The good folks at the MOJO blog have alerted me to a major music controversy in Jamaica.
The spiraling popularity of “daggering” — a “lewd” dance style with accompanying, explicitly-lyric’d dancehall tunes — has led the Jamaican government to take an unprecedented step: an all-out radio and TV ban on songs and videos with blatantly sexual content.
Here’s the background, from MOJO blogger David Katz:
The storm began brewing when a series of “daggering” hits gained widespread airplay… To the uninitiated, “daggering” is a super-lewd “dance” that leaves little to the imagination, in which groin-locked couples enact rapid-speed dry-humping. “Daggering” dancers basically enact simulated sex, since the term is roughly the Caribbean equivalent to “cabin stabbing.”
(Am I the only one who paused at this point to google “cabin stabbing”? And regretted it?)
Grumbles about the craze were already building, and things came to a climax (har har) when the Vybz Kartel and Spice duet, Rampin Shop, hit #1 on the local charts.
Katz again:
Five days later, the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission took the unprecedented step of banning all songs with explicit sexual content from radio and television, as well as songs that glorify gun violence, murder, rape or arson. The ban is absolute, meaning that such songs can no longer be aired as “clean” versions that make use of “bleeping.”
Responses to the ban have been extremely mixed. Some feel the government’s stance is hypocritical: Given that human rights campaigns have fallen on deaf ears for years, why should it take a bit of dry-humping to bring action?
I’m torn on this one.
On the one hand, I’m never a fan of censorship — and this full-on ban seems to be casting a pretty wide net. Who gets to decide what constitutes “explicit sexual content,” after all? If we let them come for our daggering tunes first, will they be after our Marvin Gaye albums next?
But on the other hand, I do worry about the overly sexualized world kids seem to be inhabiting these days. (I bet there are a lot of young’uns that wouldn’t have had to google “cabin stabbing”…) Jamaican reggae singer Horace Andy is quoted in the MOJO blog post: “I don’t think it’s right to play those kind of lyrics on the radio, cause if you beep it out, the kids still know. My daughter is four years old, and she knows every word of ‘Rampin Shop’.”
Check out a few examples and see for yourself.
Here’s Bragga’s “Dagga Dat”:
And Mr. Vegas, “Daggering”:
Finally, a homemade daggering demonstration, to the hit track “Hundred Stab”:
Call me desensitized, but they don’t seem much more objectionable than your average rap video. (But of course, just because we allow tracks like “Candy Shop” to play in prime time doesn’t mean Jamaica necessarily should, too…)
What do you think of the “daggering” craze? Harmless or sinister?
Top photo by sick of goodbyes (Creative Commons)
Bottom photo by Alex Barth (Creative Commons)
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103 Comments... join the discussion!
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To really understand what daggering is, take a look at this video or search daggering on youtube… a girl has actually died from a guy jumping on her head while trying to “perform” a sex act/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjW2Np3Z6so
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Bleeped out or not, I couldn’t understand a word of “Dagga Dat.”
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Well, I don’t see why such dancing becomes a huge problem when it’s in Jamaica and given a new name.
We dance like this in America–it’s just called juking (at least in my area of the U.S., i guess it’s called something else depending on where you are).
And at school dances, at least at my school, it’s only “stopped” because some teachers don’t want to watch. And even then, most of them just turn their heads.
I don’t really see the big deal–its just like urban culture, if you will, in America.↵ -
I know! We do stuff like that in america too. It’s sad and definitely not a good thing to be proud of, but to me, Jamaica has nothing on some of the things I’ve see. Here’s one that was a solo…it’s not daggerin but it’s just as bad to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxTDt_4KjI
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Ok it’s like drop it likes it’s hot.All countrieshave their rump shakers.Call it what ever name.It’s all cool if you want to dance however you want.
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Interestingly, Liz, the term “juking” or “jooking” or “jukking” also comes from Jamaica.
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Hmmm , I Dont Really See This As A Big Thing . I Live In Los Angeles , Ca . And People Dance Like This All The Time . They Have These Things Called “Flyer Parties” . Its When They Give Out Flyers To EVERYONE At All The Local High Schools , Send Messages Over The Internet , Text Messages , Etc . But To Everyone . Not Just People They Know . Any Body Can Come . If Yu Attend Any Of These Such Parties Yu Would Find Dancing Like This And Worst And Actual Sex Acts . They Even Give Some Of The Parties Names/Themes Like “Booty Shorts Vs. Basketball Shorts” Where The Girls Where Booty Shorts Or Thongs And Just Bras And The Guys Where Just Basketball Shorts . So To Me , This Doesnt Seem Too Bad . Oh , And Let’s Not Bring Up The Drugs . . . .
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At least their not off beat. Some do the fox trot…while others dagg.
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Should it be banned? No. Should they play censored versions on the radio/TV? Yes. Should any country try to help eliminate such a blatantly sexist thing? Yes. That doesn’t mean that music has to be completely PC, just keep in mind what it’s teaching our young adults, and that we should be trying to help them learn to treat each other as equals, which (from what I’ve seen in the videos that have been posted, as well as the definition of “cabin stabbing” and “daggering”) this doesn’t seem to be even pretending to do. And there are certainly just as many things here in the States that are just as bad, but that doesn’t mean we should be turning a blind eye to that either.
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Wow, I felt old when I read this. Remember when Lambada was concidered bad? Seems mild now, doesn’t it?
I don’t think it’s right to censor the songs. Perhaps don’t play them on hours that underage kids listen to radio etc.?
@Tamara – by the way, that is one seriously disturbing video.
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so they are sexy
its none of ur business to criticise them
its art also
small minds who needs it
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If they want to look like idiots, who’s right is it to stop them.. hahaha..
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Okay, Jamaica’s government is doing something about their music issue, but to me, people in the united states dance worse than that. When I went to prom, the dances that high schoolers did to soulja boy’s “Donk” were so much worse. This one is nothing compared to the dance in those videos….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxTDt_4KjI Here’s the sad part….that dance is actually milder than the ones I’ve seen at clubs and high school dances!
Really nice article though. Very well written.
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THe best way to make something spread like wildfire is to ban it. I don’t believe banning it will solve the problem, it will more or less just aggrivate the source and there will be more of a backlash.
Personally, I feel that dancing of that personal nature should be kept in a room, but I’ve seen worse videos.
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In the 1920’s it was called the Black Bottom. So, what’s new?
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You all have issues making this a big deal you just have something up your butt everytime it comes to sex or anything related im in highschool now but even when i was in middle school people would dance like this its called grinding its just a dance and there is nothing wrong with that and especially not with jamaica its not just jamaica that dances like this the whole world does it just under different names go to a highschool party and litterally they have pairs of 2 or 3 lined up along all walls grinding or people are doing the no gravity when the guy holds the girl up another way is french grinding where you rub the front together you just need to get out of your good christian world and accept that even shut up is not a curse word
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you all just really small minded get out of america and being nude is legal marrying gay is legal and if you are not married it is natural to have sex there is nothing wrong with that the problem is not them but you because you make things like this wrong and looked down upon by society
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I was in the club at U Central Florida last weekend and it gets worse than this. Much worse… White girl comes out with her booty shorts, starts doing some crazy maneuvers with her ass. Suddenly, 4 guys jump out and start slammin’ it. It was pretty graphic. Back, front, even the sides.
The college club scene makes “Daggering” look like The Twist or Square Dancing.
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What a great dance. I think it looks like fun. It’s a little wild, but it doesn’t necessitate and article being written about it. I mean, you really care?
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I personally feel it is a shame. the falout of this, is that women are treated with disrespect without knowing it, the guys would never think of marrying a girl dancing like that. the guys develope this idea that all women are the same and you can jump from one to the other. i speak as one who has been involve in this but now i see the downside.
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@ ANDWTSWRONG
Don’t get me wrong, I am far from being a prude (and I am, for lack of better term, a heathen, so getting out of my little Christian world does not apply), but do you really think it’s perfectly ok for *children* to be simulating sex on a dancefloor? Do 11 and 12 year olds in middle school need to be experimenting with sex in any form?
You may want freedom to do what’s fun and cool and worldly, you may think that it’s perfectly acceptable to be dirty dancing before purberty (all of us can probably relate to the infallibility of the teenage mind), but don’t give the adults too much grief for wanting to let you stay innocent happy kids as long as possible. You’ve got the rest of your lives to screw around and have to deal with the repercussions.
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I know I am a little late to the party. Anyway interesting to see that in the provided videos there are no token white people not to mention any Asians having a go. So I am guessing this is so far seems to be a black thing that hasn’t began to be adapted by cross racial pioneers like Justin Timberlake or Enimen. I have to admit that black people seem to have a greater sense of rhythm when it comes to things like daggering and honestly seem more at ease with the concept of close intimate body contact and have less hang ups about it for them it is something they do for enjoyment and for them it seems to carry far less in terms of sexual arrousal or connnatations than for generally more up tight white folk.
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I can remember grade school and junior high dance where girls and boys
would grind on each other. I was a teenage grinder myself. Leave ‘em be and get
a life. Looks like a good booty shake to me. Have some fun!!↵ -
Demonizing sex and trying to keep kids from it, along with how shallow it’s become, is what drives them to it in the first place. This sort of degredation though is what shows kids that it’s casual, that it’s cool, which is why they’re experimenting in Middle school, because they want to be cool too. You keep this sort of stuff out of the mainstream and you almost have the problem resolved. Children are impressionable. If they think sex is cool, who do we have to blame but ourselves for allowing it to become cool? I could go on, but you get the gist of it.
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Two words…
Foot Loose↵ -
LOL! Your 11 and 12 year olds have been experimenting with sex since the world began, whether it be “playing doctor” or a tumble in the hay-loft. Do you have that short a memory old-timer or maybe a particularly sheltered childhood?
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Reggaeton is just as bad if not worse, trust me I live in Miami.
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That second pic is so not Jamaican, I am, so I would know.
Daggering is left up to the individual, as such if it is too lewd for you then don’t do it. If you think it is over sexualized then warn your kids and you better have a reason as kids like to break rules. Some of the things they do in some of these videos are extreme but it is good to note that only the worst videos get popular on the web. To understand the concept of the dance and the amount of rhythm it takes would mean you would have to feel the music and try to dance it.Also of note is the fact that the girl dis not die in the video.
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I feel that they should just let them dance, how ever way they choose. However, I decided to look up cabin stabbing and daggering myself, morbid curiosity, I guess: http://insidetheasylum.blogsome.com/2009/06/07/cabin-stabbing-daggering-i-must-be-out-of-touch/ I read here that they banned it not because it was crude, but because men were fracturing their penises. I can’t really say if thats fact, but I think if a guy even wants to risk that, its up to him.
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Why is everyone’s excuse that ‘other people do it too’ or ‘i’ve seen worse’? Of course there are worse problems in the world than teenagers grinding on each other but that doesn’t negate the fact that younger generations are becoming more and more exposed to overly-sexualized pop icons.
Maybe we should look at it this way: if it’s a trend, it’ll keep going. The line will have to be drawn eventually, so the question is when.
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Im 72, and Black people have been dancing like this since I was a kid. Ever been to a Black club. I definately isnt anything new, just renamed. We all came through it just fine. Others may think its terrible, but they probably dont have any rythm to begin with .
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Man…I grew up in Louisiana, and this ‘daggering’ is sooooo old. Cats in New Orleans and other surrounding areas, have been dancing like this forever!!! I remember as a kid, (i’m 28 now) dancing like this. Go to youtube and look up “New Orleans Bounce”! There is nothing new under the sun. Let the kids be.
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I agree with Cheri..no rythm..lol
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Y’all,
for CryingOutLoud – it’s a thing of the interior folk, down there in the darkness .. I seen dancers more lewd than this in central India. Their temples are full of it – they been daggerin’ each other all over the shop for 2000 years ago!
I mean something has to be done about those people – they should put them in a labor camp, cut their rations, lower their energy levels, know what I mean? …It aint very lady like; like I wouldn’t marry one, but then I wouldn’t marry anybody …-Steph L ébouriffé
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I have to agree with Miketea99. I’m also from NOLA and I had to laugh because I was expecting something crazy and instead saw something that looks very similar to New Orleans bounce (even if the music sounds quite different), which was played at all the high school dances. Considering my 10yr reunion’s coming up, I’m surprised this dance is just now causing a stir (in Jamaica of all places!) Bounce and booty shaking wasn’t my kind of thing but I definitely don’t see it as a reason to go on a censorship drive.
As far as protecting kids, I think exposing them to censorship (which is a slippery slope) is a lot more dangerous than seeing a bit of bumping and grinding. Censorship usually starts with “moral values” but easily (and often) grows to involve politics and other issues where the danger of losing important freedoms is more readily apparent.
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Good grief. That first video is just nauseating to watch -and- to listen to. *hurk*
I did not bother to watch the rest of them. One is truly enough. Kudos to Jamaica for trying to help, in whatever way they can. Yes, I suppose teenagers from every country do have the right to look, act and be thought of as whores and useless thugs, but hopefully taking away the temptation to do so can help.
Not a popular opinion, but I don’t aim to please. All over the world, hard-working folks are supporting the bastards that come from such activity, not to mention supporting their parents.
Being and acting sexy is one thing, but there’s a huge difference between sexy and vulgar, at any age – definitely not just teens.
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Everybody is missing the best daggering video EVER.
Major Lazer – Pon De Floor↵ -
Those Jamaican girls sure know how to move there bodies, I guess thats why ever since I got my first taste of Jamacian many years ago, I have been hooked. It beats me as to why they would want to go and ban a fun to watch dance like that!
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…One thing I do know about young people of all creeds, colors, and cultures is this… When someone, usually persons of the previous generations go on a ‘witch hunt’ based on moral values, they usually just rebel stronger and come up with something even more outlandish! Nothing ever stays the same. The times are always changing. Just look at history (I am a History Major). I recall reading articles and arguments about things such as ‘women wearing pants as opposed to skirts and dresses’! One mustn’t forget that, they were once young too! If young people always followed the exact same creeds as their parents, we still would be riding horses everywhere and using candles instead of electricity. Life is evolution; stagnation is death.
Peace
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Well now that they’ve banned sexual songs, I’m sure Jamaican teens will finally stop having sex. Yep, that’s the only likely scenario here.
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From what I’ve seen, most people responding here seem to be American, so possibly you guys don’t quite get the severity of this issue. The examples on here are just mild versions of dancing, and you’re right..nothing’s wrong with most of them. But if you really get down in this and understand what goes on in clubs and dancehalls in the name of “dancing”, you might get a feel for why this is so serious. When you see girls thrown from 8ft walls and wind up in comas, when you see women break their necks…literally, in the name of dutty wine, when you see young women being passed from man to man like rag dolls and being humped and grinded to the point of bruising, or a 90 lb lil girl pinned to floor by 4 guys, hurt to the point she can’t even get up and the dudes just walk away like whatever, you understand that it’s not just fun anymore. This is a very serious issue and it is getting completely out of hand.
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I have to say Tamara, that video is DISTURBING, and quite frankly, they are having one big crazy orgy.–Ray
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I agree we dance like this in America… also if people if the radio plays nasty music do not let your children listen!
However I would like to point out something do you notice the shapes of those women? They look like people, like you me, everyone. Sorry but that’s kind of amazing… have you seen the video girls every where else?
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So of all the problems the Jamaican government has, they decided to focus on…dancing?!? Really?
The older generation has always thought that ‘young folks’ dance inappropriately. Waltzing was considered improper when it first came out, because the participants were *gasp* actually touching.
While daggering does appear to be simulated sex, I don’t really see the problem with that. Dancing has always been sensual and erotic; it’s a natural part of human courtship. Go to any club on Saturday night and see what I mean.
For all the uptight parents worried about ‘the children,’ if you really want to keep them from viewing or participating in what you think is obscene, pay attention to them. Good parenting will keep kids out of any kind of trouble. I’ve been offered drugs many times; I’ve never taken them. I have been encouraged to shoplift; I’ve never done it. I didn’t have sex until I was almost seventeen, and when I did, it was within the context of a monogamous relationship. I have never been arrested. Why? Not because my media access was limited; I have always read, watched, and listened to anything I pleased. I was a well-behaved child because my mother and I have a good relationship, with plenty of trust and communication.
Don’t blame your kid’s problems on the TV or the computer; look in the mirror for the source.
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As for the comments about injuries, I think that could be alleviated by beefing up club security and a couple of PSA’s about daggering as a sport ‘not for beginners.’
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