meck de ting we sey we want win teck so long fe win. We too delight in standing alone. De oppressors dem unite, dem form system, recognise who deh pan fe dem side and link up gainst who dem nuh want pan dem side. We now haffe a disunite gainst we ane anedda. We happy fe berate de nex wan an stands alone. Dat is a big problem. For when you stands alone or tink sey a yu wan defend certain tings den yu diss de whole tradition of people who blaze trail an gi yu baton fe carry. An if is yu wan nobaddi nuh deh fe teck baton from you when your part a de race dun. Den what de sense yu a badda run? Plus if is yu wan a defend a ting, why yu expeck adda people fe come a yu show? Yu nuh jus do a show fe yuself den.
NO MAN STANDS ALONE
Yu a hear me people, nat even bad man love stands alone. Dem walk inna gang. De baddest man in de worl at leas give the semblance sey him need a coalition. Even if him waan be de leader him try him bes fe meck it look like sey a nuh him wan believe what him believe. Him so believe in de value of numbers dat him try nuff chicanery fe build up him numbers. Is like him know sey wan person a do ting is a freak. But a whole barrage of people a do it is a tradition, a movement, dem have backitive, touch one yu touch all.
We fe stap dis one away story. Is a big diss to all who a do de work fe sey a we wan a do it. De work bigga dan de likkle foolishniss what such a statement imply. "And there's a whole barrage of righteous people in town. A link we fe link we fe link up."
