No More Dancehall Or Reggae Verzuz Clashes

After the success of the Verzuz “battle” between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, the world has been waiting for another representation of Caribbean culture. Unfortunately, it might not happen again. Fans have thrown out names of possible clashes like Sean Paul and Shaggy. Or Sizzla and Capleton, but they have both been shut down.

Sean Paul recently played down his battle with Shaggy saying the act of battling was ‘slavery mentality,’ concluding that, “clashing each other is just Willie Lynch syndrome dividing and ruling us still to this day.”

Capleton echoed similar sentiments as well saying he was not a fan of battling. Saying that, “Rasta not in the clash business, and Verzuz is a clash thing.”

“We know music is a competitive industry, but we have set a standard. Not saying I am against working on stage with a fellow artiste performing tune for tune, but the whole element and message being represented is about clashing,” he went on to say.

With[/embed] all due respect to Sean Paul and Capleton, but is it really clashing if there is no real malice? When you look at Bounty Killer and Beanie’s Verzuz it seemed to unite the artists who had previously had negative feelings about one another. The same goes for hip hop’s Verzuz of DMX and Snoop. It appeared to be all love to those following. So, it is strange when someone says it’s all about dividing the genre and its merits. Would a name change make it different?

Objectively speaking what is wrong with a little competition anyway if it’s done in a controlled manner? That’s why there is sport right? Things got out of hand at the popular Sting shows over the years. However, to boycott a platform where you can showcase your music globally and build the genre seems a bit drastic.

It is unfortunate that we will not get to hear Sean Paul and Shaggy’s bangers going back and forth. But, on the other hand, issues are being addressed in the industry about the rivalry culture. Hopefully, things will get better and artists can unite for a common cause that is not always about who is the king or queen.