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-- By Stephen Jackson, Jamaica Observer Writer

The latest deejay rivalry has a 'dolphin' cursing an 'elephant' and some music selectors refusing to play these insulting songs, calling them gimmicks.

The latest round has Flippa Mafia in Extra Extra debunking Elephant Man's turn of phrase which likened Mafia's name to a fish, a slang for gay. "Stupid like you gal, dolphin anno fish, dolphin a mammal," deejayed Flippa, who in the same song flips the gay claim on Elephant Man. "Di gal dem seh you push your... in (faeces)."

Flipper is the name of a dolphin in a classic US TV show of the same name. "Last time me check it out dolphin a fish," deejayed Elephant Man in Informa.

Online references on Fishbase, Biology-online and Wikipedia suggest that Mafia's clarification is correct, that mammals cannot be fish.

Elephant Man's manager did not respond to telephone calls up to print. Mafia was said to be off the island. Previous songs have Elephant Man calling Mafia an informer. "You go a jail and inform and get bail," he toasts in People (you wan' mi nil him). Then claims that Mafia's "baby mother a suffa".

Mafia responds with Truth: "Flippa tell the truth everybody know that Elephant nuh mine him yout'."

The list of disses and insult songs is not exhaustive. The feud reportedly began when Mafia deejayed an allusion about Elephant Man's dogs: "Some man have big house a bare dog live inna it."

However, in a recent interview, Flippa told the Observer that after the song was released he went to Ele and told him to do a counteraction. "At first Ele said 'no'. But then him go and do a song and everybody start to call and ask me what kind a foolishness that Ele do. When I listened to the lyrics, I realised that Ele OD (overdo). So I had to answer it. But to me it was all fun."

No less than four songs have so far been released from both parties, and even lesser known act, Ninja Kid, tried to jump into the fray, claiming that Flippa had "called up" his name in one of the songs. Ninja Kid subsequently voiced a counteraction tune which had hardly any impact.

Selectors who spoke to Splash said the rivalry doesn't seem authentic since both men are 'party' and not 'shotta' deejays. Mafia is the self-described flossing king and Elephant Man is the energy god.

"Is a joke thing," reasoned Jazzy-T of Renaissance. "We play Mafia and Ele but not their rivalry music. It don't make sense. It sound like a big joke."

Wah Wa of Darkside International sound said that currently the songs are not hits and thus won't get played at sessions. "The tune dem drop no really hot yet. Is just we selectors weh really know bout it. It is a war only in the building stages."
Wah Wa said that this rivalry is not good for the dancehall "because it isn't two men who are very lyrical. They are two gimmick artistes".

Said Ras of Ras 'n' Biggy soundsystem: "In my opinion, it has nothing to do with people dancing at a party."

The main dancehall rivalry is between Mavado and Vybz Kartel. Both artistes have been at loggerheads since Kartel split the Bounty Killer-led Alliance prior to 2007, and staked claim to the Gaza. Mavado, on the other hand - while still hailing Bounty as his "Fada" - is known as the Gully God and has his separate following.

The lyrical rivalry between the two has arguably transitioned into reality. Mavado's Range Rover was shot up last month following tensions in his Cassava Piece hometown, the community which is often referred to as the 'Gully Side'. According to the police, the community is divided into factions. It follows the fire bombing of Kartel's Honda motor car in August last year. Kartel, however, stated that it was "electrical problems" which sparked the fire.

SOURCE
Published: Sunday | October 02, 2009 | Jamaica Observer
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