Jamaica bans music glorifying illegal activity
Jamaica’s broadcasting authority has placed a ban on content that ‘glorifies illegal activity’ and swearing. Credit: EuroNews. By: Derry Salter. The record-breaking change put in place two weeks ago will see the ban cover all TV, radio and music. It lists specific topics that are off-limits including drug use and abuse, the use of firearms, or any swearing. The last is arguably the most controversial as any ‘near-sounding’ replacements have been banned too. The move comes after Jamaica had one of the highest murder rates across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2021, with levels of violent crime growing. The Jamaican Broadcasting Commission stated that using public airwaves to broadcast any illegal content could give ‘the wrong impression that criminality is an accepted feature of Jamaican culture and society’. However, some artists have spoken out against the new ban, arguing that such music that is being restricted only seeks to reflect daily life in Jamaica. Grammy aw...