I have not had the opportunity to perform since relocating Jah Yutes Entertainment to Jacksonville, FL. It was almost a yearlong departure from the stage since releasing "Reggae SoulJahs Worldwide Vol. 1" and completing the Reggae SoulJahs Camouflage Tour last summer with General Smiley, Ken Serious, Mister Kali and DJ Yahru. After the tour it was time to take some time to rest from the months of putting the Reggae SoulJahs project together. It had taken a toll in many ways and I almost felt the need to take a break from music altogether. But only a short break.....
The album was released, the tour was completed, and my goal of reaching a newer audience and trying to open some new doors seems to have been successful, at least to a certain extent. But being and independent artist is not simple and the road never gets easier. Relocating to Jacksonville was a good idea from a music perspective. I like the vibes in Florida and there is a larger Caribbean community that supports live music on a regular basis. The only problem was that Florida doesn't know who Sgt. Remo is...haha...
Although the majority of my music is more culture than dancehall I still feel comfortable in the dancehall. I grew up, musically, in the dancehall of the early 90's. All the classic music and the classic artist who I grew up listening to molded what the dancehall is today. So playing a set that is a bit more dancehall than culture is actually fun for me and not an uncomfortable situation. When Tina Willie from Nottyhead Promotions reached out to me about opening for Spragga Benz on June 9, I was excited about the opportunity. I've been ready to touch the stage for a few months now after my break. This was a perfect opportunity for me to break my performance fast and what better stage to do it at than at a Spragga Benz show!
The show turned out to be really good for me. Although there were some sound problems due to the location of the subs and the stage I was able to work around it and the Duval Massive responded very well even though they didn't know me or my music. It must have been odd for them to see this Mexican yute jumping on the stage...haha...but I think everyone had a good time. I performed just a few tunes including my newest release "Dawtah", my favorite tune "How Long" and I finished with a medley of "Can't Cool Mi" and "OK, OK" on the Sleng Teng Refuelled riddim.
After I finished Spragga hit the stage and performed a slew of his hits one after another. I had forgotten how many hit songs he's had through the years. He pulled up one after another and just kept coming with it. The Jacksonville massive responded in force as Spragga performed his set. I didn't get an opportunity to reason with the Bredren after the show but that's how it goes sometime. At least I got to show him Don Martin's message about bringing him to NM sometime in the near future!
Thanks to Tina from Nottyhead Promotions, Jah Elect and Zion Garden Entertainment, Casha, and all the Jacksonville Massive and Crew! I'm looking forward to performing in Duval again soon!
Bless!