Words by Natalie Storm—
Not only is our Punany Monologues columnist Natalie Storm one of the shining lights for females in the dancehall, she’s a great writer, too. For this week’s Throwback Thursdays, we had Natalie go in on the little-known video for one of the great female deejay anthems of all-time, in Lady G’s “Nuff Respect.”
Lady G’s “Nuff Respect” came out when I was just a kid but, my mother being a dancehall fanatic, I somehow knew this song as if I wrote it—but with the wrong words, of course. I remember us having some wild and crazy dance offs in our house to this song, and me shaking my lil’ skimpy butt in our living room, chanting “Tuff Respec.” Personally my favourite Lady G song was “Round Table Talk (Relationship)” featuring Papa San but anything Lady G does is a sure hit. In my eyes, this woman can do no wrong.
I mean, have you seen her?! She doesn’t look a day older today than she did in this video. Now that I’ve gotten my one moment of kiss ass out of the way, back to the song. “Nuff Respect” was a pivotal anthem for ladies everywhere in it’s time. Young or old, big or small, you somehow got the message and if you didn’t, you’re just plain stupid!
This song for me is a true positive message for ladies everywhere, and the video, in its simplicity, only reinforces the song’s message. This is what dancehall was: good music, good vibes, good people. It reflects a time when our culture was thriving and people looked as if they were having fun out of sheer love for the music. “Nuff Respect,” in it’s own simple way, highlights the struggles of women in relationships, in the ghetto and in love. It demands and sets an example of the positive attitude of not only Jamaican women but women the world over. Show mi Nuff Respect, that’s all we really want (and money but that’s just my personal opinion). Lady G came at a time when women in dancehall were less focused on their lady parts and demanded to be looked at not by how phat they were in their skinny jeans but by the fact that we deserved the same level of acknowledgement as any man in the business.
This song, along with her overall stance of defending ladies and empowering them by not taking bullshit from any man, has earned Miss G (as I like to call her) a long standing career as well as the nuff respect she wanted from both men and women. Kudos to Lady G for giving us something to sing about other than our privates! And that’s my take on that…
NUFF RESPEC’!