Rodigan Cuss

Views anyone

didn't watch it because i'm a rodgian fan
but i imagine it's in reference
to the history of elvis, vanilla ice eminem SOJA
and other white folks getting fame in black music genres
and the pioneers getting overlooked
a

he kinda plays into the 'whites are superior' narrative, by complaining about
*ONE* white man having the ability to trick and dominate a whole nation of people.
according to coxsone, rodigan was able to come into jamaica, hypnotize the people and then
have his way with them.. then eventually becoming the gatekeeper of jamaican music in the uk.

surely coxsone had the same opportunities as rodigan during that time. why didn't he seek
to market the music to wider audience outside of the various west indian UK communities.
seems as if rodigan had a bigger vision and also had a focused plan of action.

lets assume coxsone and rodigan had the same vision and same hustle.
the reality is, the UK is a white county, and the powers
that be in the UK are also white. so during that time, and probably still applies, business propositions
made by a white person carries much more weight than say a person of color.. especially a black
person during that time.

rodigan wasnt the first to bust reggae music in the uk.
he surely was the first to take the music to another level.
much farther than just being played at local halls or neighborhood house parties.

for reggae music to get to that bigger level it required someone like a rodigan.. a white person who could sell the music to the establishment and to the everyday white working class.

while a minority class lives in someone elses homeland, it usually requries a native to act on behalf of the minority
to represent that minority's viewpoint/culture to the other natives. which is why marcus garvey preached every nation own their own thing from end to end. a nation controls its destiny when it owns/controls everything that matters.. during that time, no black person
controlled uk finance, business, media... so no way some dreadlocked, ganja smoker, black guy was going into
bbc or any major media house and push the music..
black controll was limited to their local communities, which is why the music
never bubbled beyond those communities until a white person presented it to the rest of the nation .. i know none of that fits into the one-love, unity thing.. , but such is the harsh reality of the world we live.

with respect to money grabbing, thievery, etc... when you are involved in the business end of things, with many people
basing their career on interactions with you, then sure there are going to be some stories of monetary injustice.
those stories may be true, some may not be true. but surely rodigan isnt the only one who has handed over a lighter than expected envelope.

so big up coxsone and rodigan. your cant satisfy everyone..



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2017 01:21AM by bigvein.

Quote
Ras_Adam
didn't watch it because i'm a rodgian fan
but i imagine it's in reference
to the history of elvis, vanilla ice eminem SOJA
and other white folks getting fame in black music genres
and the pioneers getting overlooked
a

Good evening Ras adam
i too am a massive rodigan fan, please take time out to watch the video, i honestly dont know what to make of it ?

A great response by BIGVEIN
This could turn into a very interesting thread

Quote
BUCKET-HEAD
This could turn into a very interesting thread

it could, but i doubt it.. i see many here as rodgian fans or rather respectors of his works.

any opinion that is 'critical' of coxsone could be seen as 'racist'.. no one is going to open themselves up to being labeled as such.

Why does he feel the need to put this 17 minute video out there?

Rodigan appears to be taking a hammering in the
Comments section on youtube with some racial
Undertones which saddens me
I won’t pretend to be well clued up on sound system
Culture but I know in my heart that Rodigan has been
Good for Reggae music in general over the years.

Like many of you here, I have heard interviews by veteran
Artists like Bob Andy & Ken boothe etc. and they have had
Nothing but praise for David

White, Black and Brown people are responsible for the rise and marketing of Reggae Music. This is a fact. No one race is responsible for the current or former state of Reggae Music.

Danny Red wrote:
the Coxson Rodigan Debate! some are upset that he used the term "white Boy" those that are upset are not accustomed to the reality of his time and efforts in the name of Jamaicans in the so called mother land called not so welcoming Great Britain, he has been called far worse names because of his colour by the white natives so if he says white boy give the man a break he deserves it. below you can read my original reaction to this debate.
Coxson is talking the truth, the white boy emphasis was not necessary but remember he is old school and remembers deeply the Racism and police brutality we suffered here in the UK, many dances were raided back in the day you get lick with baton and go to jail on trumped up charges, it was regular for most of us including me from the caribbean community but we carried on despite the risks. whilst Rodigan in my opinion was a fantastic radio personality and interviewer, rodigans rockers show on Capital Radio was a must listen for two hours on a Saturday night and then it was off to a dance where the real promotion of songs were, also have understanding that Lloydie is from a generation that was welcomed by signs saying "no Blacks no Irish and no dogs" chased and beaten by Teddy boys ,contending with the police in a society that even the grocery shop assistant would not give you your change in your hand, even churches refused you and your work mates called you chalky, coon and wog if you complained you were told to tow the line or get sacked, so for coxson his younger years were the worst the UK had to offer us but still he soldiered on, Rodigans accolades touches a nerve, knowing that Rodigan never once suffered for reggae such as man like Coxson and the other 500 sounds from back in the

you think any of the artists making any form of music 30 years down the line suffered like the "originators" you would be sadly mistaken..

Mr Rodigan responds:

You may or may not be aware of a recent attack on myself and the lies and falsehoods so I'm actually bothering to respond to Lloyd Coxsone's video rant...

“Do not give credibility and the impression of truth to lies & misinformation by leaving it unchallenged. Speak out!” GUSSIE CLARKE
"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice but there must never be a time when we fail to protest" ELIC WIESEL

We all know that a lie travels half way around the world before the truth has got its boots on and one of Dennis Brown's best songs was… "What About The Half" (that's never been told)... So with that in mind I have this to say in response to Lloyd Coxsone's video.

Traditional Reggae music has always stood up against injustice, against the downtrodden, against tyranny. There's nothing worse than injustice, nothing worse than being falsely accused of doing or saying something that you never said or did. I will not enter into a long diatribe about Lloyd Coxsone's video rant against me. Suffice to say that it was vicious, vindictive and worst of all… it was laced with untruths and falsehoods. I'm not going through them all but I will point to just one of them. The Godfather lie.

The real bone of contention seems to revolve around me apparently saying that l am The Godfather of Reggae. I challenge Lloyd Coxsone to prove that I ever said that. Prove it by showing the video footage, prove it by showing the press interview when I said that... prove it. I am powerless over what a radio or television presenter or journalist says about me, whether it's a term of praise or an expression of disapproval. But I am NOT powerless over my own mouth and what comes out of it. I have never said that I am The Godfather of Reggae neither have I said that I'm the King of Reggae neither have I ever claimed to have 'bust a reggae artist' because I would never be so arrogant and presumptuous.

Now let's us return to the music and the message. And the message is LOVE

I have no further comment on this matter.

David Rodigan

AND... crickets.... one love Mr Rodigan.

some bitter soundman frustrated because tide go up and tide go down & in this iwah the anti-cultural tide don't favour vintage roots so someone got to take the blame and they reduce it to small-minded racial stupitness

I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and SH*T a better argument than that

These things & more been prophesied and must come to pass:

Late 1970's - a set of feisty Rasta youth corner Yabby You in the ghetto & confront him with implied threats of violence: "Yabby You wha da mon agwan wit? Pure disrespect of His Imperial Majesty ... Ya nah see-it ... Bob Marley fill football stadium roun dis wurld ... reggae gone clear ... Jamaica gone clear ... Wi going pon top now."

And Yabby replied: "Nah so yute ... wi still a cursed people ... mosh down inna di middle passage & get grind thru 400 year of slavery ... and now in these times we get grind between the hypocrite churches and the foolish rasta confusion ... what hope do the yute of tomorrow have and greater tribulations still to come, but fear not for when these things come to pass - look up - rejoice - for our redemption draweth near" ..... The yutes were left speechless and they slinked away .......... (a next time they take knife to Yabby & couldn't cut him - but that's another story)

True words Yabby spoke to the yutes. Reggae & Jamaica nah gone clear. Today Jamaica has the 4th highest murder rate on the planet (amongst non-declared war zones) & on an island of only 2 3/4 million population there are 5000 missing children.

There is only one way to settle this:

L. Coxsone vs. Rodigan inna Sound Clash ... Clash it till sunrise & let the people decide

Quote
some bitter soundman frustrated because tide go up and tide go down & in this iwah the anti-cultural tide don't favour vintage roots so someone got to take the blame and they reduce it to small-minded racial stupitness I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and SH*T a better argument than that These things & more been prophesied and must come to pass: Late 1970's - a set of feisty Rasta youth corner Yabby You in the ghetto & confront him with implied threats of violence: "Yabby You wha da mon agwan wit? Pure disrespect of His Imperial Majesty ... Ya nah see-it ... Bob Marley fill football stadium roun dis wurld ... reggae gone clear ... Jamaica gone clear ... Wi going pon top now." And Yabby replied: "Nah so yute ... wi still a cursed people ... mosh down inna di middle passage & get grind thru 400 year of slavery ... and now in these times we get grind between the hypocrite churches and the foolish rasta confusion ... what hope do the yute of tomorrow have and greater tribulations still to come, but fear not for when these things come to pass - look up - rejoice - for our redemption draweth near" ..... The yutes were left speechless and they slinked away .......... (a next time they take knife to Yabby & couldn't cut him - but that's another story) True words Yabby spoke to the yutes. Reggae & Jamaica nah gone clear. Today Jamaica has the 4th highest murder rate on the planet (amongst non-declared war zones) & on an island of only 2 3/4 million population there are 5000 missing children. There is only one way to settle this: L. Coxsone vs. Rodigan inna Sound Clash ... Clash it till sunrise & let the people decide

Always love the Peasemakeya post: nuff respect

But I say... Some Never Even Plant yet want to Reap,
If you run, be careful, try to look before you leap;
Took a little walk from my Vineyard...
Now I'm on my own
Now I'm left alone..

damn white bois

Quote
Ninja
AND... crickets.... one love Mr Rodigan.

who exactly are you looking to respond ?
many here seem to have a different opinion on the thing
compared to comments you see on the various you tube videos.

have you checked what muta said in a recent 'stepping razor' episode ?

he basically said many whites come from foreign looking to make a buck off
the people. when the people ask for a little back in exchange, these foreign
guys never have anything to give. but yet, muta points out.. many of these
guys arrive in jamaica via first class airplane tickets.. they come with expensive
audio/video equipment, yet when it comes time to give a little something to the
people, foreigners always claim nothing to give..

to that, i cant speak..

but what i can speak on, like you have pointed out... it takes many of all stripes to make the reggae BUSINESS..
the music by itself, should always be attributed to mainly jamaican blacks.
but if we are talking about the reggae BUSINESS.. then many nations had a significant role to play.

if you think about the BUSINESS, it takes what ?

1. finance
2. legal
3. media
4. technology
... the list is endless

the brutal truth is, all the above are controlled by select few groups of people(nations).. without
buy in from these select few, reggae does not become a business..
the music would be confined to jamaica, with some guys strumming on make-shift instruments..



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2017 05:04PM by bigvein.

muta commentary starts at: 01:06:25

muta commentary on 'white people get di praise' starts at 01:10:00







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2017 06:41PM by bigvein.

Quote
African Proverb

A wise mortal never knows all, only fools know everything

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2017 05:51PM by Peacemakeya.

Rodigan has the advantage of playing on BBC. And would a Jamaican ex-pat in the U.K. get the same opportunity as an Englishman for a prime radio spot for reggae, especially in the 1980s? Doubtful. Does Rodigan's success exist largely from explaining reggae music to white people? Significantly. Do black people tend to give more credit to others for promoting their culture than their own? Not my argument to make, but I hear it often.
That's not to take away from Rodigan's talents or his knowledge, but I can understand why true UK reggae pioneers going back to the 1960s and 70s feel slighted in favor of the white guy with the privileged platform who gets more credit.

David Rodigan Responds to Lloyd Coxsone's Video Rant:
https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/david-rodigan/news/view/david-rodigan-responds-to-lloyd-coxsones-video-rant/

in the article you reference is a picture showing where the 'godfather' statement came from.
rodigan never said 'godfather'.... it was a headline written by the ITV media group..
maybe thats why coxsone didnt explore any business dealings beyond his local cross streets..
the guy clearly couldnt read or is just oblivious to context..

Quote
Spear Burning
David Rodigan Responds to Lloyd Coxsone's Video Rant:
https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/david-rodigan/news/view/david-rodigan-responds-to-lloyd-coxsones-video-rant/

Haven't seen the vid yet but one thing is a fact. If it was not for Rodigan, I would not be the reggae freak I am today. I would not be spending all my money on iTunes, supporting reggae artists when they are touring locally, or spending tens of thousands a year on festivals, etc.

It's ONLY because of Rodigan that I'm into reggae. Say what you may, but he IS the one who introduced common folks like me to reggae and. Ow I support it with $$$