ABSTRACT
In an era of monumental technological advancements, the permeable nature of national borders is evident. Not only is worldwide travel easier, but information is also more accessible around the globe. This chapter focuses upon a particular type of ‘information’, the transnational dissemination of what might be characterized as a type of cultural art and ethos, Jamaican dancehall music (hereinafter ‘dancehall’). Dancehall is a genre of reggae music that evolved from the earlier roots rock variety most commonly typified by the music of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and other international reggae stars of the ’70s and ’80s.1 Given the proliferation and transmission of this type of music not only in Jamaica, but also around the world, it is little wonder that increasing attention is being paid to the messages in the art, and also to its underlying ethos. For the purposes of this chapter, I am interested in the transnational dispute that has revolved around the way in which Jamaican masculinity is lyrically constructed in some dancehall music.
