INTERVIEW : JUNIOR KELLY
Interview by : Benoit Georges
Pictures by : Benoit Collin
on Tuesday, April 01st 2008 - 16 854 views
We had not come across Junior Kelly since the release of his last album, "Tough Life", in 2005. As warm and available as ever, Junior Kelly has undeniably gained in maturity. Taking his time to develop his analyses properly, he talks to us about his refusal to rush headlong into album releases and about his conception of religion. It is with real interest that we raise with him a few burning topics in Jamaica: the upsurge in violence, the hypocrisy of the record industry over its exploitation of artists, the protection of Jamaica's musical heritage… Something rather rare in an interview, Junior Kelly does not hesitate to give his opinion on the new government's initiatives or on the policy of the VP label that distributes his albums, and even campaigns for the creation of an artists' union.
Reggaefrance / Why did we have to wait three years to discover your new album?
Junior Kelly / It's linked to the context of album releases in Jamaica. I don't want to release album after album without being able to support them properly on different continents and in different territories. Most of the time, when an artist makes an album, he makes another for a different producer and the two records compete with each other. I think it shows a very poor business sense to have two albums coming out six or twelve months apart. You release a first album, built on momentum, at an ideal moment, and another appears six months later. As a result, you change your view of the older album when it's only six months old! You can't consider it an old album, but you focus on the newest album. I prefer not to scatter my energy; I prefer to build momentum for one album, defend it everywhere, and then I'm ready for a new album.
Yet that's what you were doing until now: ''Tough Life'' in 2005 was your eighth album in five years...
That's true. Because at the beginning, you're young and you want to break through, you're overflowing with energy, I still am, mind you... But in reggae today, there are different producers; as a young artist, you want to sing but when you get the chance, you don't know which one is going to put out your tracks, so you want to record for as many people as possible and you give it everything. But these tracks can come back to haunt artists. That's what happened to me. Your old producers wait for you to break through and then decide to dust off old albums, they remix them and re-release them. In the end the album sounds completely different, because it was recorded ten years earlier! I'm reaching an age where I have to control and conserve my resources and my energy and concentrate it on promoting one album at a time. That's also the reason why I don't have many singles coming out at the moment. I don't believe in the principle of recording singles that you pile up, and twelve months later you compile them onto an album. It's petty, and you're cheating your fans and your audience.
So let's talk about this new album
It's called ''Prince of Roots''. I'm going to let you in on a secret about the sleeve. I'm in traditional African royal dress, and around me there's a Native American, an Indian from India, a white European, a Black woman, a Chinese man and a Japanese man. They are all dressed in traditional costume. When I think of an album, I think of the sleeve too. I wanted them to surround me, holding hands. It's a symbol of the world, of the different cultures of the world. The music on this album speaks to all cultures: I touch the hearts and minds of everyone. I sing themes and stories that touch everybody. That's why I think the title and the sleeve are very important. I don't believe an album can lack a concept that dominates the whole.
Who are the producers? I know you produce yourself.
I produce one track on the album, as does Joel Chin of VP. Sly & Robbie produce two. A friend of mine, Senior, the one who produced Receive, produces three. Dusty from Firehouse too... In fact, it's the Firehouse Crew who play the riddims and who produced some of the tracks. There will be a feature with my sister from the United States, Bar-Bee (Missing You). That will be the only duet. We recorded a duet with Queen Ifrica, produced by Al Ta Fa An, Too Late. I don't know whether it's too late, precisely, to put it on the album! The truth is, I'm not afraid to say it: VP, most of the time, doesn't build careers. They don't want to take the risk of choosing and promoting a song. They prefer to let you promote your song on your own and if it becomes number one, they put it on an album. I find that petty. It doesn't work in favour of the artist or the product, not even for them: when they do that, it's as if they don't believe in the artist until he meets with success... This song is a potential number one, I can say that, and I wouldn't put it on the album. I minimise the number of 45s I make to make sure my efforts are concentrated. After this tour, I'm going to New York for a photo shoot for ''Prince of Roots'', and in the meantime we'll promote this track with Queen Ifrica. The album will be out in mid-April and the song with Queen Ifrica will come out before that, I think.
Let's go back to ''Tough Life''; the title track was produced by Frenchie.
That song is one of two superb tracks I did for Frenchie (Maximum Sound). What I like when I work for European producers is that they spend time on the quality of the productions, the harmonies, the percussion, the mix... on every aspect. Unfortunately, Jamaican producers are often too busy hustling for peanuts here and there to think about long-term benefits or the repercussions of their "hustling" mentality. It's really damaging on their part. When I receive a riddim from Dready (Soul Vybz) or from a European producer, it brings out emotions: the riddim speaks to me. It gives a different energy, an inspiration to write. Jamaican producers tend to listen to each other too much, to lack imagination and to no longer be creative enough. That's why the oldies, from the Coxsone days for example, are so rich in terms of quality. European producers cherish those works. I can't say that we can't do better than in that era. Of course we can. All we have to do is get back to basics, stay focused, give importance to detail and be more creative.
Rasta should be deeper was also produced by a European label. Who is this song aimed at?
At the so-called philanthropists, the so-called defenders of humanity and of nature. They say one thing and do another. In my view, the word "rasta" is not an image you use to get girls, guns, money, riches... It's not that; it's much more than that. The word rasta doesn't mean that you need to be Black to be Rasta; you have to be a humanist, you have to love people, help others, your family. That's what I've done and it does me good. That's what makes you a man of the world, a philanthropist, a Rasta. It's not just your hair! That's what I say in the song, "it's more than the robe and the natty hair" (it goes beyond the outfit and the dreadlocks, editor's note), it's who you are, what flows out of you, love! I've seen a lot of Jamaican artists claim to be Rasta but not live by those precepts. They are good precepts, they are not restrictive. Of course you can go into a bar and have a drink, of course you can swear "bomboclaat", it doesn't hurt anybody. But when you disrespect women or when you don't respect other people's culture or who they are, how will they accept you if you don't accept them? Of course, there are precepts and boundaries, moral standards. These youths - I'm not old, I'm still young but I've seen what Rasta is - tend to talk about one thing and do another at the same time. It hurts me, because I represent the Rastas, the humanist and philanthropic side.
Journalists ask me such questions about what is going on in Jamaica - they go on the internet, to concerts, they read, they know what's going on - so I'm judged on the most negative aspects. And that really hurts me. It's to the point where I don't talk much about that subject: I sing about love, about companionship. I try to avoid those subjects, because I don't want to be judged by the way of life of other people who claim to be Rastas or humanists. I want to be judged by my own standards, by what I do. Sometimes journalists have a hidden agenda, so in general I avoid that kind of conversation. I now consider that my conception of religion and my political affiliation, whatever it may be, are private matters. So I don't talk much about Rastafarianism; it embarrasses me.
I went to Japan, where I read a book about Buddha. You've noticed I wear this symbol on me, a head of Buddha. Why am I showing it to you? When I went there, I had never been educated about Buddha or Buddhism before; I bought the book and read it. Buddha had qualities that a lot of people lack: they should listen to him or read about him. They would see that this man loved people, he shared. He was a crowned prince who left his father's palace to live with the poor of his country. He talks about philosophy, about how people should live. I wear this symbol today, but if you see me another day, I'll be wearing another symbol of another man, not of a supernatural being, but of a human being blessed with the gift of love. Yuh understand? So you see I can't be a right-wing extremist Rasta ("right-wing extremist") and say that my path is the only way. We can learn through different means, and from other cultures. And if you look deep enough, you'll see that they all say the same things.
What do you think of the Gangsta Ras concept that is breaking through in Jamaica?
It's a lie, a "gangsta rasta" doesn't exist. I've read about Scarface, Lucky Luciano and all those gangsters, but I've never seen a "gangsta rasta". So they should check what they say before saying it. I think it's an image or a character they would like to take on. But you have to be careful with these images and characters we want to embody. If you're a "gangsta ras", you have to live the life of a gangster, and you'll end up... or rather people will find you one day with your head in the gutter. As the Bible says, you live by the sword, you die by the sword. I know there's no such thing as a "gangsta ras", just individuals who play characters and proclaim themselves as such.
Violence in Jamaica has exploded again recently; the figures have just come out...
It's an important subject. I have to say that since the new administration took office, a few notorious killers have been captured, and that's a sign. It may not be a significant percentage, but it could become one: when you catch two notorious killers, it doesn't seem like much, but Jamaica has almost 2.5 million inhabitants, and if you arrest two individuals who are lawless killers, I consider that progress. Even if the news doesn't spread around the world and people think it doesn't count, for me, living in Jamaica with my children and my family, it's really a plus. That's what is happening with the new administration. And it's not just that: the progress is that they weren't killed. All over the world, you see places like Colombia, where there are death squads within the police itself, and you see that many murders are blamed on the police. For me, that is an admission of weakness as to their investigative methods and their work. Even if a man is a ruthless murderer, you must try to get him captured. Killing the person must be the last resort, reserved for self-defence. In Jamaica, historically, the police forces have very direct and violent methods: they kill without warning. They fight violence with extreme violence. Yet I note that there are now rules and procedures in the police.
Obviously, the gangsters respect no rules and violence remains at an alarming level. A new report was published in our newspapers in Jamaica: we are ranked 70th in the world for corruption (in Transparency International's 2007 annual report, Jamaica is ranked 84th worldwide and 19th regionally - the Americas, editor's note). And as a Jamaican I am of course ashamed. I often say that our democracy is dead, because in other societies, even communist societies, corruption is at lower levels. In China, corruption is very low, because for certain offences they hang you or shoot you. We should sometimes frighten certain individuals and tell them that if they did what they do in other countries, even just smoking a joint, they would be sentenced to death. I'm not saying we should be that extreme; we have to adapt. But many cases show me that democracy is only for the elite and doesn't reach the poor, those who suffer the most and who precisely need protection from the State, from the gangsters. I think there is no crime management in Jamaica; it should be the eradication of crime. It's a very complex problem, but I'm optimistic. I think the mentalities of citizens are gradually changing and everything else should follow: we need more civic pride, more civic duty, we must take care of our magnificent country, which is visited by tens of thousands of people every year, even with this criminality. You have to understand that crime is very localised, and not spread across the whole of Jamaica, otherwise people wouldn't come. So it's an isolated problem in certain areas, but it remains a burning issue that must be fought.
Some claim that it has to do with "gangster music" and its influence; others say it comes from Jamaica's violent history, starting with Port Royal, Henry Morgan and the buccaneers. I say no. Children live what they learn and that won't change. It's up to us to preach the right message. The government must be beyond reproach when it comes to corruption. They have raised civil service salaries and they should raise them again before the end of the year. They have money and side business activities: so they should be beyond reproach, incorruptible, because they are well off. If they are corrupt, the people who are under the sway of that corruption will obviously be corrupt too, because they tell themselves that if the people they have put in power are corrupt, there's no point in being irreproachable. The whole system needs a major rethink. And this need for a new vision of what Jamaica is and where we want to go doesn't concern just one sector of society.
The problem is that this climate of violence continues to contaminate the music.
Of course! Big time! I was recently reading an interview with a well-known artist who said he sang this type of music because it's what people want to hear in the clubs and the dancehalls. According to him, they don't want to hear about happiness, joy, pleasure; when they go out, they don't want to hear about morality... That's a lie! He's the one selling this particular kind of music and selling himself as an artist who does "gun songs". I know "gun songs" do damage. For example, a youth takes the mic and says he's been carrying his gun since he was at school. Now violence in schools is rising in Jamaica: against teachers, against other pupils, and it comes from some fools who say they've been carrying their gun since they went to school. Pupils have iPods and listen to this music in classrooms or playgrounds. They think they need a gun; that's what they understand from such songs. Of course music helps to shape society, no doubt about it. Aidonia was prosecuted the other day for illegal possession of a firearm and a magistrate published an op-ed in the newspapers saying that "gun songs" should be banned and that anyone caught singing them should go to prison and pay a fine. It's radical, but necessary. It has to hurt them so that they see the errors of their conduct. I'm not saying this because I'm Rasta and I sing certain types of songs. I've thought this for a very long time, even before I started growing my locks. It has nothing to do with me and what I do: I can write good songs on dancehall beats. I don't need to sing about guns or call women sluts and whores. I don't want to make money from pornography, because it's verbal pornography. I don't want to stop people making money or taking care of their families. But there has to be a limit not to be crossed, even for money or for fame. There is a voice that everyone has inside, you just have to listen to that voice.
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Part 2
Interview by : Benoit Georges
Pictures by : Benoit Collin
on Tuesday, April 01st 2008
Let’s go back to the music. Tarrus Riley has just won four “reggae academy awards”, what is your reaction and what do you think of how these Jamaican awards are organised?
It’s wonderful, it’s a step in the right direction. About time! It’s not new but it’s fresh. It may be too early to say, but it has to do with the new administration and especially “Babsy” Grange, the Minister of Sport and Culture, who is one of the people who helped make it happen. Of course, it’s wonderful for Tarrus. It shows that reggae isn’t dead and never will be: too many people feed off it, and I’m not talking financially. People feed off its substance and its relevance. I didn’t receive an invitation to that ceremony but when I go back to Jamaica, I’m going to mention it, not only for myself but for other artists too. Give me that invitation and let me decline it if I’m on tour. They need to be careful. I’m not the vengeful type, not at all. But we need to be there in the audience to share with those people who receive awards. I want to do that. It’s not selfishness, but I want to be there. Even though I haven’t had any hits this year, I’m still here and loved all over the world. I want to share that moment with the young stars, I want to defend the music.
In February, Jamaica declared “Reggae Month”. Do you think this push from the government will have an effect on cultural life in Jamaica? It’s one more step to recognise that there is a heritage to promote.
About time. Let’s hope it’s not just an announcement for show and that they really have a strategy. If they have that strategy, they should invite people from the industry to their meetings: producers, promoters, artists, musicians. Because they have ideas to share too, ideas of great interest to the Jamaican people. It’s also a step in the right direction so we shouldn’t knock it too much. But it’s a small step. The Jamaican political scene is such that when a new administration comes in after 8 or 10 years, it generally destroys what the other party did before, even if it was good for the country. They should rather build on the successes and improve them. That’s a real patriotic attitude, a real patriotic mentality: build on good things and not criticise systematically and question everything in the first six months. If it’s good, it’s for the benefit of the Jamaican people. We need to protect our products and declare them national products.
When I see someone like Burning Spear… I don’t know his financial situation. But hip-hop is a young industry and you see hip-hop artists who decide to retire because they have made enough millions. I see people like Burning Spear or Israel Vibration, getting around on their crutches, working tirelessly. I sincerely doubt they have enough financial security to say to themselves that they are old enough and need to rest. The music will always be in us but I don’t believe they even have the option of retiring. It’s because the Jamaican government in the past - today, fortunately, they have another vision - saw this music as being associated with ganja, with Rastas, with the ghetto… They didn’t recognise it as our music. Our heritage must be protected, it must be regulated, so that there can no longer be people who pirate our music, who make millions without that money coming back to Jamaica, not for individuals but for the country’s treasury, to repair the roads, buy books for the pupils, renovate the dilapidated schools… To help make Jamaica more self-sufficient, less dependent on the World Bank. That is what the government must focus on: consider this product, declare it, protect Jamaica’s legacy.
I’m not saying we must stop everybody else from making reggae: it’s our gift to the world. We welcome the Gentlemans, the UB40s and so on. But they must remember that they must not turn their backs on the origins of reggae. There is this website in Canada that pirates our products (Audiomaxxx, since closed, news of 6 March 2008, editor’s note) and sells them for nothing and says we are idiots because we have the best thing in the world and we don’t know how to sell it. The government must find that individual and convict him in one form or another. They insult us, the people of Jamaica. The government must stop with its old conceptions and consider that this music belongs to Jamaica: there is no difference between “downtown” and “uptown” (the ghetto and the smart neighbourhoods, editor’s note), everybody listens to reggae, every member of parliament has at least one ska or reggae CD at home. It’s a national product and we must protect it by every means the law allows. Believe me, they recognise it. We can have revenue coming back into Jamaica, with all those artists who made songs for years and were robbed by other people who took their percentage, their copyright. I know that in some places, a limitation clause means that if an artist doesn’t claim his money after several years, it goes back to the person who fraudulently drew up contracts declaring himself the owner of that music. The government must hunt down those individuals with an armada of lawyers and make sure the money comes back to us, not to individuals, but to Jamaica. This administration must look at the question. Music is not like gold or oil, it won’t run out.
You know that in some Jamaican music schools, in those institutions, you need a certain level of schooling to be accepted and learn to play. In those schools, they don’t teach reggae in the curriculum. It’s bullshit! How can there be an institution in Jamaica called the “Jamaica School of Music” where people only learn classical music? Of course they must learn it, Mozart, Beethoven… but there has to be a reggae curriculum, if they want to completely change the way reggae is seen, I’m not the only one who thinks so. They have nobody to teach reggae. People from outside won’t recognise us, won’t respect us on our own level. These criteria must be dropped: you have to have an A in English or maths to get into that school, it’s stupid. Music doesn’t need criteria, it’s men who set criteria. You have blind people who play music: Stevie Wonder never needed an A in maths to make music. Why do we put these limits on young people who want to learn music? On top of that, you have someone like Ibo Cooper, a founding member of Third World, who teaches at the Jamaica School of Music: he has to take his pupils out of the classroom, to go to his place or under a tree to teach them reggae. He can’t even teach them in the classroom because it isn’t part of the curriculum! It’s embarrassing, pretentious and stupid in my opinion.
Another government initiative was to create this RIIA Jam to protect that heritage. We heard about the theft of the archives, and there is also the problem of the physical protection of the heritage.
Exactly. I had planned to run a class with young graduates of that music school who would come and teach those who precisely don’t have the required level. I always think: what can I do to help and offer another choice to those young people who love playing percussion, piano, guitar and can’t go to that music school? I’m ready to put in my own money to allow those young graduates to come and teach those children. I know they’ll tell me I don’t have enough authority to do it, but they can’t tell me I don’t have the authority to educate those young people: they want it, they need it. In a country where there aren’t enough jobs, teaching young people to play an instrument is an opportunity for them to see the world, to feed their children and their family. What’s wrong with that? As you can see, this subject is a passion of mine. Thank you for giving me the chance to talk about it.
VP has bought Greensleeves. Do you see this takeover as a threat to musical diversity or as an opportunity? Maybe you don’t want to go into that subject…
No, of course not. I am part of this industry and I want to take as big a part as possible in the development and improvement of the music. I couldn’t live with having something to say for the benefit of the music and keeping it to myself. So I’ll answer that question. There are two sides: it’s an opportunity for VP to enlarge its catalogue. By buying Greensleeves, their catalogue becomes much bigger than Coxsone’s, Gussie Clarke’s or others’. The question is what they are going to do with it. Will they make Greensleeves disappear or run it as a subsidiary? That remains to be seen. The question isn’t premature but it would be premature for me to answer it definitively. Wait and see…
One can hope it gives more means for the promotion of reggae…
I like productive competition, when there are no monopolies. Producers, artists and musicians have a choice when a takeover like that happens. Say VP decides to buy Jet Star, then Stingray… If that’s the road we are taking, it’s very dangerous. That’s why the union of artists, musicians and producers is vital, we need artists’ unions. Even if you are a European producer, you are entitled to be part of that union. That way, we can have a collective, united voice, to say what we have to say about certain problems that can affect our industry. We can take measures, decide on joint actions. That’s what our industry lacks. For example, the economic leaders in Jamaica condemn the violence of dancehall on one side and on the other side, it’s those dancehall artists who are in the charts and who advertise mass-market products! Let’s hope that changes in the future, but you don’t see figures like Luciano, Burning Spear or myself advertising products. That’s why a union is important, so that we can go to the Ministry of Culture, and demand a meeting with all the big names in the industry because of this or that problem. It’s not fair, this music is more important. That’s the beauty and the effectiveness of a union.
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