ZJ Rush blasts Gov’t for ‘lack of faith’ in local music

Popular media personality ZJ Rush believes the Government has no faith in Jamaican music as a product.

The radio DJ, who headlined the BREEZE show tour of Nicaragua with Energy Kid and Delomar, was overwhelmed with the response of the crowds and pleaded with Jamaican leaders to recognise the country's true blessings.

"Most of the places we went had never seen a dancehall performance. Almost no one spoke English, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Worse, they don't know almost any new music from Jamaica. So, it wasn't a comfort zone for us. We had to be smart, dig and give them 50 times the energy so they would follow our body language and vibe. It was a challenge but we had total success," he said. "If only the Government knew that dancehall sells more Brand Jamaica than mango and bauxite. The Government is clueless to the actual real product of Jamaica, which is its culture."

The DJ believes successive Jamaican governments have been tone deaf and warned that the boost the economy needs may be very well under their noses.

"The Government doesn't push our culture as a product, hence it reaps nothing from it in return. We are out here alone as entertainers. It's like they are stuck in the sugar-cane past until, of course, it's election time and they need dubplates," ZJ Rush said.

He revealed that during the tour, each event saw the turnout of thousands and is an indication that his team carved out a niche for itself in certain markets.

"They play zero hip hop, just '90s dancehall-influenced Latin music all night. My heart felt good musically because I love '90s dancehall. So, it motivates me to continue producing that type of music," he said. "If you go to Africa and perform for 30,000 people and come back to Jamaica to produce rap music, you are stupid. The world shows you what it likes. The Latin-dancehall flavour reminded me to hold the lane I believe in. I'm going to give them what they want, for Jamaican music sake."

He also urged music enthusiasts to continue producing authentic dancehall in order to maintain an identity. He, however, does not trash trap-dancehall, highlighting that there will be a market for it on the world stage.