DECEMBER, 2023 • ISSUE NO. 1949
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REUNITED ›
FOR XMAS
Man searches for African and Caribbean relatives for ten years
O
NE MAN’S decade-long quest to find his family in time for Christmas has reached a happy end.
Adrian Stone just had a single picture of his brother, taken in 1975. But after 10 years searching the world, he found his brother living in Birmingham.
Stone then took a DNA test which pointed to Ghana, but he found his Ghanaian folks in Leicestershire.
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The Voice says
Black Internationalism SINCE the Black Lives Matter protests, Black Britain has experienced a revival in the connection with our roots. While the first generation of Windrush pioneers looked ‘back home’ to the Caribbean, the second generation were more focused on establishing a distinct Black British identity. It feels like the mood has now come full circle, as a reconnection with the lands of our ancestors dovetails with a critique of racial oppression in the UK. Our feature (p20-21) follows historian Adrian Stone as he traced his family in Africa and the Caribbean in time for Christmas. Christmas is a time for family, and the struggles of our families overseas are intricately bound up with the legacy of damage caused by the British empire and neo-colonialism. We’ve previously reported on the ‘Blaxit’ phenomenon of Black Britons exiting the UK to start a new life overseas. Interest in reparations for historic enslavement and its legacy, and learning which institutions and families profited from it, are also part of this trend. At this time of war, some are questioning why there has been so little attention on the conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia, where up to 600,000 brothers and sisters have been killed by bullets and famine. They are asking why the deteriorating situation in Haiti is likewise going relatively unnoticed. Lyndon Mukasa writes about Haiti (p32) and the backlash against a US-backed plan to fly 1,000 Kenyan troops to the Caribbean island. In Sudan, 9,000 civilians have been killed in the past six months, with another 2,000 killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mainly by the ‘M23’ militia backed by Rwanda. If we, as Black Britons, do not speak out about disasters befalling our people, who will? As we go on personal journeys to trace our roots, it is ever more important to also remember the condition of the African diaspora across the globe. And to research history, to see the connections between colonialism, neo-colonialism and present-day strife. Black internationalism sees the links between systemic racism in the West and the world order. So as we speak to our relatives in Africa and the Caribbean this Christmas, why not take some time to chat to them about strengthening links between communities across waters?
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Christmas Feature
Turkey, please — with a side of rice and peas! For African and Caribbean families the traditional Christmas dinner often adds a hint of spice. By Leah Mahon
A
GOLDEN TURKEY filled with stuffing, crisp Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes and lashings of thick gravy and juicy cranberry sauce. The traditional Christmas dinner has become a staple image during the festive season for millions on our supermarket ads, billboards and even our favourite festive movies. According to research by Lottotland, roasted spuds got a seat at the head of the table after Brits voted it the most-loved Christmas dinner dish in 2022. The Christmas dinner we all know and love today has also evolved over the centuries; from the Neotholic people who feasted on pig and cattle, to the Tudors who enjoyed Christmas pie made of pigeon, to the festive food we enjoy today. But how have people of African and Caribbean heritage held onto their cultural foods amid a very white Christmas? England was introduced to the aromatic spices from Africa and parts of India during the Spice Trade in the 1600s. However, it wouldn’t be till the 1970s when the first Caribbean take-away opened in Britain. The Windrush generation and the many other migrants hailing from Commonwealth countries brought with them the vibrant and sometimes curious flavours from home. Sharnade George, 32, tells The Voice her St Lucian heritage shows up in her traditional Christmas dinner every year.
Jamaican Black Cake
“There’s a dish that we have called bouyon and that’s kind of like a dish where we’ve got a little bit of meat, so maybe lamb. “Then we have dumplings, red kidney beans, and it’s kind of like a stew. So, we would have this on the side of the Christmas dinner,” she says. “We have rice and peas, jerk chicken, coleslaw, and then we kind of interlink the turkey sometimes, or the roast lamb, we’ve got plantain.” Sharnade, pictured below, says “dasheen” also makes an appearance at Christmas. Originating from Africa, it found its way to many Caribbean islands during the slave trade. Dasheen can be root vegetables made up of green banana, breadfruit or sweet potato. Elaine Warren, 53, is of Jamaican heritage and she says the food she prepares for her family over Christmas “tells a story”. “We always have jerk chicken, marinated in spices and grilled to perfection. Curry goat is a must — it’s cooked slow ‘til tender. “ F o r sides, rice and peas are iconic, cooked with coconut milk, thyme and scallion. Black
FOOD OF LOVE: African and Caribbean families take inspiration from their heritage for their Christmas dinner (photo: Getty Images) cake, a dense rum-soaked fruitcake, is a holiday favourite too,” she tells The Voice. For African and Caribbean families now, Christmas dinners are evolving again since the time of the Tudors, but in our own way. Intercultural families among the Black diaspora are becoming more commonplace now as cultural stereotypes diminish,
Nigerian Jollof
although numbers are unclear of how much the ethnic groups have come together. Sharnade, whose daughter is half-Nigerian, says that since embracing that side of her heritage she has now added jollof — rice seasoned with tomatoes, red peppers, chicken stock and maggi — as a new dish on her Christmas table. However, she adds that she still takes inspiration from the other Caribbean islands. “St Lucia is a small island so we have different dishes from other islands as well within our Christmas dinner. We have roti, a typical Trinidadian dish. We have roti with curry goat. Or we may have floats, we call them
Roti with curry goat
floats in St Lucia, but I know in other countries, they call them bakes.” Elaine also looks to other islands for influence in her food. “From Trinidad, we enjoy pastelles — meat-filled cornmeal parcels. Jamaica gave us sorrel, a ripe and spicy drink. These island dishes make our table feel more welcoming. “Over time, we tweaked some classics to suit changing tastes. Now we use lean meats and veggies in dishes like stewed chicken, making them healthier. And we offer plant-based pastelles or roti for anyone not into meat. Variety is the spice of life,” she says. Sharnade says that without
the food from her culture on the Christmas table, she would lose her “Blackness”. “As a Black woman from the Caribbean, it’s part of the culture,” she says. “If you get rid of food, you get rid of an element of the culture. Food brings everyone together to bring memories — old memories and new memories.” Elaine adds: “Keeping these dishes alive connects me to family history. The memories and love put into each recipe are passed on through generations. “Our food is part of who we are — by sharing it every holiday, we honour our past and cultures. That’s what Christmas is all about for me.”
Frybake
20 | THE VOICE DECEMBER 2023
News Feature
Reunited for Christmas Historian finds brother after ten year search — and urges others to do the same. By Sinai Fleary
A
LEADING HISTORIAN is urging the Black community to look for long-lost family members after he was reunited with his brother after a ten-year search. Adrian Stone is the founder of Own History, a UK-based genealogy service that specialises in helping people of Caribbean heritage find their ancestral roots from their family tree. But for Stone, it was difficult for him to find information about his brother, because his father passed away in 1980, when he was just seven years old. All he had to lead his search was a picture taken in 1975 of his brother as a toddler, which was given to him by his uncle, who said his brother’s mother was “white possibly of Italian descent”. After an extensive ten-year search, he discovered his younger brother was living just three hours away in Birmingham. The brothers now plan to spend Christmas together and want others searching for family members not to lose hope. Stone told The Voice: “This Christmas we are sitting down and making plans to celebrate together. “Christmas is all about coming together as family and we are catching up on lost years.” Stone said he is the first Caribbean family member, his brother — who is mixed-race — has connected with as he was raised with the white side of his family. Jon Paul Mazone admits the reunion was a bit of a shock, but he is embracing his new Caribbean identity. Speaking to The Voice, he said: “When I was growing up,
WE ARE FAMILY: Main, Adrian and his relatives from the Paisley family; inset below, Adrian and Jon hug one another; below, Adrian says it is up to the Black community to research and discover the intricacies of the connections (photo: Carol Aka)
I was the only non-white one in my family. I grew up eating pie and mash and fish and chips and when I got to meet all my Jamaican roots it was an eye opener.” Mazone revealed to The Voice, due to his upbringing in a “white background”, he had never heard of plantain. However, since connecting with his Jamaican family, he’s proud to say that has all changed. He said: “It has opened my eyes, when I go to Bristol I am fully immersed in Jamaican culture. It’s something that I have embraced and it has really changed my life.” Mazone was first contacted by his brother who sent a lengthy Facebook message in 2021. He said: “I clicked onto his Facebook page and the second I saw him, I thought ‘Oh my God! He looks like me.’ We have the same head shape.” To begin his search, Stone used records, registers of births, spoke to old family friends and even looked in past newspa-
pers but didn’t have any luck. He decided to log into his ancestry account to look through his uncle’s contacts and found a woman who shared a lot of DNA with him. Initially, he thought a family member had a “secret child” and decided to message the young woman who replied: “My dad doesn’t know who his dad is.” Stone told The Voice the person he actually found was his brother’s daughter — his half-
Stone said: “When we met we just connected instantly, and now we are super close. It was the most amazing reunion.” Mazone said he has lots of similarities with his older brother, including having the same amount of children and even having the same front door number. He added: “It’s really quite spooky actually.” The reunion has answered many questions Mazone had
When we met we just connected instantly, and now we are super close. It was the most amazing reunion niece — who told him his brother was living in Birmingham. He later sent a direct message on Facebook to Mazone, explaining who he was and that he had “good intentions” and genuinely wanted to get to know him. According to Stone, his brother responded by saying “I can tell you are my brother because you have the same head shape as me.” He added: “He is the light skinned version of me.” The pair reunited for the first time at a family reunion last year in Bristol.
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growing up, and he now feels he is part of the community whenever he visits Bristol. He said: “It is like everybody knew me, they all k n e w my story.”
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Mazone only knew his father’s name but didn’t know him growing up and never thought of doing an ancestry or DNA test. But now he would encourage others to take a leap of faith, because it can change your life. The reunion has also had a positive impact on Mazone’s children, who are also embracing their Jamaican heritage. Stone said his brother fits in well with the family and “it is like he was always there”. Samantha Henry, Stone’s sister, sadly passed away in 2022, but did get to meet Mazone beforehand. The brothers have formed a “close bond” over the last two years and have celebrated birthdays together. But more importantly, they have been able to “unite our children” so the reunion will have a long-lasting legacy for the next generation of the family too. While conducting research into his own family tree at The London Family History Centre and The National Archives, Stone quickly became addicted to “digging into records” and became the go-to person to provide support to others researching their fam-
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ily history. He started his own genealogy company, Own History, which he founded in 2016 and described his work as a “calling from the ancestors”. Stone said what makes his work different is he finds “living family” members. The historian lives in Herne Hill, south London, and has traced people back to plantations and to the present day. He says he has even traced relatives who were “living on his doorstep”. Stone said the Black community is inter-linked and it is up to the community to research and discover the intricacies of the connections. His family tree and extensive research work is not going unnoticed. His work is currently being displayed in the Science Museum, which he described as “an honour”. His research was inspired by his mother, and he said it was a dream come true to bring his mum to see the display. In 2008, when his mother became unwell, that “birthed his genealogy journey” and he wanted “to find out who she was.” Stone describes his mother — who has now recovered from her illness — as the “matriarch and nucleus” of his family. But insists the “uncertainty” made him question who he really is and who his mother is. A trip to Jamaica for the first
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DECEMBER 2023 THE VOICE
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News Feature time in 2002 gave him a “sense of home” but it wasn’t enough. Despite knowing his Caribbean roots, which can be traced back to Kellits in Clarendon, Jamaica, he yearned to know more. In 2018, Stone did a DNA test to find out which part of Africa his ancestors were from. Sharing the results with The Voice, he revealed: “I’m 99 per cent African and one per cent Irish, and that is due to the horrors of slavery.” Stone said the results give more insight into your genetic makeup, and said the more DNA you share with someone “the closer the family relationship”. He said: “I’ve found living cousins, who share DNA with me and they were born in Ghana from Kumasi and the Ashanti tribe.” Stone messaged the cousin in question, and was shocked to discover they were living in the UK. He added: “I was thinking I had to go back to Ghana to find my Ghanaian family, but they were living in Leicestershire.” That cousin was Christel, who was born in Ghana and grew up in Germany but later came to the UK to further her education. Stone said: “There is a massive disconnection there between Africans and Caribbeans,
but we are their long-lost cousins. My Ghanaian family saw me as a long-lost cousin and arranged to meet me last April.” Recalling the meeting, he said: “I knocked on the door and as soon as the door was opened it was just absolute love and embracement and it felt like I had found my way home.” Christel described the discovery as “very interesting”. She said: “Initially, I didn’t believe in the ancestry test that they were accurate.” She said she was then contacted by Stone, who told her they had a DNA match.
ENSLAVED
Stone also matches DNA with Christel’s mother, Twumasewaa, who is from the Ashanti tribe in the town of Offinso, near Kumasi, Ghana. Christel said: “We share greatgreat-great-great grandparents from the past, so that is how we are related.” Christel said the process was upsetting as she learned that one of her ancestors was enslaved during the slave trade and taken to the Caribbean. Christel told The Voice she would encourage others to do ancestry tests and find out where they are from, even those who believe they are just from one country.
She said: “I used to think I was one hundred per cent Ghanaian, but when I did the test it revealed I was 49 per cent from Ghana and Benin, and the rest was from the Ivory Coast and Togo.” Christel is planning to travel to Ghana with Stone next year to explore the country and meet more relatives. Stone said discovering more of his family has empowered him and helped him have a true sense of his identity. He said: “It’s making me think I need to change my surname and embrace my true African tribe.” He added: “For many years, we’ve been displaced and removed, and we have embraced the culture here, but we don’t know our true roots.” Beaming with a smile, Stone said: “I can truly say I know who I am.” He has also shared his journey with his own children, who can now share with their African school friends that they, too, have family in Ghana. Stone hopes his story and work sparks conversations around dinner tables this festive season that will encourage other Black families to go on their own ancestral research. Stone’s work can be found at the Science Museum in the Who Am I? exhibition
POIGNANT: Above, Adrian and Jon at the grave of their father; left, Adrian with his Ghanaian relatives, Christel and Twumasewaa
40 | THE VOICE DECEMBER 2023
Muyiwa Olarewaju
Nothing But Truth and Light
Join the debate online voice-online.co.uk/opinion
Grief, hope and unity
COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER: A candlelit vigil is held at Whitgift Shopping Centre in Croydon for Elianne Andam, below, who was stabbed to death on October 4; inset left, Stormzy was among those to attend the vigil (photos: Getty Images/ PA Images)
Emotional farewell for Elianne Andam
I
N THE heart of London, a city often bustling with the energy of life, a sombre note echoed as friends, family and a community came together to remember the life of Elianne Andam. The tragic loss of this vibrant 15-year-old girl sent shockwaves through the community. But amidst the sorrow, a powerful display of unity, love and hope emerged. Elianne’s story, reported by Premier Gospel News, captures the essence of a life cut short and the impact it had on those who knew her. As Stormzy and other UK gospel artists like myself performed, our music became a poignant backdrop to the collective grief, and the celebration of a life that touched many. In the face of such a tragedy, it’s natural to question the fragility of life. Proverbs 27:1 reminds us: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Elianne’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the unpredictable nature of life and the importance of cherishing each moment. The emotional farewell, documented by the newspapers, spoke volumes about the impact Elianne had on her community.
humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. These verses, though written centuries ago, offer a timeless source of solace. In the face of tragedy, finding refuge in faith Family and friends paid their re- and community can provide spects in a manner both unique strength beyond measure. The funeral procession was and touching. The white carriage drawn by pink horses became a a striking tribute that reflected symbol of both innocence and not only the sorrow of goodbye celebration, a poignant tribute but also the celebration of Elito a life filled with promise and anne’s life. It echoes the sentiment potential. Psalm 118:6-9 resonates deep- in Proverbs 14:11: The house ly in such moments of sorrow: of the wicked will be destroyed, The Lord is with me; I will not but the tent of the upright be afraid. What can mere mortals will flourish. In the face of do to me? The Lord is with me; darkness, the community’s he is my helper. I look in triumph display of unity and support on my enemies. It is better to take was a testament to the refuge in the Lord than to trust in strength that can emerge from
PROMISE
even the most challenging circumstances. As we reflect on Elianne’s life and the community’s response, it’s essential to draw inspiration from the way they embraced both the pain of loss and the celebration of a life
well-lived. Grieving is a journey, and it’s unique for each individual. However, the communal expression of grief and remembrance seen in Elianne’s farewell serves as a testament to the healing power of unity and shared love. In moments of tragedy, the human spirit often finds solace in coming together, sharing stories, and finding strength in community. The performances by Stormzy at the memorial reception event exemplify the healing power of music
find the strength to face the pain
the courage to celeIn the face ofbratelosstheandbeautiful memories left behind. of tragedy, As we remember Elianne finding refuge Andam, let us also reflect on the lessons her life and the comin faith gives munity’s response have imparted. In the face of tragedy, the us strength unity of a community can beand art. These mediums have a unique ability to express the depth of human emotion and serve as a collective expression of grief and hope. In the Christian faith, the concept of unity and support during times of loss is deeply rooted. Psalm 34:18 reassures us: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. In this closeness, we
Muyiwa Olarewaju OBE is Station Director at Premier Gospel Radio, a TV & Radio Broadcaster, and Principal of gospel group Muyiwa & Riversongz
come a powerful source of strength. The white carriage drawn by pink horses symbolises not only the departure of a beloved soul but the enduring spirit of a community that stands together in grief and in hope. May Elianne’s memory be a reminder to cherish every moment, hold our loved ones close, and find solace in the support of those around us.
Lifestyle Tynah Matembe talks money matters p42
Davina Hamilton is doing books for OUR kids p50
FOR BLACK BOYS … Ryan Calais Cameron p46
Baby Cham and Bounty Killer head to the UK p51
50 | THE VOICE DECEMBER 2023
Lifestyle
‘If you want it, you will find it’
KEEPING THE FAITH: Davina Hamilton has now released three books in total; inset below, with boxes of her literary creations
Journalist-turned-author Davina Hamilton tells Joel Campbell that representation in books is improving — albeit very slowly
A
UTHOR DAVINA Hamilton agrees with the notion that the publishing industry is still dragging its feet where the representation of Black children in literature is concerned, but is adamant that isn’t an excuse for the Black community not to search for and support independent writers who are ticking all the right boxes. Having released Riley Finds His Beat earlier this year, Lifestyle caught up with the former journalist to get her thoughts on where the industry finds itself in 2023. Her first book, Riley Can Be Anything, was released in 2018. She has since released Riley Knows He Can and Ella Has A Plan.
“Traditionalists say that Black books don’t exist — but that’s not the reality” With her own literary contributions swelling the options on offer for those who want their children to see others like themselves when reading, Hamilton gave her views on the current state of the industry. “I think it’s slowly, slowly getting better,” she said. “I think, for me, when I began my journey, I do feel that there were fewer (representative books) on the market but I am also a firm believer that seek and you shall find. “So, the notion that there is poor representation for children of colour in the world of children’s literature is true,
without a doubt. It’s a fact. “But I do think that if you want something, you will seek it out and I also think that perhaps, some of the traditionalists are used to looking down certain avenues and if they walk into a book shop and they don’t see a Black book, that means that there are no Black books and that’s just not the reality. “If you go online and put in specific searches for what you are looking for, you will find things out there and that’s why I have always been a real ardent champion for independent authors as well, like myself. “I think sometimes we get so caught up with the debate about the publishing industry and what they are doing or not doing in terms of representation of our children, but there are so many authors out there who have circumnavigated that and put things out themselves. “I think that is where we should be looking to. We should be looking to support those authors and those books because they are out there. “So I think on that level, things have improved because there are people who have decided to do it themselves.” A rhythmic (and riveting)
rhyming tale, Riley Finds His Beat teaches children that, when learning something new, ‘practise, patience and perseverance’ are the keys to success.
EXCITED
Excited by the way it has been received Hamilton enthused: “It feels like it was a long time coming because the last book I wrote came out in 2020 which was actually a slight deviation from the Riley series, it was the first Ella book, the first one with a girl as the protagonist, it was Ella Has A Plan. “Obviously we know how 2020 panned out so after that trying to get the next book out felt slow. It was moving but with
everything that was going on, it’s been a long time coming but here we are now.” She continued: “Riley Finds His Beat follows my young school boy protagonist which, is Riley, and this time around his mission is to try and learn a new beat on the drums and he’s struggling, really struggling. “His mum played the drums when she was in high school so she is trying to teach him as her father used to teach her when she was younger so she is trying to pass on the skill. “However, Riley is not getting it. He practises after school, he’s trying his best but it’s just not coming together. “So his mum keeps giving
him the message that if he continue to practise he’ll be sublime but nothing will happen before it is time. “It’s really a message about patience, it’s about practise and it’s about perseverance. “I’m really delighted that the reviews have been really encouraging. “I think people like the fact that it’s not the type of story where he practised once and then he got it, it’s not that type of story. You see him struggling and I think a lot of people can identify with that, not just children, adults as well.” Check out all of Davina Hamilton’s books at davinahamilton. com
Sara gives back to community by funding new writing bursary AWARD-WINNING author Sara Collins is funding a creative writing bursary to encourage aspiring Black British Caribbean writers to pursue their passion. Collins completed her Master of Studies in Creative Writing at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) in 2016, graduating with distinction. Within three years, her stunning debut novel The Confessions of Frannie Langton had won the 2019 Costa First Novel Award. The Gothic story of a young Jamaican enslaved woman who is taken to 1800s London, the novel was subsequently adapted into a glittering, starstudded ITV series.
On the heels of her success, Sara — who was born in Jamaica and grew up in the Cayman Islands — wants to offer aspiring writers from a Black British Caribbean background the opportunity to pursue their literary passions too. “The MSt in Creative Writing at ICE was the first door I opened towards becoming a novelist,” she said. “Since I graduated, I’ve been thinking about doing what I can to give back.”
Starting in 2024, the new Joy Brandon Bursary will offer substantial financial assistance to one deserving Black British Caribbean student embarking on a part-time, two-year Master of Studies programme in either Creative Writing or Writing for Performance at ICE. ICE will match Sara’s generous donation, drawing from the James Stuart Endowment Fund — named after the pio-
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neer who founded ICE 150 years ago to help widen access to education for adult learners. This will mean that two students stand to receive substantial support towards pursuing their creative writing passions. The bursary will cover over 80 per cent of the total course fees, and the successful applicants will contribute £3,200 per year to enrol on one of two world-class University of Cambridge courses in autumn 2024; these inspirational programmes are both taught in short intensive blocks so they are accessible to learners in full- or parttime employment. “The degree can help to provide
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a framework for getting the writing done,” explained Collins, who worked as a lawyer for 17 years before enrolling at ICE. “It is a good way of carving out time and space that you can protect from the other demands on your time. “What’s exciting to me is that, for people who’ve had to suppress their dreams of writing to focus on work or family or other responsibilities, this bursary will give them room to write,” she said. To find out more about the Joy Brandon Bursary, visit ice.cam.ac.uk/ bursary-application
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DECEMBER 2023 THE VOICE
This is Brukout!
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51
by Seani B
Going beyond the call
Bounty Killer and Baby Cham touch down in UK after launch of Time Bomb EP
T
ICK TICK TICK BOOM! It had been a long 15 years of the clock ticking since Bounty Killer last touched down on UK soil and when he landed it was definitely with a loud BOOM! It was early October when he leaked online he had regained his UK visa, and this created a whirlwind of speculation over whether the General is coming to the UK do a show. Was the visa being granted perfect timing or planned as he and his long-time collaborator Baby Cham had just released their brand new Time Bomb EP produced by the legendary hitmaker Dave Kelly? This trio has been leaving their mark on dancehall since the mid 1990s with a string of hit songs and riddims. Showtime, Joyride and the Bruk Out riddim are just a few of the masterpieces that have been a staple part of dancehall history. But it was the 1999 Bug Riddim and the collaboration between the two for Another Level that was the inception for the EP and this legendary UK Promo Tour. Yep! Promo Tour! Who does that in 2024? Who comes to the UK not to make a bag of money and go home paid up? Not Rodney Price. He made it very clear to me that this was about the EP and not any shows or dubplates for that matter. Baby Cham and Bounty Killer left no stone unturned to reinforce the message of their Time Bomb EP. If you’re a fan of dancehall it’s pretty impossible to mistake the sonic wizardry of Kelly and this project embodies all of what we loved, but with a modern twist. Time Bomb is a perfect mix of “authentic” dancehall, but with elements of how the “Yutes” are expressing themselves with “Trap” interpretation into Jamaican music. On first listen you would think this is so simple. But to create simplicity and leave so much room for the artists to express themselves is not the easiest thing to do. For me this is the signature sound of Dave, Rodney and Damian. For the project the three escaped to a secluded location
“Nothing was too big or too small for the pair as they honoured interviews on their two-week tour” in the Bahamas for a month to zone in and focus to record with no distractions. The entire process was documented for a YouTube film My Brother’s Keeper showing the behindthe-scenes process of what this trio go through to make the hits they have been serving up of the years. The fly-on-the-wall documentary set the standard of what to expect when it comes to the attitude of promoting their music. The hunger Cham and Killer displayed was as if they both did not have a catalogue and careers to match. They spoke to all the usual tastemakers on BBC 1Xtra, Capital Xtra and Kiss, but also dug deeper and took it to the streets like back in the day.
DESIRE
In this new era of social media, many standards that were a given have been left behind. If your numbers or platform don’t have weight then it’s hard to get a look in to get a interview. I remember a time when an artist would be in the UK and they would be on every pirate radio station and maybe even turning up at your local Caribbean takeaway, too. The desire to be among the people in the community has been taken over by having to be associated with the biggest platforms and brands. What I witnessed on this promo tour was the complete opposite, the duo wanted to be among the real people. After they announced their arrival on my weekly 1Xtra radio show, they left central London and ended up in a round robin on Wembley High Road. The next day social media was on
DANCEHALL LEGENDS: Bounty Killer, right, aka Rodney Price, with Baby Cham, aka Damian Beckett fire with footage of the two in the streets taking pictures with all. The Time Bomb takeover was not exclusive to just London, as Birmingham, Liverpool and other smaller cities felt their presence. To my surprise the poor people governor informed me that this was his first time in Manchester aka Galchester
when he was hosted by my up north colleague Dr C for an interview in his front room! Nothing was too big or too small for the pair as they honoured interviews on their twoweek tour. I love the fact that egos were in check as they knew that a concerted effort has to made
by all who is involved in Caribbean music. The truth is our music streaming numbers are not as powerful as the influence. Rather than complain and judge others they have led and shown an example of how it can be approached. Did it work? Yes, the Ghetto Story singer told me. “We were
on the top of the charts while in the streets promoting.” While the world is getting more used in working remotely, Bounty Killer left me with some choice words about why he thinks radio and being in people’s faces is still so important to him in true rhyming style… “The internet, is not as intimate!”