Jamaica Hip Hop

V.S. Roberts, 2015, 60 min
This documentary isn’t your typical tourist visit to Jamaica’s beautiful beaches where you drink island cocktails to your heart’s desire and eat jerk chicken all day. Of course, we did that. At the same time, however, we uncovered an interesting generational divide between the young and the old in the reggae scene. Veterans of Jamaica’s world renowned reggae industry believe that the tried and true basic formula works and should not be tampered with. Clearly, it seems, no exceptions will be made for the the new wave of artists popping up on the reggae scene. Today, a percentage of young reggae artists are now using their musical gifts to create rap music, which they believe is a natural progression for them. Despite this progression, it seems to incite anger among the traditional reggae artists, radio personalities, and sound system deejays. This documentary takes an objective look on the situation, allowing both sides to freely voice their opinions about the rapidly changing genre.

Q&A with producers Cole and Roberts to follow the screenings on both Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th.