Reggae Artists Sign Tolerance Pact

Back in April I posted about an article on "murder music" in Planet Out, by way of Yahoo News, that pointed the finger at artists like Beenie Man for using their music to incite violence against gays. Now Planet Out reports that Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton have "sign[ed] a 'Reggae Compassionate Act' and promise to ban anti-gay lyrics in their music." It's nice to know that public pressure can still perhaps have an effect on people, especially when it threatens to hit them in their wallets.

Dancehall = Homophobia?

I've never been a huge fan of reggae, since I always associated it with frat boys, and the more I found out about actual Rastafarian beliefs, the less ability I had to listen to reggae uncritically - really, it's not just about getting good and toasty all the time. According to this article on PlanetOut, it seems that many of the most well-known reggae/dancehall artists - such as Buju Banton, Beenie Man, and Shabba Ranks - are making "murder music" that advocates killing gays and lesbians. This has led to several incidents of mob violence against perceived gay men in Jamaica. I've seen several reggaeton/dancehall parties come up in the SF club scene lately, and I wonder how those DJs and party-goers would respond to this?