The nation of Jamaica has instituted an island-wide ban of all music which glorifies violence or sexual activity.
The ban, which became official earlier this week, is targeted at quelling the growing dancehall trend called “daggering,” where participants stimulate sexual intercourse on the dance floor.
The style was popularized by dancehall star Mr. Vegas, who released a song and video of the same name last June.
Under the new regulation, all music with lyrics detailing murder, arson, rape, and gun violence cannot be heard over Jamaica’s TV and radio broadcast systems.
Furthermore, DJ’s are not even allowed to be play censored versions of songs, as the intent and suggestive nature of the tracks would still be discernible.
As the country’s most popular music genre, dancehall stands to be the most affected by the new ruling.
In recent years, the genre has endured heavy international criticism for the vehement anti-gay stance many of its artists advocate.
However, the decree will also limit the accessibility of Soca and Hip-Hop on the island.
Soca music is rarely explicit, but sometimes utilizes sexual innuendo in its lyrics and is a staple sound of Jamaican street carnivals.
Hip-Hop has strong roots with the Caribbean island due to Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc, who helped launch the genre of Hip-Hop in the 70s, after migrating to New York City in the late 1960s.
At press time, there has been no organized movement to challenge the government’s ruling on free speech grounds.