Dancehall Queen Carlene Demands Respect For Her Trendsetting Looks From The ’90s
After American rapper Saweetie came under fire earlier this week for appropriating an outfit that some Jamaicans believed to be reminiscent of ’90s Dancehall fashion, Dancehall Queen Carlene had this to say: “if we want that respect, it starts right here at home.”
For her Best Friend music video with Doja Cat, Saweetie donned a two-piece ensemble, platinum blonde wig, and matching thigh-high boots which were likened to outfits worn by DHQ Carlene during her heyday as Jamaica’s reigning Dancehall Queen between 1992 and 1999.
While Carlene agrees that Saweetie’s look was Dancehall-inspired, she took Jamaican artists to task for not acknowledging that she and others of her time were the pioneers of the recognizable aesthetic.
Speaking with the Weekend Star, Carlene said, “I have never heard a Jamaican artiste big me up for what I have done……… And none of them have ever said, ‘I am doing this because of what Carlene did or what any of the original dancehall trendsetters did’. So why are we jumping onto the backs of the Americans? Is it because we are Jamaicans and we are entitled to it?”
https://twitter.com/JamaicanDancers/status/1349041997475176452?s=20
Carlene continued, “I not saying that I am OK with what the Americans — or anyone else around the world — do when they imitate our culture and don’t give us credit. I am just saying that if we want that respect, it starts right here at home.”
She told the STAR that instead of crediting her, for her contributions to fashion and Dancehall culture, people are ready to put her down. “Go back and look what music fashion was, especially in hip hop before the 90s. It was big clothes, heavy clothes. We changed that. I changed that,” she continued, adding that instead of crediting her, persons “more want to put me dung”.
On Saweetie’s Best Friend ensemble, which was called out by several users on Twitter and Instagram, Carlene said “that’s dancehall all the way. But I can’t bash her [Saweetie] for not crediting dancehall because she may not even know who to credit.”
The former DHQ added that she believes people would give credit where credit is due if they could identify the source. “Way back when, Lil Kim said in one of her interviews that her look (with the blue wig) was inspired by Dancehall, and so if they know who to credit, they will,” she said.
Saweetie considers Lil’ Kim her idol and the two rappers finally spoke for the first time in 2019. An InterviewMagazine piece revealed where the Icy Girl gets a lot of her inspiration for her looks.
“Every year I write down goals for myself, and I was like, ‘I really hope I find my Misa Hylton [Lil’ Kim’s stylist] this year, because I would love to have looks like Kim had.’ You guys were a lethal combination, and, girl, maybe three months after that, I found my stylist. No matter where I go, I’m trying to put on a look like Kim,” Saweetie told Kim.
“You remind me of me,” Kim replied.
Dancehall fans were mostly in agreement with Carlene’s comments yesterday.
Instagram user dangabbi1 wrote, “she was a leading part of the group of very confident women who kick-started a new era in dancehall. She should be recognised an icon in dancehall history.”
“She is the original dancehall queen and she deserve credit. When I think of 90’s dancehall har outfit dem did bad. No body did it like her back then,” another fan said.