RM: You have a tune on the album named “Trod”. Part of the tune says you haffi trod, “cause you can’t jam side ‘a no gunman.” Now, growing up in Kingston...

JK: ...Thirteen. Kingston 13.

RM: OK. Kingston, 13. Mek it worse.

JK: [laughs] Fi real!

RM: How did you personally try to avoid the temptation of the gunman lifestyle or the sort of lifestyle that I’m sure you would have seen around you as you were coming up?

JK: Wow. Well it was very difficult, you know? Because the criminal element is so entwined in the fabric of ghetto life. It’s hard to separate ghetto life from criminal element and criminal element from ghetto life, you know? That’s where dem find dem safe haven. So henceforth, it’s been difficult, you know? And me being an artist after that stage has made it even more difficult. If there was such a thing as guilt by association, bwoy, mi woulda lock up long time. [laughs]. You know?

But, growing up, me being the last [child], I was protected by mi bigga bredda dem, and ting, but whem mi venture out, you know, you buck dem up, and dem say [badman voice] “yow, youth, whe yuh come from?” and so forth, and you say “just down di road” and den him say “everyting criss. Ah your bredda name Jim Kelly, eh?” and mi say “yeah” and so everting criss again, you know? So you just stay within your zone and you just go to school and you come home and you go play football over by the open lot over deh so, and, you know? As a youth a grow up, when mi inna like mi early teens, even from mi a nine years old, mi hardly see any gun! Only time mi see gun is when mi see a policeman wid it, or when mi inna mi house and mi hear say is a gun dat whe just fire. But because mi know, and mi aware, ‘cause mi very keen and detailed - mi can know say a man a walk down the road with a gun by just scanning him waist and so forth. But other than that, [because of] this family love, the family shelterness and shielding whe mi did have, mi never did fear still, you know?

But mi know, like, the youths whe mi did used to talk to - because mi talk to mostly older youths than myself like when mi a 13 mi a talk to youths whe 18 and 19 - dem did never have no choice but to go out deh and lock di place fi a night. Because maybe di man dem from over deh so ah come over ya so, so dem haffi out deh, dem can’t go a dem bed, or a man put a .45 pon dem or you name it. So dem out deh a hold it off, ah defend di turf. This is something whe me know, you know?

RM: Likkle while deh so, you mentioned your bredda, Jim Kelly. I know that you lost him at a young age. I thought about that when I was listening to “Youths Dem Scared.” And I think of that song again when you say that you personally never did have much fear as a youth. I was wondering if you tink di climate fi di youth dem worsened to this day, than when you were younger or even when you lost your bredda.

JK: Um, once upon a time it was: you shoot dat youth down deh so, dem come back and shoot you or a next one tomorrow over di other side. Reprisal, reprisal, reprisal. It was robust and jagged. Or him shoot a man and people see him and den him gone a him yard gone sleep, and police come and fish him out of him house the next morning and carry him go lock him up, you know? But now, it get more high tech. There is loan sharking. Is only five years ago mi ah hear ‘bout loan sharking! Loan sharking, prostitution, gambling - it just get more high tech. Fifteen years ago mi never hear bout no drive by shooting ah Jamaica. Now every one a dem ting deh ya now.

I wouldn’t say back den did more safer than now, but, ah di mercy of God a keep all ah we alive, you hear sah? You understand? It just get more sophisticated. Like with cell phone. A man can say “yow, him just pass inna a blue shirt, blah blah blah,” and a man just come and done him, you understand? Like in the past, if a man did a look for me back then - say mi is a bad element in the community - a man a look fi me and mi a look fi him with a gun. And him over that road over deh and mi over this road over ya so and we pass one another just by minutes! And don’t see each other! But now? All a man haffi do is just tek up him cell phone and say “di bwoy just pass here, you know?” And then dem man deh go ambush him. So is just more high tech, more sophisticated. And there is more money involved. So the youth dem no more safer. You know, there was more unsolved crime then than now. Even di police get more high tech, and spend more time solving a case. But I wouldn’t say anyone is safer. Is just the mercy of God ah keep and protect di youth dem inna di inner city and so forth, you know? It’s so easy to get involved and caught up and all of that, you know? Ah just di mercy of God, you hear sah?

RM: You have another tune on the album named “Do Dem Something,” talking about the politicians. So I guess I have a three part question to that: What do you see as the role of the politicians, if the musicians are more influential, as you said. What do you see as the role of the musician in criticizing the politicians? And then, what is the “something” that we must do them?

JK: Aright. Mi will answer the second part first. The artist dem is a go-between. Between the audience and the politician. And the reason why mi say it like this is: if the politician say something, and the people dem cry out and say a bullshit - but is only a certain set of people - then it’s the obligation of the musician fi mek the world know via music. So the artist is a go-between, you know? Not playing the two sides, but to criticize the politician and them bad moves, and how dem spend we money and so forth, you understand?

And the first part of your question now: The reason why we come down on politicians is because of dem bad decision-making! And if you a go promise something to the people, promise things that are practical and realistic. And is them put themselves inna dem pigeonhole situations, you know. I think we as a people mustn’t be sentimental and base our vote and so forth on – let’s say “tradition” – because your great-grandmother was X-Y-Z, so henceforth everybody must be X-Y-Z. Is time now we change. We haffi study the views and see what is best in the interest of the people overall. And vote on that, and not on anything else. Not on no tradition. Because you live in an area that is traditionally X-Y-Z , you say “aright, mi nuh have no choice but fi vote that way deh.” Henceforth we always find ourselves in the same problem over and over and over. Now, we must not be afraid to strike at the factories if that’s the way to get the politicians’ attention! We can’t just sit down and fold we hands and expect bwoy, that better goin’ come. It will never, ever come unless we really take matters in our own hands. Not to destroy things of the state but we must always use dialogue first, and when dialogue break down, we try other means!

And last resort is always revolution! And we must not be afraid of it, if that’s what we need to rid ourselves of tyrants that have been tricking us over and over and over again. But the music play a major role in swaying votes and opinions and views on both left and right – “left” meaning the people, “right” meaning the politicians. You know, henceforth, we must not abuse the freedom of speech. At the same time, as musicians we must always put the love within the music, mek people feel happy ‘bout themselves. Sometimes people need to forget certain things, if it’s even for 24 hours, you know? Dance dem troubles away. Henceforth we build songs that people cannot only relate to, but feel happy about.

RM: On the Smile album, you wrote all of the songs. Are there any other writers that you as a performer would like to work with, and are there any performers that you as a writer would like to write for?

JK: First and foremost, I haven’t seen many writers that I would like to write songs for me, except one, and him name Desmond Brown, seen? He is a youth from inna my community. We start around the same time inna the music industry. Mi buss out, him nuh buss yet. Henceforth, him always deh ‘mongst me and ting, but him is a solid, solid writer. Only him alone mi woulda tek stuff from. Because I’ve been approached from people already, and them tings wasn’t up to... up to my... Um, I’m circumspect when it come on to dem ting deh. I’m very vigilant, because it have to be up to my caliber and more. It can’t be under my standard, you know? If you notice my level of writing, it have to be up to par or higher, you know?
Writing for people now, yeah, I would love to write a song for Beres [Hammond]. Some of the times mi write some songs and mi say, “blow-wow, I wonder if mi did give this to Beres, you know say it woulda get more mileage?” You know? And that’s not doubting yourself, you know, it’s just knowing certain things. And Morgan Heritage, just to name two. People whe know richness and acknowledge the caliber.

RM: You mentioned Morgan Heritage. I notice that Morgan Heritage produced “Baby Can We Meet.” And you also had Sly & Robbie and Lenky produce a tune [“Take Me There”]. You produced most of the tunes yourself...

JK: Yeah, is my first time doing production.

RM: How was it different producing yourself, rather than having other people produce you? And do you prefer self-production?

JK: Self-production, to me. I have no problem with people producing songs for me. But there is only a few that can say, yes, they’ve produced for me. Because the cream of the crop is the best set of people to work with. [People] whe acknowledge your caliber. Like a Dean Frasier, like a Firehouse Crew, like a Sly & Robbie and Lenky, and, you know, Morgan Heritage.

But the thing is, some of the time when you write songs, when you go inna the studio and you go inna the box fi do your thing, sometimes some people nuh understand the spiritual impact those songs have on you. And you know how far those songs are going to go, because of that emotional feeling whey it give to you, and you just know certain things. And, but, when you go in there and do it, dem will say “no, change that and put that dey so and rae rae rae,” and dem mess with perfection. So what you do is keep those songs fi yourself, and produce them yourself. Because you haffi follow your dream too, and you know how you want it, and some of the time when other persons produce your songs, dem want to bend it and twist it too much. With you now, you just go with your flow and follow your heart.

So, henceforth, I like to produce myself, ‘cause mi reserve some songs whey, you know, you want fi do it from scratch... go inna the studio, get the musicians together, and dem play according to the note and the feel at the time, you know? Henceforth, mi haffi produce some songs fi myself, because I know what I want out of that particular song, you know? [Continue]