So here is the question, what is bashment? What makes a song bashment? Is it the song it self, the lyrical content or the instrumental? A combination? Let us take a look see.
From observation I'll have to say that all songs deemed bashment have a few things in common: they are bass heavy, usually very high bmp, and are more rhythm oriented than melody oriented so as to inspire waistline articulation in the form of juks and stabs, a wukkupp more than a wine or grind. These features are found in bashment without regard for the era from which the song originates.
Nothing too fantastic in the melodies of these songs: Little Lenny - Bum Flick and Vybz Kartel - Dumpa Truck, but they are bass heavy, rhythm oriented and the bmp is fairly high.
Now looking back at the list one might be asking, "but rastaman what about the lyrics?" In those two songs above the lyrics are, quite "bashy", but from observation lyrical content is not a determining factor in what is bashment or not. How many old dub fetes or bashment events (short pants vs short skirts/ leggins and heels) are advertised with these songs as part of the ad?
In fact Super Cat seems to be the go to guy for old bashment, but listen to the lyrics of these songs, the latter is a hail up to the veterans of dancehall music, a song of praise/celebration if anything, but let the DJ select it and the the girls will call on their energy reserves if they have to and bash right out...COME OUT TINGS!
Which Lil Rick is bashier? Which will fill a dance floor faster? I bet the first one will, and its is more socially conscious than the latter, which is just about the female ass and its effects on him.
What's the point? The point is this, bashment is not lyrically defined and I guess that is good and bad. On the one hand you get a larger selection of music to chose for bashment events, and as an artist you get to reach a larger demographic, but on the other hand the message in the song, in a case where there is a message, is potentially lost in the bashment frenzy since it is the beat, not the lyrics, that crowd responds to. In most cases I'm not sure people even listen to the lyrics, sure they hear the lyrics and given enough time they repeat the lyrics, but they are not listening to them. What therefore is bashment music? Bashment music is music that can bring out the bash within, and for that nuff nuff bass, high bmp and repetitive drum rhythms are all you need. So whether it "too scabical"* or "you can't walk the road as you like lately"* is not the determining factor, once it makes the people jump up, bruk out, skin out 6:30 pat and crank and dagger, it is bashment.
It is kinda hard to do all of those dances to the song below. Its so mellow you just have to listen to the lyrics, no inner bash to be summoned by bass and drums, maybe just a lil scant and a head bop.
Red Star Lion - Watching Me
*Peter Ram and Lil Rick references. The first reference is to Peter Ram's Pat and Crank, which is opened with him declaring 'this one too/to (no one is sure whether he is addressing scabicals or declaring the song itself as scabical) scabical'. The second is Lil Rick reference to his dub song from the 90's about gossiping people and how they talk about you behind your back and even to your face. The chorus begins with the line " i can't walk on the road as i like lately, everybody like dem got talk fuh me" It is also the source of this blog title.
*Peter Ram and Lil Rick references. The first reference is to Peter Ram's Pat and Crank, which is opened with him declaring 'this one too/to (no one is sure whether he is addressing scabicals or declaring the song itself as scabical) scabical'. The second is Lil Rick reference to his dub song from the 90's about gossiping people and how they talk about you behind your back and even to your face. The chorus begins with the line " i can't walk on the road as i like lately, everybody like dem got talk fuh me" It is also the source of this blog title.
Rasta....in your opinion is there a distinction between bashy music and "dibee" music?
ReplyDeletelol Bash versus dibee. Honestly If I wanted I guess I could sit down and intellectualise a difference.
ReplyDeleteBashy music, or bashment rather, does not necessarily refer to just dance tunes, whereas dibee music is strictly a dancing sub-genre.
Here are two cross genre examples: the super cat from above are not just dance tunes, but are bashment tunes. "30 seconds of wukking up" is a purely dancing tune..a full hype dance tune to be exact and it is dibee, ie it it has gone past bashment.
So, bashment does not require one to dance, dibee leaves one with no choice. It is like this, remember the rule about squares and rectangles, all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares, same applies here, all dibee music is bashment, but not all bashment is dibee.
Lol.