INTERVIEW
Interview & pictures : Filip Flatau
On the occasion of the release of U-Roy's new album "Serious Matter", produced by the French label Tabou1, Roots & Culture met the founding deejay for you and brings you an exclusive interview with the "Godfather deejay" U-Roy.
Reggaefrance / First of all, can you tell us where you were born?
U-Roy / I was born in Kingston, Jamaica. And how did you start deejaying and recording? When I was young, I loved music, I knew all the songs that were played on the radio and so I was singing them all the time. That's what pushed me, as I grew up, to become a deejay.
And how did you become a rasta?
It's my religion, yu know, it's like some people are Catholics, I am rasta.
But who influenced you?
I had friends who were rastas, but I don't think anyone can really influence you to choose your religion. It's like when you like something, you take it. When you don't like something, you throw it away. That's what I like the most: being a rasta. Because I feel it's good for me. It's part of my culture so I really love it.
And where does the toasting, deejay style come from?
Yu know what? I believe it comes from me. Ok, there was a deejay I loved listening to back then, called Count Machuki. He was one of those who gave me inspiration as well.
What was your first sound system?
My first sound was Doctor Dickie's Dynamic. I was very young at the time when I was playing with that sound. After leaving that sound, I played for JoeJoe and then for King Tubby's. From there, I started to get known.
Can you tell us more about the King Sturgav sound system? How did you create it?
I created my sound because I had been playing on lots of sound systems for a long time. After playing for different people, I said to myself: “Why not create my own sound?” When I started my sound, we had two small speakers and I didn't believe my sound would become so big. It was a surprise for me, and at the same time my dream was to break through musically. After having those two small speakers, I told myself I needed two more. That's when I had four speakers, until I owned ten.
Is King Sturgav one of the biggest cultural sound systems at the moment?
King Sturgav is the only sound in Jamaica that plays cultural. All the others play what they feel like playing, yu know? Me, I want to play cultural and so I play conscious.
Who are the main artists on the sound?
Charlie Chaplin and sometimes Brigadier Jerry. From time to time we have different artists like Anthony B, Tony Rebel, another youngster called Kulcha Knox. Josey Wales used to come before, but he doesn't play any more... We carry on our work with different people.
Can you tell us more about your new album "Serious Matter"?
Well, we made this album because I wanted to toast over certain singers like Israel Vibration, Third World, Dennis Brown and people like that. I didn't know Pierpoljak or Cheb Aissa but it was Tabou1's idea and so I have to thank him for that. If you want to know why this album is called "Serious Matter", it's because the times are getting so serious right now. Last year, people were saying the world was going to end.
That is, this year. People talk so much nonsense: the world has no end. That's why the serious times have arrived... "Serious Matter". Everything is a very serious problem.
What do you think of the current dancehall scene in Jamaica?
Everybody does their own thing. I'm not here to tear those people down. I respect what they do. You know, I respect every deejay and every singer. Because they sing their words, I sing mine. My work comes from the old school, and theirs comes from this new young generation. I would like to say one thing to deejays and singers: the best thing to do in this business is not to voice racist opinions, or disrespect women, or talk about guns that bring a lot of violence. They are young after all. Young people always do things differently from old people. If you have a baby, you have to teach it to do things from a very young age, otherwise he or she can't be educated any more. So these youths talk about what they see, like me. That's how I write my lyrics: drawing inspiration from the things of everyday life. I also grew up in the ghetto and there are loads of things to tell. It's easy to find an idea, but they choose to talk about guns. I choose to talk about peace and love between us. That's the difference.
What are your plans for the future?
Most of the time, we don't know what the future will bring us. This new album has come out, or is about to, and so we have to concentrate on this album for a few months. Then we can start to see which tunes we'll do for the next album. We don't know what we'll call the next album, we know we called this one "Serious Matter", we don't know if the next one will be called "Joking Matter"... It's ahead of us, we haven't reached it yet.
I heard an anecdote that deejays tried to sell their records by singing over instrumental versions in the street?
Well, that has changed now but it was done like that everywhere. If you know guys like Master P or DMX, those guys used to put their music in their cars, driving hundreds of miles around Los Angeles to sell one or two copies. Up to today, where they can sit back and see their music exploding around the world. So it's good that way. When you are young, and you have to start something for yourself, for your survival, to feed your family, and to clothe yourself. You have to go out there and start doing what is best for you. That's what they did, they put their music in a box on their mopeds and looked for people to sell it to. That's what is called the “suffering people movment”.
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