Film info: Hit Me with Music

Film Information

Original Title	Hit Me with Music
English Title	Hit Me with Music
Director	Miquel Galofré
Countrys
Year	2011
Format	HD
Colour	Color
Duration	80 min

Cast:

Yellowman, Mavado, Vybz Kartel, Bogle

Production:

Guión: Laura Carulla
Fotografía: Miquel Galofré
Montaje: Miquel Galofré
Producción: Nando García Guereta

Synopsis

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley’s death. Yes, Marley still equals “Jamaican music” for almost every foreigner who visits the island (and this restless documentary suggests the same with short interviews). But there’s much more than reggae and our remembered Bob in the music of the island (and there’s also a lot more than tourist attractions). In the Eighties, after Marley’s death, a hybrid style called dancehall developed out of reggae roots; it usually includes a sort of DJ-singer-rapper, a faster beat, and lyrics with strong social and sexual content. Dancehall is frequently associated with urban gangs, and carries its share of idols and controversy: Yellowman, one of its main figures, is discriminated for his albino condition, because he’s not black. In the meantime, we see how skin-whitening is a practice quite extended in the island. Hit Me with Music is a sharp social portrait and a fascinating insight into a musical genre. It goes beyond the beaches, Marley, and joints; that is, beyond the sunny surface of a “Jamaican trip”.