‘Mute Jah Cure’ Movement Has Silenced The Incarcerated Singer In Europe
Since European radio station personnel enacted an informal ban on the music of incarcerated reggae singer Jah Cure, there are only a few radio station broadcasters who remain neutral.
At least one Dutch-based broadcaster continues to wave the flag for the Longing For singer. Her reasoning? Great music and empathy.
“I play Jah Cure because his music is great and a lot of people love it,” the female broadcaster told DancehallMag.
“I am going to continue to play his music, I would like to hopefully interview him one day, he is being detained right here in Amsterdam,” she added. “Don’t jump to conclusions. Believe in the process, the rehabilitation. Give him a chance.”
In March 2022, the Jamaican singer, whose real name is Siccature Alcock, was convicted of attempted manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison after he stabbed a Dutch concert promoter over unpaid performance fees in October 2021.
The stabbing led to an informal campaign among European selectors and disc jockeys to “mute Jah Cure” calling for a boycott of his music. The singer is reportedly not on the playlist of a number of street and radio selectors across Europe, a development which in the scope of a niche genre like reggae, is like a death sentence.
“The ban started more like a protest against this act of violence by Jah Cure. At first it was just members of reggae music groups having conversations about it on social media, and they stopped playing him,” another female disc jockey who is based in Germany explained.
It’s been almost four years and Jah Cure’s songs are largely missing from the reggae music scene.
“There is no full ban on ever having his songs played on specialist shows or if a listener requested one on the radio, but they just don’t play him anymore. But why boycott? We live in cancel culture generation but I think every artiste needs a second , even, third chance. Hope he learns from this experience. You hear a lot of stories being circulated, but if you don’t know the full story, why cancel the artiste?” a France-based disc jockey who plays on an Internet radio station in Paris, reasoned.
At the end of his trial, the judges ruled that Jah Cure’s actions were not a premeditated act of attempted murder, and he was acquitted of the more serious charge. However, following the sentence, Dutch prosecutors appealed against the acquittal of the attempted murder charge while Jah Cure’s lawyer has appealed the attempted manslaughter conviction he received in 2022.
Jah Cure’s music has been subject to several bans and controversies, primarily stemming from his past legal issues. He was initially sentenced to prison in 1999 for rape and robbery.
Additionally, he was disqualified from the MOBO Awards after organizers learned about his past conviction.
What do you think? Should the ‘Behind These Prison Walls’ singer be given a third chance?