Reggae luminary Tarrus Riley is hitting out against what he says are divisive statements made by Murray Elias, former A&R for top selling dancehall artists Sean Paul who said Afrobeats acts are better writers and singers than reggae-dancehall acts.
“What a ways UNNUH want Dancehall/Reggae etc to be Inna competition with other Music u never see it being Pushed that Rock is Better Than Jazz or Pop is BETTER THAN BLUES N HAS BETTER ARTIST…WHAT A WAY UNNUH FIND ANOTHER WAY TO DIVIDE N DISCREDIT IT ALL….NO GUY PON INTERNET CAN GIVE MI ANY CHAT N U CYAN REWRITE HISTORY WE LIVE IT N EXEPERIENCE THE TRUTH…LET MUSIC BE…N STOP SPEAK OF REGGAE/DANCEHALL Jcan Music Inna any way that takes away from ITS IMPORTANCE N INFLUENCE,” Riley commented on a WMV post on Instagram reporting on Elias’ statement.
Elias’ statement was a response to producer Rvssian saying Afrobeats is in trouble if the dancehall acts should unite. He said, “Dancehall and Unity are oxymorons. It will never happen. Secondly, even if it were to happen, the Afrobeats artists are better songwriters, better singers, better artists than anything coming out of Jamaica. And by better, I mean more commercial on an international crossover level. Also, the Afrobeats Music Industry is well-funded and well-run, and the major labels see where it makes money.”
In the world of music, sales and streams dictate success, but reggae and dancehall stand as powerful exceptions, the She Is Royal singer contends in an exclusive interview with WMV. Adding that true essence of these genres lies not in commercial gains but in the profound messages they convey.
“The power of reggae and dancehall is what it says, it doesn’t matter what it sells, it’s about what it says,” Riley wittingly asserts. “It doesn’t matter what it sells, it’s about what it says, that has always been from day one till now and that’s why Jamaican music is being overlooked now.”
With resilience and pride in Jamaican musical heritage evident in his voice the Black Soil artists drew a parallel to the legendary Bob Marley, noting that Marley’s global impact is not solely attributed to sales but rather to the profound words that emanate from his music.
“His (Marley) power is not in sales alone; his power is in the words that come from his mouth,” Riley states. “Commercially and rootically locally or internationally, it’s about what he says and not only what he sells,” he affirms.
Although Bob Marley is not the highest selling artist in the world, he is often touted as the best artist in the world for his message of “One Love” as acknowledged by Time Magazine’s designation of Exodus as the Album of the Millennium.
Bob Marley is however, reggae’s highest selling artist who is the only Jamaican to be certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association Of America for selling 10 million copies of an album in the US posthumously. “Legend The Best Of Bob Marley and The Wailers” is now 16x Platinum but Bob never saw that kind of commercial success with his first first studio albums.
Chris Blackwell, the man who marketed and promoted Bob to the world, now 86, acknowledged that the first album he released for the Wailers group “Catch a Fire” initially failed to make a significant impact in major music markets like the U.S. during its first year of release.
The album released April 13, 1973 sold 14,000 copies at the time and approximately 6,000 units within the first week of its global release. Blackwell’s prior major achievement was selling 7 million units of Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop,” a success that she never repeated.
In his memoir titled “The Islander: My Life In Music And Beyond,” Blackwell said he provide the necessary support for the album and now Catch A Fire, a timeless piece within the extensive Marley catalogue of albums Since 1991, has sold 584K units in the U.S. according to data provided to WMV by Luminate.
Tarrus, known for cultural songs like Lion Paw as well as pop hits like the RIAA Gold selling single Powerful with Ellie Goulding and Major Lazer, says that principle of achievement remains evident in Jamaican music, highlighting the enduring significance of the message within the music. “From its inception until now, Jamaican music has maintained a commitment to substance over sales that seems to be increasingly overlooked,” he says.
The reason the message is being overlooked, Riley passionately says it because, “They are afraid of the subject matter we talk about, and we should maintain what we stand for because our music is not just for sales, it’s for souls, it’s for comforting souls, sometimes all a man needs is a song.”
“Me nah go every feel uncomfortable with anybody bashing our music,” Riley declares, about Elias statement citing Afrobeats artists as superior to Jamaican reggae-dancehall acts as he urges listeners to “check” and recognize that the essence lies in the words and lyrics of Jamaican music.
With previous commendations to Burna Boy, giving him props for stepping up to the plate like a superstar and capturing the imagination of audiences worldwide, Riley says Jamaican hit songs are not regular and their impact is undeniable. “Every single that hit from reggae or dancehall weren’t regular, whether covered or not, when delivered by a reggae artist, the impact is undeniable. It’s the lyrics that captivate, making people pay attention,” he said. “Lyrics we use and make people pay attention.”
What sets Jamaican musicians apart from artists elsewhere, he says, is the ability to connect the music to a broader cultural and societal movement both on the local and international stages.
“It’s about what we represent. Rude boy culture, Rasta culture was a movement. Jamaica is original,”he said.
Riley concludes by highlighting the work of fellow artist Dexta Daps who just released his Trilogy album as a stand out in the present generation of artist, expressing admiration for the Seaview singer stating, “Artists like Dexta Daps a one a my favorite artists because of what he says.” Daps’ he says has the ability to express himself freely and allows people to connect through his words, reinforcing the timeless idea that the true power of reggae and dancehall lies in the authenticity and depth of the messages they convey.
