Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Romain Virgo's "Rich in Love"

A cute song with lyrics that cuts against the grains of the lacklustre filth that Jamaicans have come to accept as the art of music. Lyrics are a little too "pop" for my liking but it gets a passing grade in my book. Congrats Romain Virgo for once again putting out music that is a welcome deviation from the mediocrity Jamaicans are taking in on the airwaves.

The song apparently seems to be about a black "ghetto-dwelling" kid who has finally hit it big by getting a beautiful non-ghetto dwelling girl who apparently is well-to-do and even drives a cute yellow Mini Cooper. No easy feat for any average girl. He goes on to introduce her to his community by painting to her a picture of what any ghetto in Jamaica would be like and the cliches abound, the mackerel, dumpling and butter etc. She then reluctantly agrees to drop by, obviously after much vacillating and uncertainty and no doubt insisting on Romain's part. He doesn't fail to mention that "the war done" so apparently its safe for her to pay him a visit.

That said, we see this obviously non-dark long-haired "beauty" whom he serenades (as he is apparently good at doing). The ghetto folks seem to welcome her hallowed presence among them. Their is much merry-making and jollification as a result of her being there.

Isn't it interesting how we as Jamaicans (of 90% black descent) look at the colour of our skins and where we are from to use these factors to categorise and marginalise ourselves voluntarily. We are all one people and we are equal and nobody should be viewed in a lesser or greater light due to where we are from and especially our skin complexion. Each shade lighter a person is, each degree straighter and each millimeter longer our hair is (especially our women) pushes us up one notch on the scale of respect and self-worth in our society - it hurts! I'm sure (I hope) that Romain had nothing to do with the casting and the direction of the video. However, due to the fact that Jamaicans are oft prone to cutting corners, taking the easy way out and shy away from thinking outside the box, it was almost automatic that such a girl would have been chosen for the video and it would have been filmed in that setting. We can sometimes go against the grains and dare to be different the worst that can happen is failure and that has never killed anybody. But looking at it from another angle one will see the possibility of being looked at as an innovator. Be different think outside the box and don't fail to not cut corners. Then success is almost guaranteed as long as your approach is not half-assed and is based on at least basic talent.

Waste Indies Cricket

Jamaica has a team right now that is way better than any eleven the Waste Indies could ever haul together! Is it me or is the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) sabotaging Jamaicans. Watching the usual collapse of the Waste Indies with India, and the crowd in the infamous (infamous because the Great Brian Charles Lara set a record there - hope you sense my sarcasm) Queens Park Oval was a paltry collection of idlers (as they are oft to do) and the dolt of a commentator called that a "good crowd." Well I guess it's good since of late the followers of Waste Indies Cricket have all fallen off the bandwagon.

Anyway, the Trinis have gotten the matches they want and Sabina Park got a test match that starts on a Monday (and the WICB complains about Jamaicans not supporting the cricket). doesn't that smack of sabotage? The Trinis and Bajans have gotten all the matches they want and we get a weekday match - interesting. The Waste Indies Board chooses to drop the Jamaicans that play, I guess they don't want to have too many Jamaicans in the team (we have been doing too well, they want all the glory).

Another Question: why in God's name is Kieron Pollard in the team? His form has been lackluster when he's at his best. Lendl Simmonds hasn't been doing too badly but he needs to grow a brain and stop playing like the illiterat under 17s of two or three years ago (I wonder if they are the ones in the current team, or better yet, running the Waste Indies Board - food for thought). They are all idiots in the side and the Jamaicans in that disrespect are all traitors they should be hanged!

Jamaicans need to grow a backbone and leave Waste Indies Cricket, put a team together to show the little illiterate boys of The Waste Indies Team and the Board how gentlemen play the sport. We are getting no respect whatsoever from the board all tun by members of academia (Dr. This and Professor That). They obviously have fallen for the fallacy that many a learned man and woman have in their minds that once they have a letter - any letter behind their name that gives them the capacity to be an esteemed source of insight and opinion on any topic. News Flash - go back to Cave Hill and St. Augustine and lecture in the subject area that you were trained to - not cricket!!! Look what your intellectual prowesses have done to West Indies Cricket! We need to see cricketers in and running the team, not Doctors and Lawyers and Professors in Feminine Studies (unless you were a cricketer - a good one at that). Jimmy Adams is now a Doctor I would be a lot comfortable if that "Doctor" was head of the Board. Anyway, enough of my ranting.

Many a honourable man would have resigned if every thing he put his mind to turned to excrement resulting in the constant disappointment of The West Indies People. You wonder why we have grown to hate cricket - nobody likes to be disappointed every time. The Team constantly manages to get our hopes up and never fails to dash them against the rocks by skillfully snatching defeat from the jaws of certain victory as if that is what they are being paid to do. They play with the resolve of a champion - a champion in the sport of playing to lose. Parodoxical but in the true essence of the term the truth belies.