Shanti Dope management addresses PDEA's call to ban song 'Amatz'
Published May 24, 2019 03:54 am
Shanti Dope Management has denied that the rapper's song "Amatz" promotes the recreational use of drugs as alleged by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) which is pushing to have the song banned from airing.
Shanti Dope (Instagram)
In a Facebook post, the management wrote: "None of it promotes marijuana use."
In a letter dated May 20, PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino requested the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), and the ABS-CBN Corporation to prevent the airing of "Amatz" and its promotion in the different media stations throughout the country.
It cited the lines “lakas ng amats ko, sobrang natural, walang halong kemikal, " and “ito hinangad ko, lipadin ay mataas pa sa kayang ipadama sayo ng gramo, di bale ng musika ikamatay."
Aquino was quoted to have said about it: “It appears that the singer was referring to the high effect of marijuana, being in its natural/organic state and not altered by any chemical compound."
He claimed songs such as "Amatz" is “contrary to our fight against illegal drugs" and "contrary to Duterte’s administration crusade against illegal drugs."
In response, Shanti Dope Management enjoined Aquino to take into account the whole song and not just a few lines from it.
"The song begins with the persona talking about the ill effects, the violence, and dangers of drugs: 'Kamatayan o parak / Na umaga o gabi, may kahabulan / Dami ng nasa ataol pa / Hangang katapusan laki ng kita sa kahuyan.'
"It then continues to talk about the lessons from the persona’s father, and how this persona was challenged to go beyond the expected. 'Sabi nila sa'kin nung bata, ay / Ano ka kaya pag tanda mo? / Ito hinangad ko lipadin ay mataas pa / Sa kaya ipadama sa'yo ng gramo / 'Di bale nang musika ikamatay / Kesa pera't atraso, bala ng amo.'
"This is all in the first part of the song. And NONE of it promotes marijuana use. In fact, it clearly shows the persona taking a stand against illegal drugs, while at the same time pointing out that what has made him 'fly' (so to speak) is not drugs, but music," the same Facebook post read.
The management continued that by the time listeners reach the song’s chorus, “amatz” refers to the music through which the persona found his identity — not any form of drugs, but the natural high creativity gives.
"This is what the next verse then focuses on, complete with the ideological anchor of Shanti’s upbringing in Buddhism, with references to concepts such as maha-mantra and chakra, as a response in the end to those who think they know the persona, but in fact know little about him," the management explained.
"While anyone is welcome to interpret a song or any cultural text, it is also clear that for an interpretation to be valid, it needs to have a basis, and must be within the context of the cultural text as a whole. To take apart a song and judge it based on certain lyrics that offend us is unfair to the songwriter; to presume that our reading of a song is the only valid one is offensive to an audience that might be more mature than we think." (With report from Chito Chavez)
Shanti Dope (Instagram)
In a Facebook post, the management wrote: "None of it promotes marijuana use."
In a letter dated May 20, PDEA Director General Aaron N. Aquino requested the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), and the ABS-CBN Corporation to prevent the airing of "Amatz" and its promotion in the different media stations throughout the country.
It cited the lines “lakas ng amats ko, sobrang natural, walang halong kemikal, " and “ito hinangad ko, lipadin ay mataas pa sa kayang ipadama sayo ng gramo, di bale ng musika ikamatay."
Aquino was quoted to have said about it: “It appears that the singer was referring to the high effect of marijuana, being in its natural/organic state and not altered by any chemical compound."
He claimed songs such as "Amatz" is “contrary to our fight against illegal drugs" and "contrary to Duterte’s administration crusade against illegal drugs."
In response, Shanti Dope Management enjoined Aquino to take into account the whole song and not just a few lines from it.
"The song begins with the persona talking about the ill effects, the violence, and dangers of drugs: 'Kamatayan o parak / Na umaga o gabi, may kahabulan / Dami ng nasa ataol pa / Hangang katapusan laki ng kita sa kahuyan.'
"It then continues to talk about the lessons from the persona’s father, and how this persona was challenged to go beyond the expected. 'Sabi nila sa'kin nung bata, ay / Ano ka kaya pag tanda mo? / Ito hinangad ko lipadin ay mataas pa / Sa kaya ipadama sa'yo ng gramo / 'Di bale nang musika ikamatay / Kesa pera't atraso, bala ng amo.'
"This is all in the first part of the song. And NONE of it promotes marijuana use. In fact, it clearly shows the persona taking a stand against illegal drugs, while at the same time pointing out that what has made him 'fly' (so to speak) is not drugs, but music," the same Facebook post read.
The management continued that by the time listeners reach the song’s chorus, “amatz” refers to the music through which the persona found his identity — not any form of drugs, but the natural high creativity gives.
"This is what the next verse then focuses on, complete with the ideological anchor of Shanti’s upbringing in Buddhism, with references to concepts such as maha-mantra and chakra, as a response in the end to those who think they know the persona, but in fact know little about him," the management explained.
"While anyone is welcome to interpret a song or any cultural text, it is also clear that for an interpretation to be valid, it needs to have a basis, and must be within the context of the cultural text as a whole. To take apart a song and judge it based on certain lyrics that offend us is unfair to the songwriter; to presume that our reading of a song is the only valid one is offensive to an audience that might be more mature than we think." (With report from Chito Chavez)