Musicians Argue Over What Makes Music ‘Bahamian’

Several Bahamian musicians shared mixed views with The Bahama Journal.

They yearn to be recognized for the various talents they possess whether it fits with the Junkanoo, rake and scrape or hip hop beats.

At a seminar held in Grand Bahama recently, promoter Roscoe Dames noted that whether Bahamians produce Junkanoo, reggae, hip hop or R and B music, it should be considered "Bahamian" music.

However, veteran Bahamian artist Cyril "Dry Bread" Ferguson said "No dice."

He told the Journal that music derived from other nations should not carry the banner of Bahamian.

"When we think of Bahamian music, it is not…someone from The Bahamas playing music. That isn’t true. No. Bahamian music is the music that is indigenous to the Bahamas, that represents the Bahamas. You can have people in the Bahamas who play reggae music. That is not Bahamian music because reggae is from Jamaica," Mr. Ferguson said.

"Bahamian music is music that represents and depicts the Bahamas, the lifestyles of the Bahamas…the mood and the spirit of the Bahamian people. We really need to get that straight out there because we have a lot of people in the media and recording industry just going off to the side. We need to get it together."

He said the music played in the hotels cover multiple genres from what is considered Bahamian music, to jazz and classical music.

"As the young people come up, we want to hope that they would develop a taste for Bahamian music and the musical instruments that are indigenous to the Bahamas and not allow our music to go to computers, because if we use a lot of computers in our music, and we do not use the strength and talents of the young people, you will find that they will go to guns to play with rather than playing with instruments," Mr. Ferguson said.

He said some of the nation’s top musicians who got fame internationally did not stick to their guns the way the legendary Bob Marley, of Jamaica, did. He said the mere fact that they conformed did not give them a chance to sustain their success.

But his view is not shared by everyone.

Bahamian hip hop artist Levard "Manifest" Parks said his music is just as much Bahamian as those with the cultural components, like Junkanoo.

He said he tapped into the generation of older listeners when he combined the opera style of Joanne Callender and his hip hip flare in the hit song, "I Shall Rise".

"In terms of if I feel that my music is considered Bahamian…of course…because I was born in the Bahamas. I lived in the Bahamas all of my life and everybody has different gifts and talents. Some people’s gifts are to sing, to do poetry, to rap and [sing] reggae but my gift is to do hip hop," Mr. Parks said.

"That is the gift God has given me. Bahamian music is not a particular genre or a particular style but it is simply music coming from a full born, bred Bahamian. So any music that comes from a Bahamian whether it is calypso, reggae, hip hop, Haitian, Cuban...or whatever type music…once it comes from a Bahamian, it is Bahamian music," he said.

Bahamian reggae artist Orlando "Landlord" Miller said it is time for acceptance of all genres so that Bahamians can continue to take their place on the world stage.

He said he chose to produce reggae music because this is the music that influenced him the most when he was growing up.

Mr. Miller was born to a Jamaican father and Bahamian mother.

"My music is Bahamian music because I’m the Bahamian that’s doing it, but the roots come from reggae which is Jamaican. But it’s just like law. Most people from the Bahamas and Jamaica and through the Caribbean go to England to study. When they go back to their home country to practice law, we don’t call them English lawyers," he said.

"If you look at the colonial system in the court house, we don’t dress like that with the wigs and stuff like that but because it came with the wigs…that is the British style; but we are not British."

The same can be said for his music, he said, adding that singing reggae music is his craft that he uses to uplift people.

"It has a root somewhere, but I am a Bahamian. Why change it? We are in an art. We study it. We learn it and we practice it. This is our schooling. Everything has a root. Everything came from somewhere. Everybody here says that they are Bahamian but when you trace their roots, where did they come from? Whatever you use to uplift your country makes you a Bahamian," Mr. Miller opined.

Carlton Patterson, co-director of the singing group Harmonious Praise, which won a Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin award for it’s R and B hit "Due Season", said more people need to start thinking outside the box.

"People say that Bahamian music is Junkanoo and rake and scrape but to me, that is Bahamian cultural music. Bahamian music to me is anything that is done by Bahamians. If Bahamians create any art, it will be called Bahamian art not American art done by a Bahamian," he said.

"Junkanoo and rake and scrape are cultural. I think if we have the people who have the money to invest in their own…in the Bahamian musicians who are here, we can do just as good or better than anybody else out there. Look at Baha Men when they actually had someone to push them."

Mr. Parks recently got a huge distribution deal in the United States and Canada, and is full time into producing hip hop music.

Mr. Miller, whose hit "We Need Peace", crossed many international barriers plans to release a new album soon.