NEW YORK – In November, 2022 Dr. Richard Amenyah, regional director of the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, gave a frightening report on the state of the disease in Jamaica.
He said data from his organization showed that 30,000 persons in Jamaica were living with HIV. Each week, Amenyah added, there are “close to 27 Jamaicans becoming infected.”
Singjay Azee was not aware of those ominous figures, but is not surprised. On Can’t Tell, his latest song, he calls on Jamaican men to be sexually responsible.
Azee
“Why I do this song is because I know five people who died from it (HIV), two of them in the music industry. The message is to open the eyes of the people in the world because HIV is still around and anyone can catch it,” said Azee.
Can’t Tell is a collaboration with Mr. Lexx, DYCR, Power Man and Junior Cat. Azee, who is based in New York, produced the song with his brother Ansel Owen, for their Crown International label.
He stated that Can’t Tell’s message is simple, but profound.
“All wi a sey (we are saying) is, do di right thing. Too much people getting infected, and some are dying,” said Azee.
Can’t Tell is one of several songs on the Sweet Lyfe compilation album which was released in 2016. The project also has songs by Half Pint, Sizzla and Gyptian.
It was released on a remixed version of that ‘riddim’ by engineer Steven Stanley, whose credits include songs by Sly and Robbie, Black Uhuru, The Tom Tom Club and Grace Jones.
Dancehall/reggae artists, often reviled for their flamboyant lifestyle, have encouraged Jamaican youth to refrain from loose sexual practice. Buju Banton’s Willy (Don’t be Silly), and Rubbers by Frisco Kid, are examples of those musical campaigns.
