"Jamaica have the fastes' man inna life

Him fasta than car an' bike"

Mavado, On the Go, tribute to Usain Bolt.

"Quarrie was a bway to I man las' night"

Ernie Smith, Duppy Or Gunman.

"Who a de big man inna cricket? Courtney!"

Zumjay, Duppy Or Gunman.

To be mentioned in a popular song, much less be its central focus, is a sure route to being indelibly scripted into history. It is an outgrowth of a natural part of dancehall, the paying of respect to the organiser.

Clyde McKenzie of FiWi Choice said, "It is a traditional thing that you pay respects to the promoter. That is a tradition in the dancehall, that the artiste pays respect. It is one of the privileges that comes with being the promoter."

"In addition," he said, "if you have people who are well known within the community, that is a means by which the artistes can ingratiate themselves with the crowd.

"If I am a popular man in the area, you would 'big me up' to get on the side of the audience."

There is also the financial factor. "If I buy off the bar and have resources you are going to pay respect to me. That is one of the ways you pull a 'forward'," said McKenzie.

"It may be scouting favours. It may be a way of securing future employment, or other favours. The thing is to 'big me up', and by that you reflect some of my glory."

In terms of 'bigging up' a person reputed to be a don, McKenzie said, "I think it comes down to perception." He said the public homage may be spontaneous, or it may be induced. In some situations it may even be coerced. "It may be a small player in the don's entourage who may figure it is his way of gaining favour with the central figure."

Recognising people

Plus, he pointed out that the performers' acknowledgement is not confined to people who may be involved in criminal activity. "The bigging up is a way of recognising people deemed important in the dance or session," he said.

Assessing the references to particular areas, McKenzie said: "It might be coincidental. What happens is, many of these artistes emanate from these communities. It may be a way of them guaranteeing their security - personal or financial - and it may be a way of celebrating where they are from."

From a historical perspective, McKenzie said: "We talk about orality in our culture. We tend, in our expressions, to privilege the oral over the written. That is our way of communicating, or immortalising things."

In a dance is one thing; going on record is another. McKenzie said: "There is the unstructured 'big-up', then there is the more structured 'big-up' that takes place in the recording studio. You have to differentiate. One is a 'big-up' because the person or someone closely associated is there." With a song, however, it may be a matter of association, or it may be that the person is financing the session, directly or indirectly. "People tend to celebrate their patrons," McKenzie said. "That is nothing new."

"Art is something that we use to praise and punish. Art is used to reorder the world. What you can't do in real life you do in fiction.

SOURCE: JAMAICA GLEANER

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100606/ent/ent4.html