Reggae and Chutney Music Hybridity and Colonial Discourse

Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse •This series of lectures examines the role of music in colonial discourse. •Agency is found in music as an anti-colonial strategy or through hybridity. •Reggae as a hybrid forms of African, Carribbean and American musical instruments and playing styles gained currency for its strong political lyrics. •These lyrics ranged from the call for independence from colonialism to expressions of grief over black/slave history. •Similarly music among indentured labourers from India to Africa, Caribbean and Fiji in the Pacific, found various forms of expression that were directed against or a result of colonial discourse. •Their hybridity is best expressed through Chutney Music, forms of which are found in Bidesia as folk songs in Fiji, as well as more recent compositions in Fiji-Hindi. As a hybrid form Buffalo Soldiers is a nickname originally applied to the members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army by the native Apache indians, which was formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse •Reggae music with its foundations in the Pan-African Anti-Colonial Philosophies of Fanon and Cesaire also drew upon their mythic-spiritual legacy of the lost homeland of Africa •Reggae as a word has origins from around 1967 with the first song featuring the term 1968 rocksteady hit "Do the Reggay" by The Maytals. •In Jamaican street talk it referred to straggly, or raggedy men or women, and this was turned into the music phenomena Reggae. •Bob Marley claimed that the word reggae came from a Spanish term for "the king's music •Strongly influenced by both traditional African, Caribbean and American rhythm and blues, it direct origins are in ska and rocksteady in 1960s Jamaica. •Reggae further modified the slowing of beats and tempos of these forms to come up with its characteristic sounds. •Songs lik e"Nanny Goat" by Larry Marshall and "No More Heartaches" by The Beltones was followed by American artist Johnny Nash's 1968 hit "Hold Me Tight" with first putting reggae on the American listener charts. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse •The Rastafari movement (also known as Rastafari, Rastafarianism or simply Rasta) is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, new religious movement that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate, called Jah or Jah Rastafari. •He is also seen as part of the Holy Trinity and as the returned messiah promised in the Bible. •Other characteristics of Rastafari include the spiritual use of cannabis, and various Afrocentric social and political aspirations. • Such as the teachings of Jamaican publicist, organiser, and black separatist Marcus Garvey (also often regarded as a prophet), whose political and cultural vision helped inspire a new world view. •The name Rastafari comes from Ras (literally "Head," an Ethiopian title equivalent to Duke), and Tafari Makonnen, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie I. •Rastafari is commonly called "Rastafarianism," by some academics, but this term is considered derogatory and offensive by Rastas themselves. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse •The Wailers, started by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer in 1963 by the late 1960s became the most easily recognised group worldwide. •The 1972 film The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff, generated considerable interest and popularity for reggae music in the United States. •Eric Clapton's 1974 cover of the Bob Marley song "I Shot the Sheriff" is thought to signify reggae's acceptance as a global phenomenon by the "white rock world". •Reggae enjoyed a revival that continued into the 1980s, exemplified by groups like Steel Pulse, Aswad, UB40, and Musical Youth. Other artists who enjoyed international appeal in the early 1980s include Third World, Black Uhuru and Sugar Minott. •The Grammy Awards introduced the Best Reggae Album category in 1985, which was won that year by Black Uhuru's Anthem LP. Lyrics for: Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldier, Dreadlock Rasta: There was a Buffalo Soldier in the heart of America, Stolen from Africa, brought to America, Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival. I mean it, when I analyze the stench To me it makes a lot of sense: How the Dreadlock Rasta was the Buffalo Soldier, And he was taken from Africa, brought to America, Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival. I'm just a Buffalo Soldier in the heart of America, Stolen from Africa, brought to America, Said he was fighting on arrival, fighting for survival; Said he was a Buffalo Soldier win the war for America. Dreadie, woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy, Buffalo Soldier troddin' through the land, wo-ho-ooh! Said he wanna ran, then you wanna hand, Troddin' through the land, yea-hea, yea-ea. Said he was a Buffalo Soldier win the war for America; Buffalo Soldier, Dreadlock Rasta, Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival; Driven from the mainland to the heart of the Caribbean. Singing, woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy, Troddin' through San Juan in the arms of America; Troddin' through Jamaica, a Buffalo Soldier Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival: Buffalo Soldier, Dreadlock Rasta. Woy yoy yoy, woy yoy-yoy yoy, Said he was a Buffalo Soldier, Dreadlock Rasta Buffalo Soldier in the heart of America. If you know your history, Then you would know where you coming from, Then you wouldn't have to ask me, Who the 'eck do I think I am. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse 1. 2. 3. Introduction In 1996, the dance hit, "Calcutta Woman" by Sharlene Boodhram made its debut on the North American & European pop charts. The song, with its, Wine Yuh Waist lyrics became an instant hit. The success of "Calcutta Woman" helped introduce the music community to the world of Chutney music. Chutney was the name given to the pop/folk music of the East Indians that lived in the Caribbean region. Chutney music is an example of a hybrid form of music that emerged as a result of colonial history and discourse. Since its beginnings as a recorded form in 1939, originally by an AfroCarribean artist of a popular Indo-Carribbean song it has now emerged from being an almost forgotten art form to an international money maker. Chutney music through its hybrid forms of musical instruments, playing styles and incorporation of Creole East Indian into the lyrics exemplifies also the diasporic condition of the artists who reflect upon the world around them and to inspire a culture far removed from their homeland. 4. 5. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse East Indian Arrival •Chutney music came with the arrival of East Indian indentured laborers to the Caribbean. They were brought by the British as a replacement for the enslaved laborers on the sugar plantations, who were freed after emancipation. •They underwent similar conditions to that of Indentured labourers in Fiji. •And like Fiji the majority of the indentured laborers came from the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and the South Indian areas around Madras. •Unlike Fiji with the evolution of Fiji-Hindi and the maintenance of Hindi as a formal language for speaking, writing and reading, Indians in the Caribbean generally do not speak their original languages. •Many of these East Indians settled in the then British colonies of British Guiana, now Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica. The Dutch also brought large numbers to Dutch Guiana, now Suriname. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse •Early East Indian Life •One of the basic foundations of this culture was the East Indian music itself. In its original form, it included the use of traditional Indian instruments such as the Harmonium, Sitar, Tabla, Dholak & Dhantal. It would later go on to include the Tassa drums with their fast, exciting and deafeningly loud sounds. •The lyrics were almost always in Hindi, although with a noticeable West Indian Creole accent. East Indian music in its early stages were mostly Bhajans, or devotional songs. •It would later go on to include renditions of songs from the Indian films of Bombay, which attracted huge audiences with Indians in the Caribbean. •This was a common feature among Indians in former colonies with most of the music confined to the temples, wedding houses and canefields. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse Prelude To Chutney •In 1958, East Indian music finally made its debut on the recording industry with the release of an album of devotional songs, by Ramdeo Chaitoe of Suriname. His album titled, King of Suriname made him a household name with East Indians not just in Suriname, but throughout the Caribbean. •Although his songs were religious in nature, the use of the strong beats of the dhantal and dholak, coupled with his own creolised version of Hindi often had many listeners dancing as if it were a pop song. •In fact, one song, "Raat Ke Sapna," would go on to become a huge dance hit in the decades to follow. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse Prelude To Chutney •In 1968, Dropati debuted with an album of traditional wedding songs, titled, Lets Sing & Dance. Once again, although religious in nature, Dropati's songs, much like those of Ramdeo Chaitoe, went on to become huge pop hits within the East Indian community. •Dropati's epic songs such as "Gowri Pooja" and "Lawa" became such big hits that they firmly secured her name in history as one of the pillars of Indo-Caribbean music (Dropati, 1993 •The effects of the release of these two albums were tremendous. Not only did they prove East Indian music as a legitimate art form. •But they also united the East Indians of the Caribbean regardless of whether they were Guyanese, Trinidadian, Jamaican or Surinamese. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse •Chutney Makes Its Debut •Sundar Popo in 1970 from Barrackpore, Trinidad leapt to fame with the song "Nana & Nani." Sundar soon became known as the King of Chutney, the name given to this new popular form of music. •The word Chutney was derived from the Hindi word that was used to describe a hot peppery mix of preservatives or salads. •Sundar included Hindi in his popular wedding songs, "Dulaha Kay May Ah Chinaar" and "Hum Nah Jaibay." and the cover of Ramdeo Chaitoe's hit, "Raat Kay Sapna." •Sundar's humble lyrics revolved around basic Indo-Caribbean life, and often echoed the major issues of political repression, relationships and emigration. •Lyrics such as those in "Subhaji Gyal," where he comments, "Look at yuh Subhaji, walkin out de plane, walkin in a mini (skirt) an shakin up yuh waist," speak volumes about the emigration of East Indians to North America & Europe at that time, as well as the usual infatuation of East Indian men towards women. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse Evolution of Chutney •By the 1980s Chutney music was merged into a new form of music called Soca, which was basically a blend of Calypso and American Rhythm & Blues. •Chutney music was caught up in this change, which would later evolve it into a new style called Indian Soca. •This new style of music included the Indian instruments of the tassa, dholak & sitar. It also incorporated the more Calypso flavor of the steel pan and synthesizer and even the electric guitar. •The lyrics were also mostly sung in West Indian creole with maybe the exception of only a few Hindi words. •However, by far the most significant change in this new style was the fact that it was almost solidly dominated by Afro West Indians during its early days. Songs such as Baron's "Raja Rani", Mighty Trini's "Curry Tabanca," Sugar Aloe's "Roti & Dhalpourie" & Sparrow's "Marajin" dominated the Indian Soca scene from 19801987 Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse Race, Gender & Chutney •However, not all East Indians greeted the success of these songs with open arms. This was the case with "Raja Rani," where Baron sings, "Oh Rani, I want to marry Hindustani, I love curry, so beti (girl), gimme plenty," or "Marajin," where Sparrow proclaims, "Marajin, Marajin, oh my sweet dulahin (wife)." •Clearly, the thought of an Afro West Indian man and an East Indian woman did not sit too well with most East Indians, even in racially tolerant Trinidad. •Afro West Indians usually described their praises and adorations for East Indian women, while those sung by East Indians did the exact opposite. •This is similar to cross-over songs in Fiji, for example, Seci “Supa” Fly’s “Hum Maango Shaadi Banaye/ Hum Mango Dui Aurat” sung in Fiji-Hindi or his “Lakdi” song. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse Race, Gender & Chutney •Female artists like Drupatee Ramgoonai, a young woman from the village of Penal in the deep south of Trinidad also waded into the gender debate. Drupatee emerged onto the Indian Soca scene in 1987 with the release of the single "Pepper Pepper," a song in which she describes the hardship of being an East Indian housewife. In the song, she sings, almost in a comical manner of how she plans to seek revenge on her husband. She was ostracized by her community. Nevertheless, these criticisms did not stop Drupatee, as she pressed on with her music releasing another album a year later. In the summer of 1988, she lept onto the charts once again with a new song entitled "Mr. Bissessar." •The world would later come to know this song, as Roll Up De Tassa. It became number 1 in every country in the English speaking Caribbean, from Antigua to Guyana and on Soca charts in the United States, Canada, and England. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse Chutney Goes Global : Emigration to North America & Europe •The Indian Soca trend continues. Its popularity was greatly advanced with the help of the growing number of Indo Caribbean communities in the United States & Canada, especially in New York and Toronto. Many of these immigrants were now able to establish their own record companies and with the establishment of nightclubs such as Soca Paradise and others they provided the necessary outlets for the music to grow. •Another boost for the Indo Caribbean music industry came with the return of a pre-dominantly East Indian government to Guyana in 1992 and to Trinidad in 1995. •Many of the legacies of the colonial past are to be found in the hybrid forms of Chutney music. First of all is the use of Hindi and Creole as lyrics. This made the music the domain of the colonized. •The popularity of the music among both Indo and Afro Caribbeans was due to the music and lyrics, but also the formation of a cultural form that was not dominated by the colonizer. •Reggae music overcame its language basis in English with the strength of its lyrics. Bob Marley’s songs like Buffalo Soldiers, Redemption Song among others marks their assertion of independence and a strong anti-colonial ideology. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse • Terry Gajraj, from Guyana who leapt to fame in 1993, when his album of Guyanese folk songs, entitled Guyana Baboo hit #1 on the charts, exemplifies the recall of a place and its colonial history in songs like "Bangalay Baboo," by singing, "I come from the land, they call Guyana, land of de bauxite, de rice and sugar." • This feeling of nostalgia slowly began having an impact on the Indian Soca style. There was now a stronger demand for a return to the more traditional Chutney, which had been almost unheard of since the late 1970s. The style of music that emerged out of this demand was given the name Chutney Soca. • Sung almost entirely in Hindi with heavy emphasis on the beats of the dholak and dhantal, this new style became an instant hit within the East Indian community. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse Chutney & Politics •By the late 1970s, artists such as Nisha Benjamin out of Guyana were making #1 hits such as, "Na Manu Na Manu" & "O'Maninga," where she describes the hardships of a woman working and living on a sugar estate. •She also used her songs to speak of the political and economic situation in Guyana, mainly referring to the then dictatorship of Forbes Burnham's Peoples National Congress (PNC) government, and of their efforts at putting down East Indians within that country. •Trinidad had a flourishing East Indian community and music industry. This was mainly due to the higher racial tolerance in that country, as well as with the help of such television shows as Mastana Bahar and radio programs such as Chutney Train. Reggae and Chutney Music: Hybridity and Colonial Discourse •Chutney Soca's success spread like wildfire throughout the Caribbean, and now included more than a dozen artists of Afro West Indian descent. •In fact, the second highest grossing Chutney Soca hit was not from an East Indian, but rather from Afro Trinidadian singer, Cecil Funrose, and his 1996 #1 hit, "Kirki Na Din" (Funrose, 1996). •By the time Sharlene Boodhram's "Calcutta Woman" debuted on the charts in 1996, Chutney had already gained recognition as one of the leading music forms within the West Indies. •Its background music and Wine Yuh Waist lyrics were constantly being sampled by American Disc Jockeys. •One of the interesting things about Chutney music is that most East Indians don't understand Hindi. Yet, they follow Hinduism as a religion and take part in its rites and rituals. •This includes wedding ceremonies with their inclusion of Soca Chutney as part of the rites and entertainment. Chutney as a hybrid form is more than just music, it was their life, it was their culture. .