Dancehall Queen Carlene is reflecting on what the genre has evolved into.

Dancehall music has stood the test of time, and while it's developed tremendously and carved out its ain space in the music manufacture, non anybody is pleased with the direction that its evolution took. If you ask former dancehall queen Carlene, a majority of the artists in the dancehall community have traded morals for more cash.

Speaking with The STAR, Dancehall Queen Carlene said that money, comedy, and sexual practice appeal have taken over the essence of the genre, and it steals the attention away from the real talent. "Each person is going to do what is best for him or her," she said. "It is only unfortunate that some of them come under the dancehall umbrella and this creates a confusion in people's minds considering the focus is not your talent equally a singer, deejay or dancer. Information technology'due south like everything is now being taken to another level."

"There are no morals, no respect of self, it is all about coin rather than the music. But the truth is that good music still sells and doesn't need gimmicks and nudity," she added. It is true that dancehall has evolved into something much more than erotic, and like some of the other popular genres, sex, controversy, and a viral edge have become major selling points. With new artists constantly emerging in a civilization that glorifies "rich badness," in that location is too no denying that fiscal backing has become a more prevalent criterion than bodily talent.

While the genre in the '90s was no family-friendly music suitable for a general audition, it spoke to morals rather than defied them. Carlene recalls that during her time, her risqué outfits stood for something more than than what met the middle. "As a dancer, I wore various costumes, and the purpose was to enhance the moves and the movements. I knew from dorsum then that there was a whole customs of girls and boys who could make a living out of dancing. Subsequently all, is not everybody can be doctor, nurse and lawyer. But nobody was paying them much mind," the dancehall queen explained.

She committed her time and effort to recruiting local talent as a upshot. According to The STAR, while near artists in that fourth dimension would enlist overseas talents for music videos, Carlene formed trip the light fantastic toe groups locally and had aspirants tag along to her ain shoots. While her racy outfits would sometimes prove to be a setback on certain occasions, in the stop, the culture was impacted in a style that was irreversible. "I am very happy that I was able to play that part and that there are other dancehall queens," Dancehall Queen Carlene told The STAR.

Do you agree that dancehall has become more about money than talent?