RM: What sort of influence do you think the artists have on the youth in Jamaica? Do you think they can influence behavior?

JK: Whe you a talk say, man? People listen to artist more than they listen to president and prime minister and kings and queens.

RM: So because people listen to them, do you think they have any special responsibility, or do you think the responsibility is on the people who listen to them to decide what and what dem wah listen to?

JK: Art imitates life. Life imitates art. Everybody has some sort of role to play, and everybody has a certain amount of obligation to themselves and to others around them. I think the biggest responsibility is on our shoulders: you, Milo, the writer, me, the artist, and so forth and so on.

The audience has less responsibility. [The audience], dem a no robot, they’re not programmed – but things can be programmed into dem. But at the same time, the last and the final say is on their shoulder. But we done know the power that media have, and the influence and the grip that advertisements do have on people. If somebody hear something long enough, hard enough, they will find that it just lodge inna dem subconscious, and dem a do it and a wonder “How mi a do this?”

So, you know, everybody have an obligation, but the ultimate obligation lies on the individual who is going to absorb what and see ‘bout what, and throw away the crap and keep the message and the things that are substantial. And the artist mustn’t say “OK, mi a go abuse the freedom of speech because I have this whole heap of riches and mi music has been played, getting triple and double and quadruple play every day, on all the leading radio stations and all the leading TV stations, so I’m going to say anything, because these people are going to climb over on each other to buy it.” That is stupidity, you know? You must now curtail what is bad and flush that out and mainly stick to what is good, you know, because, hey, trust me, we need it.

RM: You have a tune on Smile called “African Bound.” In deh - you talk about a lot of things - but you also talk about the curriculum that the students receive, and things like that. Are you advocating in that tune a physical return to Africa, or more of a spiritual reconnection with Africa?

JK: Both. Once upon a time, there were little or no means for us to return to Africa, or even return to Africa mentally, much less physically. Because once upon a time, if you close your eyes and the teacher inna di classroom say you fi picture Africa, you’re thinking of jungles and mosquitoes and diseases and all ah dat, you know? So your view on Africa - our views back then - were negative. Now we can return to Africa physically easier than 10, 20, 30 years ago. So I think we as a people should connect more with Africa, and the teachers in this western world need to. . . We need to, if it’s even to lobby or petition for them to teach more about Africans and Africanism to Africans! You know? Even give us a choice! We don’t have any choice. Is ‘pere Westminster and colonial teachings we’ve been getting, and still getting, you know? And we should have a choice now. Enough is enough.

So when I say the curriculum needs to be readjusted to suit other people... like we Africans, we really lose sight. Ok then, say we are the last set, we were lost, but that nuh mean we must mek our children be lost too. We fi teach dem more ‘bout Africa and African mindedness, and the richness of Africa and so forth - both spiritually and physically. We read about it in the books, so one of the time, you must also travel and see it for ourselves. You know how much white people travel to Africa? You know how much white people own African lands? Why we think that we can’t own back a part of our heritage? It is our birth right, our heritage. And we must not mek nobody influence us otherwise. It’s a burning issue, whe needs to be a burning desire.

RM: You mentioned the white people dem, who may be inna Africa. Now, you’re very popular in Europe. How do you feel when you’re performing tunes like say “African Bound,” or “Black Am I” before a majority white audience in a Germany or a Switzerland?

JK: Before we go any further. Before mi go any further and answer that question, I have nothing against white people. Most of the buyers of my music, and most of my audience are white people. You fi understand say: when I say “white people” – white people know the richness of Africa. And I’m not talking about gold and oil and all of that. I’m talking about the land, the soil – how rich it is – and how mystic Africa is. It’s only we, whe get shipped away and dey ya so, a get influenced by whomever and whatever feel like we shouldn’t be a part of that. So when I say “white people,” I’m being honest, because they are the ones who know what is Africa, and how good and how powerful that place is, you know whe me a say? That’s why I mention that.

So back to the argument now: I don’t feel no way when I say “Black Am I” because Black. Am. I! [laughs]. In front of a white audience in Switzerland or Germany or Denmark or Italy or any one of dem place deh. Dem lift me up and fling me pon di stage, tru how dem really appreciate it. You haffi understand say that sufferation is not a thing that is only been done or is upon Black people alone. Europe has been through so many wars, and ravaged so many times by all different types of elements, and dictators and you name it. So dem need the culture. Oh how dem need it! But we also need it too, so it burns me to see how the Europeans soak up this culture and we, the Black people, are not soaking it up as much, you know? That’s the only thing. I don’t hate them for soaking it up. They’ve been through a lot too! But! If dem a go soak it up, why our people can’t soak it up too? And we been through a lot too? We’re the last set of people to be enslaved on that level, on such a massive, global level, you know? So dem need fi hear the truth and dem need fi soak up the reality, and need to soak up the food for thought fi carry dem through another year, another 25 years, another hundred years! So history won’t repeat itself on us. So that’s why I mentioned say we need to go [to Africa] physically and mentally too. And not wait on - huh - don’t mek the white people gobble it up, and we don’t get none!

RM: Let me focus a likkle bit on the Smile album. You mentioned other artists earlier, but your sound is much less computerized than a lot of the artists who are recording today. Why do you have such a strong focus on live musicians when there is so much riddim being made these days that doesnemploy live musicians at all?

JK: Aright. This is my view: You see live instrument? Live instrument more powerful, it more gripping, it more balanced, and when I mean balanced - you have the drummer, you have the keyboardist, you have the guitarist, right? You have the percussionist, you have the horn section, alright? Now, the same thing you record, you must go out there and produce it for the people, you understand? The thing with computerized instrument, they emphasize on putting in so much different sounds, there is no way they can go back on stage, on tour and reproduce those sounds! So henceforth, dem haffi use [prerecorded] tracks, you understand?

And the second ting about me loving what I do: I believe in sharing the wealth, and not only keeping it for myself. What computerization of the whole music industry does is it mek people go unemployed. It mek di bass player go unemployed, the guitarist don’t have any work. He has family to feed, too. The keyboardist, the harmonizers don’t have any work because everything is on damn tracks! Computerized! So when di artist a go pon di road, ah just him and him management. While the guitarist, the drummer, keyboardist, horn section, percussionist, harmonizers, they go hungry. I don’t believe in that. So, it’s not only on a point where the computerized music doesn’t have any depth, it is shallow, it nuh long lasting. It nuh stay with you. Not only that, it also mek people go unemployed and out of work. And I’m not for that.

RM: VP Records recently released the single “Smile” on their Strictly The Best [Vol. 31] compilation, their most recent compilation. Would that have been your choice? Or would you have chosen a different tune from the album?

JK: Well, that’s kinda difficult, and I agree with them with putting it on it. Obviously, um, this is news to me. I never know that they choose that one. I told them, where anything artistically is concerned, they must incorporate my view on it. So, um, this is really news to me. Anyway, I have no problem with “Smile.” “Smile” is a very good song. It encourages people, and if you notice, and if you follow my whole history throughout the music so far, mi always have a one or two song whey encourages youths, and people overall, just to fight the battle same way, you know, regardless, and at the same time, smile. Milo, sometimes when you wear a frown star, a really dat smile dem want to see. You nah go can think positively, and redirect that negative energy to give you positive results, if you keep a frown on your face. So just smile, you know, and nuh feel no way, and just rest and rethink... you can’t rethink it through with a frown so easy. So I have no problem with dem choosing “Smile” on Strictly The Best. Henceforth, “Smile,” it’s strictly the best, you know? [laughs]

RM: Do you personally have a favorite tune on the Smile album? Or is it difficult for you to choose a favorite?

JK: The thing is, all of them was spawned from me. So all of them are my children, you know? So it’s hard to give love to one over the other. In your own house, you haffi just share the love. So it’s for people to choose and decide which ones are their favorites. And if mi go through 50 states and you have a hundred people each saying a different one, that only make the album much more greater, you know? [laughs]. Mi nuh have no problem with that. I have a problem with choosing because I have to share the love! But the audience mustn’t have no problem! Have three favorites if dem want! [Continue]