Germany-based reggae singer Joseph Blue Grant have called on the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, to support all musicians who are releasing and promoting positivity, peace and love. "Instead of criticising the artists promoting negativity, violence and misogyny, the prime minister should finally implement programmes that develop and encourage positive reggae and dancehall that the country is renowned for and which bring more tourists that rooms and beaches. " noted the artist.
The musician, who is best known for his composition "To Be Poor is a Crime," which was made famous by Freddie Mcgregor, also stated that it is past time for the government to support music with serious financial backing, as culture will be our saving grace in light of the current global economic reality.
The former lead singer for the group Still Cool also stated "I condemn gangster lyrics promoting violence and the females losing their character and modesty by skinning out their private parts and arses to make an impact in the industry. I must say that this is not the only source causing violence in our society. It's also the hunger and poverty as even our young students in our schools don't have a meal some days of the week. My children are teachers who support the education system. They also told me that some of their best students could not cope because they sometimes don't have a meal for two to three days, so our Government must also express this and not just jump on the music and use it as a scapegoat for setting the blame on violence."
The singer also said, "stop blame the music alone promote good music like how you big up Yaksta recently."
Earlier this year, Grant received acclaim for his song Cry Blood (the Blood of Jamaican People), which laments the level of violence in Jamaica and calls on the artists to help reduce the carnage on the island. He recently completed a short tour in Ethiopia.