Reggae.be

Busy Signal: "I just try to do songs that uplift people."

Vrijdagavond is steevast dancehallavond op Reggae Geel. Dit jaar koos de organisatie voor twee van de populairste artiesten van het moment: Mavado en Busy Signal. Eerstgenoemde kon ik niet strikken voor een interview, maar gelukkig wou Busy wel wat tijd vrijmaken na zijn show. Zijn management beperkte het tot minder dan tien minuten, maar we hadden wel een leuk gesprek.

In just a few years you became one of the most popular dancehall artists in the world, how does that feel?
It’s a very overwhelming feeling, in some way I am surprised, in some way I am not. I put a lot of work in it and I saw that the fans kept growing over the years. They were there from the start, without them I wouldn’t even be here. Fans see the changes, the development, the improvement…I’m really glad that I’m honored by them.

What stimulates you the most to make dancehall music?
I get inspiration by the ones who came before us. You have Buju Banton, Capleton, Chaka Demus & Pliers, a whole bunch of them: they all inspire me. Shabba Ranks, Supercat, they inspired me through the years. I’m doing my best to bring you good music, I also try to mix dancehall with a lot of other styles, I’m happy to see people like it. I think that’s the thing that makes me different from other artists, the creativity. I try to create a lot and I’m not afraid to do new things. We’ve got a lot of great  things in new technology, the new era, and I try to use them. We have to try to renew things, but it’s all in the name of music. Music alone will live, Jah says. We have to be true to the music.

You probably heard about Beenie Man, who was supposed to perform on Couleur Café Festival here in Belgium but was cancelled because of his lyrics against homosexuals. What do you think about that kind of censorship?
In Jamaica we definitely heard about the censorship in Europe and about what is going on. We know what the law says and what particular groups say. I just do music and people who just do music shouldn’t be lashing out like that on stage. When you are performing in public all of your fans can hear your, but also people who are just general music lovers and who want to attend a dancehall show. I just try to do songs that uplift people. I’m sure about my fans and my fans are sure about me.

What do you think is the future of dancehall and reggae music?
In my opinion reggae and dancehall are changing a lot now. Reggae music is more lighter than before, it’s more computer; new technology, new things, new tunes,…Likewise for dancehall. A lot of styles have been fusing into the dance, you have a little bit of hiphop, popdancehall, clubmixes,…There is just a lot of fusing going on. Dancehall changes a lot, Ska doesn’t change. Rub-a-dub, dubwise, they don’t change. On the other side, nobody’s reggae music is far away from what was made in the old days, same for dancehall. Rootsreggae will stay alive forever! It gave birth to all of the music we make nowadays, it is the mother of my culture in Jamaica. In terms of reggae music, roots really brings out other types of music to the world. It’s the truth, the tree, the root, that’s why it’s rootsreggae! It will stay alive for ever.

What do you think about the Beljam vibes?
Crazy, I’m really surprised! I didn’t know what to expect because it was my first time here, but I was very excited to perform. I was really surprised that people all over the world really appreciate my music and that is a big inspiration for me to do more quality music. Respect!

Published on 18/08/2010 by Natty