Trippple X "Expelled" from Dancehall
Ever since the openly gay Dancehall artist emerged onto the scene controversy has been equivalent to the "shit hitting the fan." 34 yr old Reggae artist Demaro released his newest single "Mi Ready" on January 1 with video included. It was supposed to be his "coming out" single to talk about the lifestyle he lived on the DL for years. He moved to the US when he was 22 years old to get away from the homophobic behaviour that Jamaica is known very well for. Being a spiritual country, they pride themselves on living life the way the Creator Jah, who they believe in, intended. And Jah, to them, did not intend on having man lie with another man. It says so in the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, which is considered very holy to them.
So does this include music as well?
Trippple X says no. In fact, he stated on an episode of Star Chat that there will be Gay Dancehall by 2024. “Mark me words, STAR, me say it right yah so, by 2024 there is going to be a mainstream homosexual artiste inna Jamaica. I don’t know if it’s going to be male or female, but there is going to be a mainstream artiste weh buss weh a sing bout homo-erotic things,” he said, adding:
“And when me say mainstream, me nuh mean hurry-come-up; me mean somebody weh accepted inna diss country, because right now music nuh have nuh morals.“Freddie McGregor talks about the music, but a nuh the music a di problem, it’s the acceptance by society. Society accept every likkle foolishness weh come.”
But according to the "Principal of DanceHall," Mc Nuffy, It most certainly includes Dancehall. "Trippple X is a wannabe dancehall supporter. No man in dancehall would come and make such a prediction. I'm not the person who is going to come and bash any group of people but dancehall is a 'straight' place. We don't have no gay dancehall," he said. "Dancehall loose and slack long time but we nah let in any and anything so weh him talk, a f**kery. Not because dancehall take Candy and it take Mackerel nuh mean we a take anything. We a di principal a dancehall and we a run him out fi da talk deh." Right now Jamaica is not even having open discussions about homosexuality, so predicting that in 4 short years (Mind you that might very well be Trumps last year as POTUS, let that sink in) there will be a whole subsection of Dancehall for gays is a strong predicament to make. But with Lil Nas X coming out and being the first Gay Country rapper/singer who happens to be gay, and Demaro being the first openly gay reggae artist, I will say Macklemore has emboldened more members of the LGBTQ community to be themselves on the stage.
