October 10, 2022, 11:35 AM

Dancehall star Mr. Lexx disagrees with the recent statements made by Ghanaian artist Stonebwoy, who claimed that Reggae music “belongs to Africa” and that “it doesn’t belong to any Caribbean society from its core.”

“The reason why I think he said it is because from day one, we were taught that we come from Africa, suh inna him mind, he can think that, he is allowed to feel that way, but it doesn’t mean he is correct,” the Full Hundred deejay recently told Ramona Samuels on Riddim FM’s Real Rock.

“Yes, some Jamaicans have ancestry in Africa, but we took what we had from where we were in our likkle corner, and created what we have, so it’s kinda unfair for him to say that.”

Paul, in an Instagram Live session last week, had blamed “the media” for misrepresenting Stonebwoy, but said the comments were not wrong, because Reggae uses African drums in its beats, and “African sounds is what we use to build our music.”

In response, Queen Ifrica took to Instagram to ‘school’ Stonebwoy and Sean Paul on the origins of the genre.

According to Mr. Lexx, if Africans were to claim Reggae, it would be akin to Jamaicans claiming Hip-Hop.

Lexx’s comments come after Sean Paul rushed to the defense of Stonebwoy, who made the statement during an interview with the Nigerian publication TheCable Lifestyle.

“See, him [Stonebwoy] a look at the bigger picture of things, our genre of music inspired other genres, Rap music and other genres come from what we created in our corner, the music that he is doing come from what we created round dah side yah, but the Americans did what they did with it and made it into Hip-Hop, Jamaicans don’t claim Hip Hop,” he continued.

“So despite the fact that some Jamaicans, not all as he said, are of African ancestry, we took what we had and created our genre of music, we created Reggae.”

Lexx, who said he enjoys Stonebwoy’s music, offered one reason why the singer may have said what he said.

“You see, this is what fame does to us, cause him a one of the biggest from that side, when you get that big you tend to feel untouchable,” Lexx said.

“This is why I have remained humble, it is important to understand one’s self and just be humble, but when you get that big, you tend to feel untouchable and just say things.”

Reggae music originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s.  Its roots can be traced back to the inception of the Jamaican recording industry in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Regarded as a pioneer, Toots Hibbert, who died on September 11, was credited for officially coining the word Reggae. His band Toots and the Maytals’ 1968 single Do the Reggay was the first-ever to use the term, which officially gave the genre an identification before it was introduced to the rest of the globe.

In This Story: Mr. Lexx, Sean Paul, Stonebwoy