Teino Evans, Staff Reporter
Dancer 'Ding Dong' doing the 'NYC'. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
SINGERS AND deejays dance, so it should not be strange for dancers to dabble in singing and deejaying.
If one was to search for the roots of the recent trend, where noted dancers have sought to extend their stage activities to the microphone, it would lead to the late Gerald 'Bogle' Levy, who was brought in on Weddy Time with Delly Ranx and Voice Mail.
"A right there it start, nuh weh further. It was Danny Champagne's idea to bring in Bogle, because a Bogle start di talking ting, suh it was only fair to put him in the song. The strategy was really to reach more audience, and furthermore, it gives the dancers an extra lift fi dem career when people si dem visually and hear dem. It really helps," Kevin of Voice Mail said.
Dancers, however, have said that this new trend does not necessarily mean that they want to become deejays. They are simply becoming more diverse.
DOING OWN TUNES
Ding Dong, whose real name is Kemar Ottey, has had a voice in a number of recently recorded songs, such as Wacky Dip with Voice Mail and Weddy Time 2, along with Bogle and Voise Mail.
His primary recording is Chakka Chakka, which he voiced all on his own.
Ding Dong explained that dancers are now doing their own tunes because they often had ideas, which were disregarded by artistes.
More time wi a tell artiste fi put two likkle ting inna di song an dem do dem own ting, but a nuh sey wi waan turn deejay. Me nuh waan turn deejay, but a jus tru wi have certain idea. A me come up wid di idea for Wacky Dip an all Weddy Time; a me and Delly write da tune deh," Ding Dong said.
According to Ding Dong, since Bogle voiced in Weddy Time producers have warmed up to the idea of dancers recording.
"From Bogle do it producers start get open to the idea. Mi have whole heap more idea, but me nuh waan voice di song, mi waan gi other artiste. Yuh haffi stretch yuh hand inna di field, yuh haffi learn how fi do everyting. Is not a matter seh di dancer dem waan turn deejay, but wi jus want our idea come cross to di people dem," he said.
Dancer, Marlon Hardy, aka Overmars, has not yet voiced a song, but plans to do one with fellow dancer Ding Dong.
"Me an Ding Dong fi voice a tune soon. A di trend weh Bogle lef an dat's why mi decide seh mi waan put a ting together to. Mi have a new dance name 'Virus' an mi waan build a tune round that," he said.
Overmars has been in videos likes Elephant Man's Crazy Hype as well as both editions of Weddy Time..
John Hype, who is probably the only dancer to record three full songs, among them We Run New York and his latest release, Rich Back, says it's just another side that he has to offer.
"Is jus a next side a mi dat, a nuh everybody can do it. A money ting still, di dancer dem a deejay a murda. Mi a guh continue do it; a mi life, a suh wi eat, suh wi can't stop," John Hype said.
