Great music conveys our rawest emotions which are too primal to convert to words. It forcefully speaks to our quietest thoughts which are too loud to remain silent. For fans of Ventrice Latora Morgan, better known in reggae circles as Queen Ifrica, this observation is about as real as the lyrics that she writes.
Ifrica, the daughter of Jamaican rocksteady legend Derrick Morgan, has garnered respect and admiration in the reggae industry because she’s smart enough to educate her listening audience, yet still loves it enough to entertain it. Her penchant for rhythm and rhyme earned her Best Female Deejay honors at the 2008 International Reggae And World Music Awards (IRAWMA). Ifrica, who hails from the parish of Montego Bay, has consistently distinguished herself as the witty conscience of dancehall-reggae with scorching singles like “Keep It To Yourself,” “Below the Waist,” and “Daddy.”
The latter is a poignantly written song about child molestation. Despite a noticeable absence of record spins on Caribbean radio, “Daddy” reached a wide and appreciative audience. Its message resonated especially with those men and women who have themselves been touched by the cold, scabrous hands of incest and abuse.
After inking a new deal with VP Records—the world’s leading record label for reggae and dancehall artists—the Rastafarian rebel queen is looking forward to what she expects will be a prosperous year. In late March she released Road to Montego Bay, a digital EP that serves as an ital appetizer to her full-length album which is slated for a summer release.
Fast Food for Thought spoke to the Fyah Muma about her new EP, dancehall’s “daggering” craze (dry sex on the dance floor) and her controversial single, “Daddy.”
Queen Ifrica, you’re recognized in the business as a gifted lyricist with a positive message for the fans, but you also make the musicentertainment. What do you think about Jamaica’s radio ban of songs promoting daggering and violence?
My opinion is that it shouldn’t have caused such a negative reaction. Jamaica has become so violent of the last few years—and while I am not one of those who would say that music is the only reason why the society has deteriorated—I know that it is very influential to some of these youth in the garrisons who really live this kind of lifestyle. You have some artists in Jamaica who talk about shooting out somebody’s face but they are not actually doing some of these things. However you have youth are out there who are living that lifestyle and look up to the artists. It gives them strength and encouragement to believe that the lives they are living is normal when it’s really not. So I believe that the music is not the reason why Jamaican society is the way that it is, but it does contribute.
If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem.
Right! Exactly! Sex has become so widespread among the young people, dem. They’re having sex at live dances. The deejays are telling the girls “take off your clothes and show your vagina.” There is definitely something wrong with that whole mindset. If you watch it back on tape, it is not something that you would consider pleasing if you have any morals in you. I’m kind of disappointed in some people who say that the [radio] broadcasters are fighting against ghetto people because they have said that enough is enough with the slackness and violence. There must be other subjects that the artists can sing about—and a lot of these artists are very creative. But they see that sex sells, so to gain the fame and the spotlight they do whatever they think they have to do.
You released a single in 2008 about incest and abuse called “Daddy.” It was incredibly unique and well written, but it did not get the kind of attention on the radio that it could have. Did this surprise you?
No, it did not surprise me, because I know that incest is not necessarily a ghetto problem that everyone tries to make it out to be in the early stages of the song. This was me wanting to show that these are things that are seriously impacting our society where people are becoming sexually confused or they become oversexed gays or lesbians. Unfortunately, there is no one to ask these people exactly what is happening to them. We don’t make an effort to address the issue before it becomes a problem.
Another thing to understand is that incest is primarily a middle class problem. It really affects the middle class. So you find that the fight against the song “Daddy” really came for that aspect of society where the big bosses, who control these radio stations and lord over the disc jockeys, tell them not to play it on the radio. However at the dances, where the people know what the truth is and what morality is, I have to always sing it when I go on stage.
It’s very sad, because say you’re watching a documentary where female, or gay male prostitutes explain why how they got into that lifestyle, nine out of ten of them will say that they came out of troubled homes where their father was molesting them. Or maybe their mom gave them away to a member of the family who was molesting them.
Nobody takes interest to ask these people “hey, you don’t smile as much as you used to; what’s wrong?” I feel that if we’re going to look at the ill behavior of our young people we need to look at the causes and not just the effects. We need to become more involved in their lives.
Was the song inspired by the experiences of anyone you know personally?
Yes, more than one person. I can tell you hundreds, because even when I was not widely known in the business, I was doing community work with [reggae singer] Tony Rebel. There is a center in Jamaica that houses women under the age of 18 and you’d be surprised to learn how many of these young women are pregnant for their dads and uncles. These girls are 11, 12, 16-years-old and there is nothing that you can say to them that is going to make all of their problems go away. However, you can listen to them, hug them, and cry with them so that they know that someone understands what they’re going through.
I knew a lot of people would like to know if the song reflects my own personal experiences. I wanted them to ask that question so that I could point them to these young people being ignored who have actually experienced these things. I know a man who told me that he is a homosexual because of a Catholic priest who had sex with him. In Jamaica, where homophobia is so strong, it took a lot for this man to call me and say “that song really gave me a sense of self-worth as far as me not being at fault for who I am.” These messages can make a difference in people’s lives and it’s not just Jamaica, it’s everywhere.
So tell me about your latest project, Road to Montego Bay. Who are some of the producers you worked with? What should fans expect?
Well it’s a special occasion to be working with a VP Records. I have a song on the album that is talking about Montego Bay the place, not just the tourist destination. It’s about the lives of the people who live in the poorer parts of the city. I worked with Fabian Colbert, Penthouse, which is a giant in the business. We got the riddims that will really appeal to the youth on this EP. I think it will give the fans a good idea of where the Fyah Muma is going with the full length album.
For more on Queen Ifrica check her out at http://www.myspace.com/queenifrica
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