Busy Signal may not be the most visible member of The Alliance. But he’s certainly the one with the most to say…..
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For the past two years the dancehall world has revolved around a band of deejays lead by the Warlord, Bounty Killer, formerly known as The Alliance. Consisting of Mavado, Bling Dawg, Wayne Marshall, Elephant Man and Busy Signal, the crew has injected a new sense of life and excitement into dancehall music.
Mavado’s career took off in the middle of 2006 with the release of the monster smash “Weh Dem Ah Do.” However, in late 2005 his partner in rhyme, Reanno Gordon—who is better known in dancehall circles as Busy Signal—helped get the ball rolling for The Alliance when he dropped the club scorcher, “Step Out.” The track featured the popular hook, “Wuk gyaaaal, bus’ guuuuun, smoke weeeeed, have fuuuuun—wuh me do?!”
By the spring of 2006 Busy’s single had gotten numerous spins on urban music radio stations across the United States. Fortunately, the clever wordsmith had the presence of mind to strike his hammer while the iron was hot. He subsequently released his freshman LP, Step Out, on the U.K.’s Greensleeves record label which was acquired by VP Records in January of this year. Busy’s success helped pave the way for Mavado’s meteoric rise to stardom. Yet despite the fact that both fans and industry shareholders put stock in Busy as a bankable dancehall superstar of the future, he suddenly disappeared from the scene like his name was Bear Stearns.
Last year, however, Busy reemerged from his cave like a bear out of hibernation displaying the artistic passion and hunger that fans of good music have been starving for. Loaded, his sophomore release on VP Records, is a ready-served musical meal packed with beefy production courtesy of DeMarco, Don Corleon, SSMG and Leftside. The LP features standout cuts like “People So Evil,” “Tic Toc,” “Unknown Number,” and the DeMarco-produced hot gyal tune, “Wine Pon Di Edge.” The thinking gangsta’s gangsta spoke to Adika about his new project and what he believes to be the Jamaican media’s bias towards his bad boy clique, The Alliance.
Over the last couple of years The Alliance has been the hottest crew in dancehall. What do you think has allowed you to distinguish yourselves from the rest of the competition? What’s the difference between you and them?
It’s just my creativity. I don’t really keep my music monotonous. I try to use different flows, different styles, different concepts each time. I think that’s one of the things that separate me and my type of style from other dancehall artists. It’s the creativity.
In Jamaica, The Alliance has been criticized for the nature of its music. Given the amount of violent crime that has occurred on the island over the last few years, do you think that any of that criticism is deserved?
It’s bad on the music because there are some people who actually believe all of that stuff. My personal belief is that music does have some influence on some people, but you can’t blame violence on music. When I say that I mean no music: not hip-hop, not dancehall, not rock—no music. You can’t blame music for the violence occurring in an entire country or continent. Music unites people. If you have a show where some singers or some deejays come to play a few songs, I guarantee you that people will be there. People are gonna unite under the banner of music. The fighting and the violence you’re referring to, that’s a political thing. That’s an election thing. One or two people may take the music too far and overreact to it, but at the end of the day, music is not the cause of the violence.
Being an artist involves exploring many aspects of the human experience, the good and the bad. Given the fact that artists do have an influence on people—especially young people—in terms of how they think and how they act, why in your opinion don’t more dancehall artists show the other side of the coin when talking about violence? Why do you think more of them don’t address the inevitable consequences that senseless violence will ultimately lead to?
Me, I could speak for myself, but I can also speak for The Alliance. We do that, but guess what? We don’t get any credit for it! None of the tabloids write about it. We give to charities; we go to the schools; we talk to the children. I’m actually one of the leading artists in Jamaica currently on a school tour—free of cost—riding around the island talking to the kids, singing a couple songs, signing autographs, telling them to stay focused, stay off the street, get an education. No one highlights these things. It doesn’t go on the Internet; none of the television networks video record it. You won’t read about it in The Star. But if I get up this morning and smack some n-gga in the head or shoot somebody then it will be in The Star. It will be in the papers for months.
Are you saying that the media thrives on violence and negativity?
Yes, because it sells papers. Everybody is just about making something for themselves and making their own money—no matter what kind of money it is. It could be corrupted money gained from negatively highlighting someone else. The media doesn’t highlight the good things we do. They give dancehall bad press, they give reggae bad press. No one wants to acknowledge the good that we do.
I’ve been listening to the music you’ve been putting out over the last few months and it’s clear to me that you’re a lyricist, a writer. What inspires you to write?
Everyday life. If you hear me deejaying something for the girls it might be about a girl I met last night, or maybe a friend told me a story and I decided to make a song out of it. If it’s a true portrait than people are more likely to relate to it. That’s just how I see it.
“Unknown Number” is an original for me. I don’t remember hearing a dancehall song like it.
(Laughs) Thanks
I usually don’t answer blocked calls on my cell either, but sometimes you never know. Is there a story behind how that song came about?
Yeah, it was a joke. I was in the studio with my manager and an engineer and kept getting all of these blocked calls. I’m like “who’s calling me from all of these unknown numbers?” It was kind of frustrating cause I was trying to get some work done. I decide to release my frustration by making a song about it. DeMarco made that riddim. He did one and I said “No DeMarco, start from scratch,” and he came with that one. I didn’t go home until I got that feeling off my chest.
That’s wassup. A lot of people know Busy Signal’s music, but they don’t know much about the man behind the microphone. How would you describe your personality?
I’m not really the flashy, flashy type, but I’m cool. Sometimes I like to be by myself and just do my music. Other times I’ll sign a million autographs. I’m just energetic. I like to chill and observe things. But if I have to get up and do a show then I’ll do a show. I’m a workaholic though. I’ll be in the studio from like Sunday to Sunday.
Well the album is in stores now, what would you like for people to know about this project?
Give it a try, because it’s going to be worth your while. It’s music, and I do music. I’m influenced by a lot of different types of music—hip-hop, reggae, dancehall, R&B, rock. People who know me know I deliver, and I do it way more than UPS or FedEx. If you like dancehall, if you like good music you’re going to like my album so go to the store and pick it up.
Mavado’s career took off in the middle of 2006 with the release of the monster smash “Weh Dem Ah Do.” However, in late 2005 his partner in rhyme, Reanno Gordon—who is better known in dancehall circles as Busy Signal—helped get the ball rolling for The Alliance when he dropped the club scorcher, “Step Out.” The track featured the popular hook, “Wuk gyaaaal, bus’ guuuuun, smoke weeeeed, have fuuuuun—wuh me do?!”
By the spring of 2006 Busy’s single had gotten numerous spins on urban music radio stations across the United States. Fortunately, the clever wordsmith had the presence of mind to strike his hammer while the iron was hot. He subsequently released his freshman LP, Step Out, on the U.K.’s Greensleeves record label which was acquired by VP Records in January of this year. Busy’s success helped pave the way for Mavado’s meteoric rise to stardom. Yet despite the fact that both fans and industry shareholders put stock in Busy as a bankable dancehall superstar of the future, he suddenly disappeared from the scene like his name was Bear Stearns.
Last year, however, Busy reemerged from his cave like a bear out of hibernation displaying the artistic passion and hunger that fans of good music have been starving for. Loaded, his sophomore release on VP Records, is a ready-served musical meal packed with beefy production courtesy of DeMarco, Don Corleon, SSMG and Leftside. The LP features standout cuts like “People So Evil,” “Tic Toc,” “Unknown Number,” and the DeMarco-produced hot gyal tune, “Wine Pon Di Edge.” The thinking gangsta’s gangsta spoke to Adika about his new project and what he believes to be the Jamaican media’s bias towards his bad boy clique, The Alliance.
Over the last couple of years The Alliance has been the hottest crew in dancehall. What do you think has allowed you to distinguish yourselves from the rest of the competition? What’s the difference between you and them?
It’s just my creativity. I don’t really keep my music monotonous. I try to use different flows, different styles, different concepts each time. I think that’s one of the things that separate me and my type of style from other dancehall artists. It’s the creativity.
In Jamaica, The Alliance has been criticized for the nature of its music. Given the amount of violent crime that has occurred on the island over the last few years, do you think that any of that criticism is deserved?
It’s bad on the music because there are some people who actually believe all of that stuff. My personal belief is that music does have some influence on some people, but you can’t blame violence on music. When I say that I mean no music: not hip-hop, not dancehall, not rock—no music. You can’t blame music for the violence occurring in an entire country or continent. Music unites people. If you have a show where some singers or some deejays come to play a few songs, I guarantee you that people will be there. People are gonna unite under the banner of music. The fighting and the violence you’re referring to, that’s a political thing. That’s an election thing. One or two people may take the music too far and overreact to it, but at the end of the day, music is not the cause of the violence.
Being an artist involves exploring many aspects of the human experience, the good and the bad. Given the fact that artists do have an influence on people—especially young people—in terms of how they think and how they act, why in your opinion don’t more dancehall artists show the other side of the coin when talking about violence? Why do you think more of them don’t address the inevitable consequences that senseless violence will ultimately lead to?
Me, I could speak for myself, but I can also speak for The Alliance. We do that, but guess what? We don’t get any credit for it! None of the tabloids write about it. We give to charities; we go to the schools; we talk to the children. I’m actually one of the leading artists in Jamaica currently on a school tour—free of cost—riding around the island talking to the kids, singing a couple songs, signing autographs, telling them to stay focused, stay off the street, get an education. No one highlights these things. It doesn’t go on the Internet; none of the television networks video record it. You won’t read about it in The Star. But if I get up this morning and smack some n-gga in the head or shoot somebody then it will be in The Star. It will be in the papers for months.
Are you saying that the media thrives on violence and negativity?
Yes, because it sells papers. Everybody is just about making something for themselves and making their own money—no matter what kind of money it is. It could be corrupted money gained from negatively highlighting someone else. The media doesn’t highlight the good things we do. They give dancehall bad press, they give reggae bad press. No one wants to acknowledge the good that we do.
I’ve been listening to the music you’ve been putting out over the last few months and it’s clear to me that you’re a lyricist, a writer. What inspires you to write?
Everyday life. If you hear me deejaying something for the girls it might be about a girl I met last night, or maybe a friend told me a story and I decided to make a song out of it. If it’s a true portrait than people are more likely to relate to it. That’s just how I see it.
“Unknown Number” is an original for me. I don’t remember hearing a dancehall song like it.
(Laughs) Thanks
I usually don’t answer blocked calls on my cell either, but sometimes you never know. Is there a story behind how that song came about?
Yeah, it was a joke. I was in the studio with my manager and an engineer and kept getting all of these blocked calls. I’m like “who’s calling me from all of these unknown numbers?” It was kind of frustrating cause I was trying to get some work done. I decide to release my frustration by making a song about it. DeMarco made that riddim. He did one and I said “No DeMarco, start from scratch,” and he came with that one. I didn’t go home until I got that feeling off my chest.
That’s wassup. A lot of people know Busy Signal’s music, but they don’t know much about the man behind the microphone. How would you describe your personality?
I’m not really the flashy, flashy type, but I’m cool. Sometimes I like to be by myself and just do my music. Other times I’ll sign a million autographs. I’m just energetic. I like to chill and observe things. But if I have to get up and do a show then I’ll do a show. I’m a workaholic though. I’ll be in the studio from like Sunday to Sunday.
Well the album is in stores now, what would you like for people to know about this project?
Give it a try, because it’s going to be worth your while. It’s music, and I do music. I’m influenced by a lot of different types of music—hip-hop, reggae, dancehall, R&B, rock. People who know me know I deliver, and I do it way more than UPS or FedEx. If you like dancehall, if you like good music you’re going to like my album so go to the store and pick it up.
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