One Drop revives culture - Chuck Fenda speaks about the origins of reggae resurgence IT got to a stage where all the music in dancehall was just ah run like a racetrack. This observation from Chuck Fenda was what spurred the singjay (singer and deejay) to make his own foray into the world of reggae music. Tired of the multitude of fast-paced tracks the genre was spawning, Fenda decided his music would be part of a movement that would put the focus back on slower, more spiritual music - like that of the reggae elders who came before him. The Fifth Element family - myself, Richie Spice, Anthony Cruz - were the ones who really resurrected culture music back into dancehall, said Fenda, whose 2004 debut album Better Days was released through record label Fifth Element. Before that, it was all fast-paced music. Thats not to tek anything away from dancehall, but the culture music needs to be in dancehall, continues the New York-born, Jamaica-raised artiste. Its the heartbeat of the people and you cant kill the sector of the music. Bob Marley, Burning Spear and all the elders before us set the template and we have to carry on that energy. So we really resurrected culture music; before that you never hear nuh one drop ah play in the dance in Jamaica. And the DJs didnt want to play any one drop on their programmes - pure fast music dem ah play. So we decided to slow it down and touch peoples hearts with real messages. And people all over the world love reggae vibes right now. Rihanna, John Legend, all of them are feeling the reggae energy. Thats what people are crying for right now. Quickly finding favour with a host of hits, including I Swear, Coming Over Tonight and the controversial track Gash Dem and Light Dem, Fendas ability to identify with those living in poverty and hardship earned him the moniker the Poor Peoples Defender. Explaining that he, too, was born in poverty, the 41-year-old, who recently released an album Jah Elements, says he was determined to be the voice of the people. I come from the slum; from the ghetto. I had one khaki school uniform, so when I got home, it had to be washed and put on the line, ready to wear again the next day. So I wasnt born with a silver spoon in my mouth - I had to work hard. I was from the ghetto and I had so many friends from the ghetto and I wanted to make a difference; to help people rise out of the ghetto, explains the singer, who was raised in Spanish Town. And when I did songs like I Swear and Gash Dem and Light Dem, youts came to me and told me, Bwoy, Fenda, ah you mek mi put down mi gun and start tink differently. That gave me the motivation to work harder because I realised my music really was making a difference. And unlike several Jamaican artistes, who, for one reason or another, struggle to obtain visas to travel and perform overseas, Fenda is free to travel anywhere in the world. Being born in America and owning a US passport has enabled the artiste to have the freedom to travel overseas that so many other Jamaican artistes long for. And while some might consider Fendas birthplace a stroke of geographical luck, the singer insists his path was ordained. My mother was in Jamaica and she got a 10-year visa, but when she arrived to America, she realised she was pregnant with me, he says. She had me in New York, but she was working and she couldnt manage working and looking after me because she was young at the time. So she called her mother back in Jamaica and told her she couldnt manage. She then took me back to Jamaica when I was six weeks old, she returned to America, and it was my grandparents who raised me. No hard feelings Though Fenda says his mother hasnt returned to Jamaica since leaving her young son with her parents - weve spoken about three times on the phone, he explains - the artiste insists he has no hard feelings towards her. If she didnt bring me back to Jamaica, you wouldnt be speaking to me today. I cant be angry with her because I believe it was ordained to be that way. I can go to any country in the world. A lot of Jamaican entertainers have their visas taken away or they cant get visas and so they cant go to certain countries. I can go anywhere in the world and sing Jah music. So it was ordained that I came into the earth that way. Fendas next performance destination is on United Kingdom shores, as hes among the impressive line-up of Reggae Salute. Taking place today at the O2 Academy Brixton, the show will feature Fenda, alongside reggae stalwart Luciano, and other leading artistes like I-Octane, Etana, and Christopher Martin.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 03:08:40 +0000
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