INTERVIEW : BASCOM X
Interview by : Alexandre Tonus
Pictures by : Benoit Collin
on Wednesday, April 05th 2006 - 13 412 views
Known by most for his recent one drop hits, Lonely girl first among them, Bascom X is nonetheless no newcomer. This talented DJ spent a long time riding the hardest dancehall riddims with lyrics that were not always advisable, before success finally smiled on him. Passing through London alongside I Wayne, Turbulence and Jah Mason for the Living in love tour, he agreed to take a few minutes to answer our questions and look back on an already full career.
Reggaefrance / Bascom X, to begin with, can you explain what your name means and how you chose it?
Bascom X / My nickname goes back to the early 90s. At that time, these colourful T-shirts appeared; there were some that said Funk, or Brothers and Sisters, and then there were those with Malcolm X or Marcus Garvey. That's when we started hearing about Malcolm X, that guy from Harlem. Then there were books about him that taught us what he was really about. My father had given me the first name Jimmy and in Jamaica, when someone is called Harvel, they nickname him Vila, when he's called Jimmy, they nickname him Bascom; so I was Jimmy Bascom. But when I started seriously doing what I do, I couldn't go on being called Jimmy Bascom. So I kept Bascom and added an X to make Bascom X, because I was fighting for the same cause as Malcolm X, I was a revolutionary.
You've been in the business for a while, but your beginnings were rather dancehall; can you tell us about that period, explain why?
At that time, I used a deeper voice, I was more arrogant, but that's because in Jamaica that's what sold, it was the law of the market. The artists we were used to hearing were Ancient Monarchy aka Frisco Kid or Vybz Kartel.
You mention Vybz Kartel; he played a very particular role in your career thanks to the combination you made, OK, and thanks to Sumfest, where he invited you to join him on stage…
Vybz Kartel and I were close before that, because we both come from Portmore. Vybz Kartel is from Waterford, I'm from Westmeade; it must be 7 minutes from one to the other. We often saw each other around his place, with his friends, and we sang together. That was even before he got on a stage, it was a bit underground. And then he'd also come around my way and we'd sing with my friends too. Then the time came; he recorded for Baby G. at that time a song that went “You know we roll…Tell dem say we badder than dem, real badman style madder than dem”. After that, there was this riddim called Battery: “Dem want fi know make we a deal we dem say brutal. Me chat dem up, me mash dem up, as usual” (Yeh yeh, editor's note). And finally, we did “Say dutty nigga how we stay, OK”.
You also mentioned Frisco Kid; I think he's from Portmore too. Have you been friends for a long time as well?
Yes. Frisco comes from the same area as I Wayne, Garveymeade, and I'm from Westmeade. They're two neighbouring districts. I often went to I Wayne's neighbourhood and they often came to mine.
Frisco also played a role in your career, because he's the one who took you to England the first time. What was it like that time?
It was great. We were with Ghost and General B. We did more shows than this time, back then. We went to Nottingham, Southampton, London, lots of places.
Like Frisco, you became Rasta recently and changed your message…
Yes, we'd done enough hardcore and I realised that the message I'm putting across today had always been in me.
Do you see that more as a fashion or is it a genuine spiritual turnaround?
As I was telling you, even when I was doing hardcore, that vibe was already in me. I was already doing that kind of one drop song, but as you know, at that time, those songs weren't really what the producers were looking for. What they really wanted were those “boom boom boom”, those electronic riddims. Only one or two producers were interested in instrumental riddims, because they didn't do well in Jamaica, nobody wanted to take the risk. Also, when you're an artist trying to break through, you have to bend to what the producers want and that's why I voiced lots of electronic riddims. But at some point, it had to change; so I took a moment to find myself again and come back with a different style.
So it's partly because of the producers that this change happened in your career?
No, it's not because of them. It's just that at some point, I told myself I was going to do what I wanted to do and stop doing what they wanted me to do. At the time, I didn't have any impact yet and I couldn't choose the riddim I wanted to voice, because nobody had heard of me yet. Now I'm established and I can choose whether I want to do this interview or not, whether I want to voice a particular riddim or not. If you come to me with a good vibe and I feel it, then I'm ready, but if you come to me with a bad vibe and in the end I'm not winning, then I won't do it.
So you're an accomplished artist today?
Yes, because my years of hard work have paid off. Today lots of people know the name Bascom X all over the place. People are impatiently waiting to see me. Let's see what Bascom has to offer. We know him through his music, let's see what his personality holds beyond his music, let's see him live. There are lots of artists who do good things in the studio, but when you see them on stage in person, it's something different.
Among artists of the new generation? I've seen lots of photos of you with Fantan Mojah and Perfect, you seem quite close…
In my eyes, lots of that is true and lots of it isn't really, because I've been here a long time. Few people know that. So I know what it's like to be outside the business and knock on doors. There are five styles of artist in the business and they don't let any others in. Every year, they repeat the same pattern. Since they're in the media's sights, that's the kind of artist they keep recycling. If they let someone new in and he has a vibe, he'll have to change it, and that's how he'll be kept in this business. I know what it is, I was myself one of the youngest artists before. I don't claim to be a greater artist than the others, but I can talk about the beginnings. You have to push forward, go to the studio, go and talk to the boss without fear. I did it, going to the studio on my bicycle, from Portmore to Kingston, then coming back, or sleeping at the studio because I didn't have enough money to get home. And that was my choice; I quit school. Every time I see a young artist, hear his song and know for sure it's going to be a hit, I always try to give him a hand, to tell him which road to take. Because I've been through it, I know what can happen. I'm like a guide and that's what I've always wanted.
That's a bit what you did with Gyptian…
Exactly. Like with Gyptian. When they come from Portmore, there are people I warn and encourage. Sometimes some youngsters tell me: «I don't need your help Bascom, go back to your countryside, go home». I tell them they don't know what it's about; they've sown a seed and it's growing. I can see it, they can't. I see that they've planted and it's growing, because I move around in lots of places and I hear people talking. When I go to shows, I take CDs and I try to get them played on the radio, saying: «listen to this youngster, he's going to blow up». Some people say «yeah, yeah…» and don't believe me, but others tell me: «you're right, he's terrible». If all the artists did that, it would work. But there are some artists who don't care about others and want everything for themselves; it can't work. If you're good, you'll stay good. I'm not trying to be pally-pally, but if you're good, you're good. What's mine is mine and what's yours is yours, because every artist sounds different.
There's another very specific thing I'd like to talk about with you; what's your relationship with Sizzla today?
Sizzla is moody. Today he wants you, tomorrow he won't want you any more. The next time, he'll want you again. You have to know how to deal with people, even if you're a very individualistic person, it makes no difference. You have to know how to talk to him, you have to know how to present yourself to him without putting on a style he doesn't like. Sizzla is an icon, he's been making loads of very good songs for years. His catalogue is huge and I thank him for that, because I learned from him. We all learn from one another. He learned from someone too, just as someone must have learned from me. You can't deny it, he's brilliant. We're not great friends, but we're on good terms.
I also read that among your mentors, among the people who influenced you, there's Bounty Killer… What does he represent for you?
Bounty Killer represents something for every artist in the business. Because when it comes to business, he's a model. Nobody jokes with Bounty Killer when it comes to doing a show or a dubplate. He's someone who knows how to manage his affairs and his time; if he tells you noon, it'll be noon, you can't come and see him at 11. You learn that kind of toughness from him. As for Beenie Man, you learn to be smiling and friendly thanks to him.
Can you talk about your plans? A future album perhaps…
I don't really think about the future, I think about now. It's through what we build now that the future will be good. If I could project myself into the future, I'd see whether I'm going to “mash up”. For the moment, I'm acting for that future. I'm building my future today. My future is now! So I'm working right now on more hits, more songs for the mind, to solve problems, to help people. I've done dancehall tracks, now it's more one drop. There's a type of one drop that sounds good on the radio whereas there are one drop riddims that are really dancehall in their style. You have songs for reggae lovers that will never be played in the dancehalls, whereas some dancehall tracks will never be played on the radio. All over the world music is like that: everyone finds what they want, and some will always be there to move to their favourite artist.
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