UK filmmaker Nathan Miller has been keeping tabs on local Black music scenes for a few years now and in the process has given us some of the most vital and thorough documentaries in recent years. His 2015 breakout doc, LDN, dug deep into our own capital and put him on the map; since then, he hasn’t really slowed down, working with everyone from Mo Gilligan to Roc Nation.
Now, Miller is back with another passion project, taking a deep dive in to dancehall and trap dancehall’s new gen in God Bless You, My Son. From the outside looking in, dancehall seems to be in better health than ever; titans like Spice, Skillibeng, Shenseea and more are pushing the sound far beyond the Caribbean, pushing their influence across Europe, the States, West Africa and beyond, and there’s a tidal wave of new gen artists getting ready to take over.
However, threatening to disrupt that is a growing movement in the Jamaican government to censor dancehall artists. Just a few weeks ago, the broadcasting regulator banned music and TV deemed to glorify crime and drugs, even threatening anything that uses “urban slang” relating to making money or acquiring wealth.
Keen to look beyond that and empower the homegrown talent—both established and up-and-coming, to counter the state’s efforts and take their music global—Nathan Miller and his crew jetted out to speak to the locals and get a taste of the newest developments in the scene.
A lot of ground is covered here, with everyone from Skeng and Roze Don to John Coop, Marksman and many more featuring in the 14-minute film. Press play on that at the top.
