Popular Reggae music artiste, Ras Kimono has said that he is appalled by the quality of music churned out by young artistes in the industry today.
“Music is supposed to be a weapon of social change. A musician is supposed to be a prophet who speaks the truth as it affects everybody in the society. But can you tell me what these young artistes are preaching about. They do nothing but sing about butt, boobs and other mundane things that do not add value to anybody.

“It is not a bad thing to sing party or dancehall music but there is a problem when 95 per cent of the music out there sound the same and don’t even have any meaning.  Most times, I listen to these songs and get angry. Look at the musicians of yesteryears, the songs are still relevant today, decades after they were originally released. But if you listen to a song that was released just last year, you may want to throw up.

“That’s because those songs have very short life-span. After people dance to it for some time, they dump it in the trash bin of time and move on to the next song.  That is not what music is supposed to be about. People still play Fela’s music today because it still has something to offer. Reggae music, which I do, dwells on topical issues bothering the society. I really want the younger artistes to have a change of heart and think of the future; it is very important.”

On how he feels that there is more money in the music industry now than in the days when he held sway, Kimono said, “I do not feel anyhow about that. The only thing constant in life is change. I am happy with the progress that has been made in the music industry. I just want them to improve on the quality of songs out there. Even in our days, we were okay and we travelled round the world to perform. It is more about knowing how to manage what you have and not living above your means. Some artistes may be earning so much today but they could spend the money lavishly and become broke at the end of the day. One must be able to plan his life well and think ahead.”