RM: Over your career so far, you seem more focused than a lot of other contemporary artists on creating albums rather than releasing a bag of 45s...

JK: Well, I mean, that’s how the business should be.

RM: What is your reasoning for that, and why do you think so many artists do it the other way, and focus more on a string of single tunes than the album as a whole?

JK: Because dem don’t have collective minds, or a collective mentality [laughs]. Dem have a single-minded thinking. Ah, well, lemme tell you something. If you notice some of the albums that people... they call them “compilations,” when dem do a lot of 45s, then at the end of the year they compile the same 45s and give that to the people! And dem a rob the people! A lot of people don’t know this! Because, an album must have. . . richness. And when mi mean “richness:” songs that you can’t get pon 45 nowhere else. You have to buy the album. If you love that song, and you need that song, buy the album! And that is a strategy that we as reggae people lost, or never get, I don’t know which way to put it. Probably a likkle of both. Because, with the hip-hop market and other markets, dem will put out a 45, push it on BET, MTV and so forth, and then do the album within a month’s time. Or have the album pon pause, push one song, and then put it out on the album. And the rest of songs may be crap, you know? But the one song pushes the album. That’s sales. That’s units. But when you do a whole heap of 45s and then compile every one of them, everybody done have dem dey arreddi!

So, technically, it nuh good. And for me as a person trying to give as much quality as possible, it nuh good again, because you sell yourself short and di people dem short. You ah rob dem. Because dem have all a dem pon 45 again, so then you go give dem again pon album? Dat a joke. You need a album with substance. And the only way you going to have an album with substance is good production, and songs whey dem can’t get nowhere else but pon di album.

RM: Regarding album strategy: You’ve recorded albums for both VP and JetStar/Penitentiary. What role does say a VP play in your recording? Do they just mek you gwaan and record the album, then you deliver it to them, or are they involved in the process leading up to the completed album?

JK: No. How they do business is, you know, they are mostly a distribution company and not a recording company. A recording company, you submit a cassette or a CD, and if dem love it, they would fund that project, sign a contract with you, whether it’s a one or two or three album contract. Fund every time you go inna di studio, is dem a fund it. Now with a VP and a JetStar, it’s a totally different thing. It’s mostly distribution-driven and based. Dem might hear a 45 from you, and it a gwaan well, either dem bid fi have it on dem roster, and push it as a single whe dem a distribute. Then now they call you and say “listen, we want to do an album, and mek we distribute it. You then go out - either you have the album sit down arreddi, only thing is that it need to put on harmony, horns and so forth - and you go finish up the album. And when the album finish up, you come to some contractual arrangement, and how much you want for the album. And then him give you back the money whey you spend fi produce the album, and you see “produced by Mr. So and So” but “executive produced by VP,” you understand?

I wish for the day when that change you know, and dem more focused on developing an artist, then actually catch him while the catching is good. You know? That’s just weak. That’s just not [taking a commercial risk on a talented artist], just riding a wave every time. I have a problem with them with that, I’m telling you. Dem need fi.... OK, still do your distribution ting, but lawd God man, you nuh see two or three act whey you see whey have likkle potential to be great? And nurture and grow and groom that career until it start blossom? Then you deh at the forefront. You ah go deh at the helm, at the cockpit where that artist’s career is concerned. But no, dem tek the low road, and not the high road, and wait till it buss, then dem hop on. It’s a shame, though.

RM: Do you think the roots and culture reggae side of the music will ever experience the same kind of success as certain types of Dancehall, such as Sean Paul or Elephant Man, or you think it’s going to stay with that type of rae rae?

JK: Aright. Lemme tell you something. It’s two forces on earth, good and evil, and if you’re a representative of good, I think where good is concerned, the cream of the crop comes out in reggae music on the cultural side. As reggae artists, as cultural artists, we have seen dancehall acts rise before, and then fall flat pon dem face again – without two penny to rub together. I think there is a certain amount of fear there. Dem can’t lose, you know? Because the power of advertisement is so great, and this music, this reggae – with the right push – can go up against the best rock music, punk rock, and so forth. Reggae music can capture that market and tek it over. Bob [Marley] did it! And, it’s like, nobody nah follow that trend deh. Because, you haffi understand say... we probably nuh want fi associate weself with certain things, and even if we don’t associate weself with certain things, we use that, because definitely dem a use we! And push the music so more people get open to it, so it’s not a backburner music, you know?

We can’t rely on the dancehall acts to push or help to highlight this. They’re gonna highlight their stuff, and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s up to the producers and other elements within the industry fi say “listen, aright now, we want unnu listen to some Luciano and some...” because, it’s not about me, you know, it’s bigger than I am. Listen to some more roots acts and push dem pon di larger market. You understand?

Listen. Elephant is mi friend. But “Pon Di River, Pon Di Bank” only have couple more weeks worth of longevity left, you know? And mi go places areddi whey if mi nuh do “Boom Draw,” riot bruk, you know? And it’s a four-year-old album! And if mi nuh do “Love So Nice,” people vex with me. And it’s a four-year-old album! You haffi understand, dem can’t lose! Anyone of dem major company ya can’t lose! Love So Nice album still ah sell after four years. But then, why? What’s the problem? Right now in Jamaica they’re using dancehall music to sell their liquors. Appleton is one of the official sponsors for HotShots. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of the hype that Sean Paul created, and Shaggy and Elephant Man as dancehall acts – not even Shaggy, really, like Sean Paul and Elephant – and incorporating dancehall music with their rums and so forth. Mi nuh have no problem with that, you know, because everybody ah capitalize. That’s their thing, you know? Do it, whatever.

But, at the same time, you haffi remember, this [roots and culture] will never ever die! So why you must turn your back on something that never ever die. Can’t dead! Henceforth, you would find more money from it, more capital ah go come from it. ‘Cause, my album a sell after four years - of it’s own merits - can you imagine that? If, say, some punk rocker pick a tune off the Love So Nice album [to cover], the album would catapult again! Why you don’t look into and research this roots music? It’s about time! Dancehall music and dancehall acts have gotten a lot of opportunities and chances before and even if it die down back again, reggae is always going to be still there. Dancehall then come pop up back again seven years down the line, reggae is gonna be constant, you know? So I don’t think dem shoulda turn dem back on this. It’s tried, tested and proven. There is no end to their stupidity if they’re gonna keep turning their back on this music. And I’m talking all the major networks, all the CEOs dem, from JetStar to VP to Greensleeves. Because, if you notice, Milo, JetStar, VP and Greensleeves are gateways to the bigger picture. Because Sony [Records] and so forth would always go to JetStar or VP if dem see an act whe dem like or if VP turn over any act that dem see as potentially great. These CEOs from other companies woulda prefer go to JetStar and say “how much album him have? Who a him manager? Who a him this, him that?” than actually you, yourself go in there and do it. So, them have a role to play too, you see? And they’re at the gate. The more that them themselves don’t realize it, the more them can’t expect other bigger companies to realize it.

RM: People say that when you, or say Beres Hammond, write a love song, you really, really believe it. You make people believe that they di deh. Where do you get your inspiration because you have three or four relationship tunes on Smile?

JK: Yeah. “Baby Can We Meet,” “Sinking Feeling,” and “Never Let You Down.” “Never Let You Down,” in fact, is one of the most played reggae love songs in Germany. The inspiration? I mean, a man, growing up have together a certain amount of experiences about a certain amount of things, right? But I feel that a good writer can write about what he or she has been through, you know. A good writer writes about what he or she has been through, but a great writer can write about what he’s been through and about other people. [laughs] That means that you’re in tune with what’s happening to your bredrin, to people down the road. You can see it in the paper, going through certain columns, and so forth. I get my information and inspiration from different sources.

RM: How long – and I’m sure it varies tremendously – does it generally take Junior Kelly to put together a song – to write the lyrics. Does it just come to you, or do you sit down and work pon over a period of time?

JK: How long it tek me? Well, [laughs]. It varies. Boom! You will see something and it will just spark a ting and within two minutes the song done. Then, you have some whe more analytical, you know. It’s not hard. Like, for instance, you will get a topic or an inspiration fi write a song, and guess what? Mi will write all four song, whey a deal with the same inspiration, and then choose the best one, and then dump the rest. [Continue]