By Monique Crump
Within the city of Houston, there are many options to where you can experience another culture’s nightlife without a passport or a latex gloved cavity search courtesy of the TSA. The thought of being immersed in Jamaican nightlife at 3 a.m. had never entered my mind. To be honest, I wouldn’t even be able to write about it hadn’t I been driving home early one morning from a bar. I was on the southwest side passing by a shopping center wondering, ‘why in the hell were there so many cars out at three in the morning’. I stopped in the parking lot to hear the sounds of Jamaican patois and thumping dancehall spilling out of the doors of one of the halls. Upon first walking into the dance it was like walking into a rave..only it’s cool..and mainly a Jamaican crowd.
The hall vibrated from the wall of speakers and reggae tunes were interrupted every minute by the selector and horn noises to create the atmosphere that is The Dance. The dance was crammed full with people who were doing dances that I have only seen successfully demonstrated on You- Tube. The scantily clad girls battled for the dance floor doing head stands and splits to command the attention of the crowd. There was a thick layer of smoke and smell of jerk chicken from the Jamaican lady banging her spoon on the wall to show her appreciation of the riddim that was just dropped by the DJ.
I was happy to have found a spot to work off my buzz-or hell- get another beer & be entertained by the party. I had found my new after hours home. Dancehall is more than just a genre of music. It’s an institution in which music, dance and community vibes merge. Dancehall is also the place where dances and sound clashes go down and where you can check out some of the artists perform. Like any party the dance is ruled by the sound system.
The sound system is a DJ crew that dictates how the party will go. Here in the “H”, the most established sound is Mikie Faith Crew. The Mikie Faith Crew has been in Houston for over 25 years but different members have come and gone but standing in the crew now are Fatta Carey, Goldfinga, Tony Weed and Mikie Faith himself. Fatta Carey is the charismatic leader (big upping his crew); 08 and his longtime friend, the dancehall promoter, Billy Bronco.
With a name like Billy Bronco I was expecting a fat Soprano looking cat in sweats– not a laid back Jamaican, who was excited to tell me about his birthday bash coming up. Bronco has owned the promoting business NyamCash for 15 years; he has his own sound system [Famous Squad], and owns the new venue Celebrity Hall. Golfinga and Fatta Carey explain to me the difference in dancehall events; there is the dance which is just an all out club-party-vibe where the people get to show off their new dances; and then there is the sound clash.
The sound clash is when battling sounds will demonstrate who is the baddest by their collection of dub plates. Dub plates are record or cd presses, which are cut by artists just for that particular sound. For instance; if I got Beanie Man to say; “Big Up to Hater Magazine’ on a recording-then that’s a dub plate. Fatta Carey explains that over use of dub plates can also ruin a party if it’s in the wrong setting. “It’s all about time and place.
You can come back from Jamaica with a fresh batch of dub plates and not one makes sense, but you just tell everyone you spent thousands of dollars and they have to listen to it”. This example can be witnessed by anyone who has been at a club dancing to their favorite song and the DJ keeps interrupting the song to shout out someone. Mikie Faith crew has clashed in the past but Fatta Carey prefers not to revisit their triumphs instead he talks about bringing the variety of communities and sounds together. “In my personal opinion, I see myself as a bridge.
It’s easier to talk to people when you grew up with them but we want it to be more multicultural. At other dances in major cities you will see 4 to 5,000 people and we are trying to build up to that level” he exclaims. The youth of the Caribbean community in Houston has energized these parties to help them make the parties and performances lively.
Artists will create songs about dances, the dancers will promote and it becomes a show each Saturday to demonstrate what you learned during the week. One dance in particular that I thought was just another reason for Beyonce to toss her weave around is the Dutty Wine. In this dance, a girl will bend and roll her head around in a wind it up like motion.
The dance use to be people just posting up against the wall looking hard; now you will see men and sexy women alike take over the dance floor with the latest and greatest steps. The women aren’t just for visual entertainment either, ‘Showtyme the Dancehall Diva’ went from a dancer in the dance crew Jugglers to a respected dancehall promoter. When asked how she got the moniker, “Showtyme” she says, “Everyone that danced was big on names and I always liked the Showtime riddim.
One day I joked to my friend Tonya that I would call myself that and she said something along the lines that it fit because it’s like a show when I get to the party.” She parted from dancing this year to start promoting and bringing acts to Houston with a professional edge that she feels she brings to the scene. “Eighty percent of dancehall promoters will screw you over, unlike them I will make sure your money is right, you have a hotel and that you are fed” she says.
When asked about the violence in dancehall she explains “It goes back to where dancehall came about. It’s more for the ghetto youth struggle. It’s built from that environment; so naturally the people who are more interested in it are a lil’ rough”. I recount my own experience with attending the dances and how I notice people of all ages partying and enjoying one another. “The dancehall is very intimate. You see people in there from their 50’s and 60’s.
Once you start going you get hooked” she says. Houston has a history of original sounds and artistic scenes that go unnoticed until it’s packaged and edited for a segment on MTV. For the heads that seek something in its raw, grimy and original form- they should definitely travel off the beaten path – pay Bronco at the door and drink a Red Stripe at the next dance. When I ask Fatta how he feels about the newcomers that will go to check out his party he says” “We are Jamaicans; we ain’t scared of nobody. Tell everyone to come to the party”.
