By Nathelie Taylor, Gleaner Writer 
Reggae entertainer Spragga Benz. - File
IN 2002, Jamaican-born producer Cess Silvera called a few friends and told them he had a script he wanted them to read. It was the script for Shottas, a movie about two Jamaican youths who indulge in a life of drugs and crime. Among the select few was dancehall artiste Spragga Benz. No
auditions were required for Spragga; the role seemed to have been custom-made for him.
One year later, the Red Square deejay walked away with the Source Award for 'Best Acting in a Movie by a Rapper' for his role as 'Wayne' in Shottas. He had beaten other big-name rapper/actors like DMX, LL Cool J and Ice Cube. It was a victory that surprised even him.
"Mi know sey it was strong action show still, but mi never really expected them to award it we over dem people dey, y'know? Cause a lot of those people establish in movies. But I guess that's what Source was looking for. Dem did just a look pon di acting," Spragga told The Sunday Gleaner recently.
DECADES IN THE MAKING
This legacy of quality acting is not new to Jamaican entertainers. It's actually been several decades in the making and Spragga's win proved that all the efforts had not been for naught. Jamaica has had a healthy relationship with the film industry, one that was born during the '70s, an era in which reggae and film merged to glorious effect.
One can safely say that the breakthrough came in 1973, when movie The Harder They Come was released and the correlation between reggae and film officially exploded. The Harder They Come, which starred superstar Jimmy Cliff, provided a colourful journey into Jamaica's culture and exposed the many faces of Jamaica to the world. More interestingly, the soundtrack for the movie was entirely reggae. Hits like Jimmy Cliff's You Can Get It If You Really Want and The Harder They Come, Cherry Oh Baby by many-time Festival Song winner Eric Donaldson and Desmond Decker's 007 (Shanty Town) provided great, relevant musical accompaniment for the movie. The Harder They Come paved the way for the great reggae classic, Rockers, in 1978. It's a story of a struggling musician, Horsemouth, who desperately wants to profit from his craft. Yet, he finds that all his money is going toward the 'capitalist Mafia' which rears its ugly head at a time when it seems he finally had found a way out.
Many may not be familiar
with this film, but it was a great success at the time for a number of reasons. It helped to further highlight reggae music and the political, social and economic atmosphere of Jamaica in the 70s. It was also a breakthrough film in its own right, because the cast was primarily well-known musicians such as Burning Spear, Gregory Isaascs and Sly Dunbar, who were playing roles that centred around the evolvement of the music and the struggles which musicians faced.
Many have credited the music on Rockers to be the best compilation of reggae tracks to be found in a motion picture, even though the film was low budget. Contributing to the high musical standard of Rockers were Inner Circle with We A Rockers, Third World with Satta Massagana and Junior Murvin with Police and Thieves which, coincidentally, is included on the soundtrack for After The Sunset, realeased this year.
DOCUMENTARIES MADE
Unfortunately, many years would pass between Rockers and another Jamaican-based movie, although two documentaries were made that showcased the life and music of two of our greatest reggae musicians, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, in Time Will Tell (1992) and Stepping Razor (1992) respectively.
The illustrious baton left by Rockers was picked up, to an extent, in 1993 when Cool Runnings was released. This movie, which was filmed on the North Coast of Jamaica, included songs by Jimmy Cliff, Diana King, Tony Rebel and The Wailing Souls.
Dancehall Queen was released four years later and shocked viewers with its unapologetic raw language and coarse images of Jamaica's social landscape. It follows the trials of a street vendor, played by Audrey Reid, who tries to uplift herself from the clutches of the ghetto through the
dancehall. This film had a good dancehall soundtrack which, in addition to showcasing the skills of a new league of artistes like Chevelle Franklin, Beenie Man, Frisco Kid and Wayne Wonder, also exposed a new turn in dancehall music.
The relationship between
reggae and film found new
passion two years later. This time, popular reggae/dancehall artistes came from behind the scenes and made an appearance on screen in the Chris Browne-directed Third World Cop. Amongst its stars was dancehall 'bad boy' Ninja Man, and Elephant Man. It, too, portrayed a Jamaica that was not on the tourist posters. Naturally, the soundtrack was strictly dancehall and featured acts like Beenie Man, Innocent Crew, Buccaneer and Lady G.
There have been, of course, high-budget Hollywood films which have used the Caribbean's resources luscious, scenic locations and intoxicating music to good effect. In 1988 Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise as a bartender in Jamaica, had a number of scenes shot in Portland. Earlier this year The Bahamas was the prime locale for After the Sunset, which also paid tribute to the region's music with a soundtrack that was strictly Caribbean. There are selections by artistes like Kevin Lyttle, Rupee, Sean Paul and Shaggy on the CD.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (1998) had a double association with the region. A fantasy tale of pirates, the movie's background was centred around the famous Port Royal, in Jamaica. However, the film was actually shot in St. Vincent. And, who can forget that 1998 romance How Stella Got Her Groove Back, which focused on the budding romance between a 40-year-old San Francisco stock broker and a much younger Jamaican man? It was partly filmed in Negril. Not to be forgotten are the two James Bond films - Dr. No and Live and Let Die - which were also shot in Jamaica. Caribbean music has also gained increased prominence in a number of Hollywood films since 1990. The Baha Men, for example, enjoyed two consecutive years of being in the movies with Get Ya Party On in Miss Congeniality (2000), the famous Who Let the Dogs Out in Rugrats in Paris (2000) and Best Years of Our Lives in Shrek (2001). Trinidadian calypso legend, David Rudder, also enjoyed a good run in the 1990 Wild Orchid with Dark Secret and Just A Carnival.
SPECIAL APPEAL
Dancehall has had a particularly special appeal, however, with the music of Sean Paul, Shaggy, Wayne Wonder and Ziggy Marley being used often. Sean Paul especially, who has been offered at least one movie role to date, has been a staple on a number of soundtracks. In 2003 Gimme Di Light was featured on Honey, while the movie Grind featured Get Busy. Sean was also on the soundtrack for Barbershop 2 released earlier this year with Things Come and Go, a combo with U.S singer Mya. He also grabbed a spot on the 2004 animated film Shark Tale with Three Little Birds, a collaboration with Ziggy Marley.
The link between dancehall music and movies remains strong. And, if Spragga for instance has his way, it will remain that way. With one award-winning role already under his belt, Spragga intends to continue this high tradition at least if the roles are in his favour. Until then, he offers positive words to members of Jamaica's film community. "Shottas was a Jamaica-based movie so Jamaica's movie industry has potential. The people just need to settle down and do it properly. It doesn't have to be any high budget thing, it's just smart budgeting. With some creativity, the industry can do well," the Benz said.
