LAST Sunday, Guyanese president Mohamed Irfaan Ali called on Caribbean leaders to take the issue of violent lyrics seriously and to ensure that the lyrics of the region’s music were positive.

The statement raised several long-standing issues with freedom of expression and censorship among them.

To gain perspective on the matter, Newsday spoke to a publicist, songwriter and psychiatrist.

Positive lyrics needed

Songwriter Emmanuel Rudder has been in the business for 15 years and has written songs for performers such as Machel Montano, Kees Dieffenthaller, Taurus Riley, Aaron Duncan, Patrice Roberts, Lyrikal, Farmer Nappy and Olatunji.

Rudder thinks positive lyrics were not only needed but necessary.

Using Jamaica and reggae/dancehall as an example, Rudder said positive music was not “as cool” as it was once.

Artistes like Sizzla Kalonji, Morgan Heritage and others promoted positivity when he was growing up.

The matter raised the question of how societies could popularise positive music again, he said.

In his 40s now, Rudder said in his time there were options. There was the choice of what he termed the “rough, risque, hardcore music” but there was positive music.

He said the options available to youths were extremely limited with Trinibad being the most popular.

He said artistes like Rheon Elbourne who sang positive music in the Trinibad genre were not played as widely as those singing about “guns, drugs and corruption.”

Rudder also explored whether legislation could be used to have more positive music played.

While each person has choice, Rudder said with the advent of social media and the desire to not be labelled a square peg in a round hole, everyone wanted to fit in.

“Everyone wants to have community. Now if that is what is going and that is what, quote and quote, is trending and cool to do, that is what most of the youths will do,” he said.

Past generations did not have social media and youths today face different challenges, he added.

He said parenting issues and the personalisation of digital technologies were also contributory factors to the popularisation of violent music/lyrics.

“Now you have a portable device, in-ear system that you can use. The parent is not hearing what the kid is listening to.

“These kids are also sending playlists of the music that’s trending to their peers,” he said.

Asked if legislation could help, Rudder said it could in the country but not the home.

He said legislation could help regulate the music on radio.

“However, Trinibad is a genre that is underground and could be found on YouTube. These kids are not listening to radio as we were back then. Radio does not have the power, per say, that it once had.”

He added that the streaming platforms were free and allowed users to listen to whatever they chose.

Balance positive, negative lyrics

Publicist Adanna Asson believes there should be a balance when creating music.

“We live in a world where both positivity and negativity exist and they are both important,” she said in WhatsApp re