We found a relaxed Vegas after his performance, hailed by the crowd, at the Garance Reggae Festival this summer. A renewed show, more reggae, incorporating tracks from his latest album, "Sweet Jamaica". A new page for Vegas, though he keeps an eye on his fundamentals: his biggest hit in mid-2012 is still Bruck it up, an energetic and explicit dancehall tune. It was therefore a chance to take stock of his career with him, after the retirement rumours of 2008. He also answers openly about his health problems.
How was the show tonight?
Vegas It was good, really good vibes, a lot of energy. It's good to see people go so wild. It's always good to play in France, there's always a lot of energy.
The show was very reggae. You included many tracks from your latest album, ''Sweet Jamaica'', and that seems logical after the petition you circulated last year to save reggae.
Vegas It's because I'm trying to grow with the music. I've just realised that after making music professionally for more than 16 years, at some point you have to build your career. In order to do more real tours, I have to learn to balance my performances. Dancehall fans need to keep coming to see Vegas, but when you play a festival and there are people who came to see Rita Marley, you have to satisfy that audience too. You have to adapt so that the crowd doesn't think: ''Oh, he's the dancehall act, so put him on early in the evening.'' That's the kind of career I want to build.
Is it linked to the 50th anniversary of independence, since this album comes at just the right moment?
Vegas Indeed, the album is dedicated to the Golden Jubilee and the great icons who made reggae: Jimmy Cliff, Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown, all those great artists. And of course the dancehall side, which all Mr Vegas fans know.
What do you think of this anniversary?
Vegas It's really a good vibe. The government got involved, for example in choosing the songs, even if it's still not quite right. It's not yet what it should be. But I think I'm going to enjoy this moment, that's what matters.
On the dancehall album, there are a lot of nods to your older tracks, to dancehall classics. You even take on the Black Widow riddim. Why?
Vegas In the same way as for the reggae album, it's a way of paying tribute to dancehall culture. I also wanted to show where I came from and how I had progressed. When I started out, we had tunes and riddims that are now a bit forgotten by the younger ones. I wanted to remind people of all that and say that back then we made good dancehall, with tracks that can be considered references. Besides, many of the riddims I started out on are now considered classics by soundmen.
The last time I bumped into you was at Uptown Monday. Do you go out a lot?
Vegas Ah yes, Uptown Monday... I hang out at parties from time to time and I try to go to the best ones possible.
You've put out quite a few dance songs in recent years, which is your favourite dance crew?
Vegas I don't really have a favourite crew, I support all the crews. I like the freshness you find in the young ones and I want to stay young too. Following the dance crews is a good way to stay young. Still, there's Dance Xpressionz, those are my girls and Orville (Hall, editor's note) is my mate.
In 2008, we heard that you were giving up music. There was talk of health problems, your family... But you never stopped, you carried on releasing records, until we found you in Paris for a show in 2010... Why? Was it just a rumour?
Vegas The truth is that I suffer from pericarditis: if you look into this illness, you'll see that it causes a build-up of fluid around the heart. But I've learned to control the illness, to live with it. So I can lead a normal life. Besides, that's not the main reason I was thinking of quitting music. At that point, I was fed up with the atmosphere in the music business: competition, jealousy, hypocrisy, bad spirit... It's hard to detach yourself from it and it's very trying day to day. And above all there was the feeling of sacrificing my family life, of not being able to see my family and loved ones as much as I wanted. So I decided to carry on with music, but to carry on differently, by finding another balance. The fact that I now want to do more reggae is part of this new balance.
What are your projects, precisely?
Vegas Right now, I'm on tour. I won't even be in Jamaica on Independence Day. I'm not even going to London for the Olympics. After Europe, we're off to the Caribbean, it's a world tour. I have a few reggae tracks planned with Frenchie (Maximum Sound) and I'm also thinking of getting back into production, which is really close to my heart because it's something I enjoy and that I stopped doing a while ago, after In the streetz.
Comments (3)
paco ·
c'est vrai que l'album est pas le plus top de vegas d'un autre coté ça lui permet de faire un album cross over alors qu'il a fait que des albums sans concession....
tout les goût dans la nature....
fo ·
L album dancehall...c'est juste hallucinant de compiler autant de riddim aussi nazes....et des riddims qu on avait plus entendu depuis 1990!! bref..une double défaite....En même temps, MR Vegas j ai jamais trop kiffer...mais la...c est le summum de la nullité!
Lordko · · rating: 1 out of 5