Vybes Kartel & Spice “Ramping Shop” Banned by broadcasting commission (Uncensored Video)

So far this year Vybes Kartel and Spices’ “Ramping Shop” is undoubtedly the most played song anywhere in Jamaica. The sexually charged lyrics have lead the Broadcasting Commission placing a ban on the song as it relates to air play on Jamaican radio and television, ramping shop mash up to raass.

WARNING contains language that some people may find offensive, as if I care. If you know the lyrics to this song, ensure to sing the parts appropriate to your gender especially in public spaces.

There have been quite a lot of wide eyes and dropped jaws from a lot of people in the media about the content of the song. What puzzles me is that the song has been out and playing on radio for well over two months now with out any controversy, except for this. In recent weeks there have been a steady drum beat to highlight the high sexual nature of the song in the pages of the editorials and news pages. Even though I can agree with the critics to some extent (the media) it makes me wonder if they are out of touch or just tone deaf.

TIP: Listen to Saturday morning radio-All day Saturday for that matter.

Bend ova, bend ova, bend ova-back way, back way–

Even Reverend Al Miller had something to say about the ramping shop song. In an extensive sermon recently the Rev took aim at “daggering“, “back it up” and of course “ramping shop”. His comments were:

“That kin’ a reggae dead. We want to give to the world that which adds value to the world,…… not ‘daggering’, ‘back it up’ and ‘rampin’ shop’.

“You take a brilliant lyrical mind like Kartel. He must fully use that mind to improve the reggae product to the world. Spice, a woman beautiful like a Spice, should be presenting the royal aspect of her womanhood to the world,”

This is priceless stuff, I would have loved to be in church when the Rev was talking about “daggering”. -I would have shouted ” Amen,talk di tings dem”-what a joke. But seriously it is good when we have spiritual leaders who are not afraid to take on the social issues of the day, I admire that, whether I agree with their opinions or not. We need more of that in Jamaica.

Personally I don’t think there are any lyrics or video that will shock me anymore. I have seen and heard it all-I think?

If the sex and violence in music on the radio or anywhere else for that matter in Jamaica was contributing to Jamaicas’ gross domestic product (GDP) in a meaningful way, Jamaica would be flourishing in the midst of a world economic melt down thanks to our “creativity”.

In yesterdays Jamaica Star the FRONT PAGE headline screamed “KIDS DEEP IN ‘RAMPIN’ SHOP‘”. It highlights the graphic nature of the song and how quickly youngsters as young as seven and ten years old have caught on to the song. I found a few excerpts from the article interesting,

“One 10-year-old from the Crescent Road, St Andrew, was a natural when she was prompted to sing the sexually charged song. The words rolled off her tongue like a boulder down a steep hill. “Mi two phone a ring but mi nah ansa none, ’cause mi affi whine pon … like this…., deal wid yuh breast like mi crushing Irish…,” the youngster sang carefully omitting the foul language from the lyrics.”

The Jamaica Star also has a forum in which Spice defends the shop. To read it click here.

Maybe coincidence or a coordinated effort after Fridays front page story in the Jamaica Star, sister publication the Jamaica Gleaner is reporting today front page “Slack song ban – Kartel’s ‘Rampin’ Shop’ among explicit lyrics outlawed”. You know it’s a really slow news day when the lead story is about a three month old song which has been banned from the airways, besides we don’t have any other pressing issues to talk about.-everything is just dandy in Jamdung.

Any way, the article gives a good prospective about how the build up started like with an elitist, politically correct- moral warriors sort of grass root effort to protest the song that lead to the ban. The ban prohibits radio from airing sexually explicit songs even if the words are bleeped out. The impact on the ban is not just on “Ramping Shop” but all sexually explicit lyrics.

Wah the BLEEP dem BLEEP a BLEEP wid de BLEEPING music fa. before dem go sid dung a fine sitten fi do, (hiss teeth) BLEEP.

Worried about Censorship? Let’s wait and see the parameters of the ban.

The first time I heard the uncensored version of “Ramping Shop” I was driving behind a heavily tinted white Towne Ace bus that was driving really slow and blasting the song, trust me when I say blasting. I caught my self in a rare moment of self-awareness when I realized I had a slight smirk on my face while listening intently to every word and driving really slowly behind the bus even though I could have passed- I wanted to hear it. It was like filling in the blank and I got them all right.

That little story says nothing about me as a person other than I am very aware, curious and practice reflective listening.  :)) Although I love music I am not the type to go out and buy CDs at the road side or in a store  if I can not download it from Limewire-cheap I know. I mostly borrow, burn and return. Now with the ban I can not play fill-in the blanks with all the songs on the radio.

Apart from my own selfish hang ups about the songs being banned, I can certainly see the over all objective and good intentions of the Broadcasting Commission. I listen to a lot of radio sometimes, especially while driving. I have heard many slips where radio disc jocks allow an expletive to go through. Maybe an honest mistake or purposely I don’t know. If the Broadcasting Commission is listening they should hear it because I sure as hell am not going to report it.

I recently read a blog entry from a new Jamaican blogger (blogroll-Chat bout) expressing how he/she felt about the slack music and it’s impact no children. A nice little write up in our native tongue. Click here to read enough of it to backside!!

I am more concerned about the music glorifying guns and murders in today’s music, now that’s graphic. If a person is to analyze the lyrics of some “gun chunes” and really put it into context you can visualize some of the most graphic killings imaginable. It is held up as a value in a sick way in much of our culture, especially dancehall. Where is the outrage about this type of music? We get all riled up about a little ramping ina di shop while all the customers are dying off.

If I have learned anything about this whole episode is that when columnists, newspapers editors, churches and mountains of complaints from ordinary Jamaicans bear down on a lazy government agency we can spring them into action to doing their FUCKING jobs.

~ by RB on February 7, 2009.