How to Buy Reggae -- Classification Project Ideas

I'm forcing myself not to overanalyze. My usual MO is to overconceptualize and leave myself a day to execute. I gotta change that. In one week, two professors threw me under the microscope: Dina from Type said (paraphrased) that "I'm clearly smart. I seem to overanalyze. I need to tone down the concept and focus, too, on being visually creative...". Stephanie said that my work looks like I need to slow down. Allison, bluntly, said "You are clearly not giving yourself enough time." So I get the point. It's all (or mostly) about the execution. Get an idea and move on.

ARGH.

Naturally, that all sounds good, but here I am, in the same familar boat. What is my classifying principle? I'm glad to have been able to chat with Casey during Type yesterday to help flush out (and simplify, thank god) my concept.

So far, my title and basic premise is: How to Buy Dancehall Reggae. My purpose, I guess, is to demonstrate the complexity of dancehall reggae. Mostly, I'm saying: "Look at all this beautiful reggae; you'll never be bored -- there's so much to choose from."

But beyond that, dancehall reggae is largely misunderstood (in terms of "language barriers" as well as purpose) and, by default, overlooked and often not taken seriously, or even ridiculed. Even worse, dancehall reggae has a bad rap with certain types of groups and people. My opinion, thus far in life, is that the real, true dancehall following is like a big ass cult and certainly not for everyone. Seems to make sense. But as I listen in the car, dance to it while cleaning, bob to it while working, I always ask, aloud: HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LIKE REGGAE?

What I find most exciting and interesting about dancehall is the "riddim [rhythm] phenomenon," where producers make a beat and gives it to several reggae artists (or DJs - a reggae term for the artist -- not the guy spinning the records), who then turn around and make their own songs—essentially a selection of short stories all based on a common riddim. I love listening to see who is saying what, what lyrical techniques are in use, who is on what riddim, and most importantly, what stories are being told and how the artists and stories compare. Reggae as both a narrative or poetry, as well as a tool for cultural commentary, doesn't resonate with most mainstream music listeners -- or even reggae listeners who stick to roots & conscious.

I want to answer questions about reggae -- demystify the genre. My research alone proved this need and the lack of good information about dancehall. I found a lot of CD reviews and articles about Bob Marley. That's pathetic.

So, for How to Buy Reggae, I've come up with some categories, or types, of dancehall. I need to figure out where to focus, what to eliminate, and how best to choose an organizing principle.

Typical Dancehall Topics (this list can be subcategorized, to a give sense of the wide topic range)
Political commentary (government)
Poverty
Church
Self-care (hygiene, keeping your house clean, taking care of your kids)
Youth violence
Jah (religious)
Gangsta/Badman
Anti-Gay
Pussy Worship
General sexual explicitness ("slackness" is the reggae term)
Anti-Oral Sex
Bedroom King (male)
Bedroom Queen (female)
Comedy
Ganja
Dancing
Cat fighting
Cultural Pride
Love songs (usually called Lover's Rock)
Safe sex and sexual practices
Youth (education, health, well-being)
Relationships
Family
Food

Some ways to classify are:

• To convey a certain mood, emotion, or state of being (like, if you're feeling tough, buy gangsta...if you're feeling sexual, go for slackness...if you're in love, go for lover's...)
• To understand Jamaican culture (the various topics represent different facets of Jamican life and culture, like "The Gangsta Jamaican, The Slack Jamaican, The Praying Jamaican, The Poor Jamaican, etc.)
• To answer the basic question of "WTF is reggae?" (I would group the topics above by larger categories - sexual, gangsta, social awareness, etc.)
• To promote reggae artists (The classification itself would be the artist and the information write up would discuss the type of reggae he records)
• To translate lyrics and meaning and to gain new understand about reggae (This is twofold: 1) in the language barrier sense and 2) in the double entedre sense, which makes up for a lot of reggae -- most of it is one big metaphor. So, for example, a famous comedian once joked about a common phrase in dance "Lord, have mercy," which he heard as "laura mercy" and wondered: "Who the fuck is Laura Mercy?" I would select lyrics from a song from each category, translate, and discuss/put in conext).

I said I wasn't overanalyzing, right? Laura Mercy!

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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!