Alliance vs. Portmore Empire

The cancellation of the Finish Line party because Mavado of the Alliance and Vybz Kartel of Portmore Empire were billed for the same show is a testimony of where dancehall is today.

An endemic has emerged into the genre - crews. The affiliation with either the Bounty Killer led Alliance or the Vybz Kartel led Portmore Empire is seen as the ultimate way to get recognition for some dancehall acts. Many upcoming artistes think it is necessary to be aligned with either of the two factions in order to get their songs playing on the radio or in the dances. They see it as an opportunity to grace the stage at events to display their talents.

However, the attachment is not always a bed of roses. This was evident when Einstein, who is an associate of the Alliance, was badly beaten by members of the Portmore Empire after he tried to take the microphone at a session in Portmore. Tensions also brewed when Aidonia left the company of the Alliance to join forces with the Empire.

Selectors are chastised for playing too much songs from either side and some are even said to be aligned to either crew. Selector Hotta Ball was beaten for not playing enough Bounty Killer tunes at a session, and this was seen as a ‘diss’ by the Killer fans. Other instances of both crews being involved in trouble have been reported in our daily newspapers and on the radio.

Differences are not only expressed by the artistes themselves, but also by their supporters. This is especially evident at stage shows and on internet blogs. The internet is probably the place where most of the ‘confrontation’ takes place. Persons often post lewd comments about the crew they dislike.

According to Othello Davis, who was a frequent party goer, the situation has left what should be fun going events as ones that are fragile.

“Anything can happen at any time. The whole dancehall things set a way because people mek dem allegiances to one of the two. Mi deh a dance a’ready and hear people a argue over which crew have more talented artistes, an’ war almost start because a dat,” he said.

“The dancehall thing naah guh change, because the lyrics dem violent, the artiste dem violent and the followers dem violent,” Othello argued.

A solution to the decay is not readily available and once the crews continue to have a stronghold on the music the divide within the dancehall will continue to grow.