- FILE
MC Nuffy and a French Kut Model entertain the audience at Cool Oasis Eclipse Pool Party V Expozed, held at the Rockfort Mineral Bath, St. Andrew, on March 28, 2005.
Teino Evans, Staff Reporter
THE JOB of being MC for a stage show, or any event for that matter, is often a difficult task if one intends to do an effective job. And as some MCs in the entertainment business contend, it is not the job for everyone.
One prominent MC, Nuffy, explains how he actually became an MC and just what it takes to be one.
"How me come inna di business, mi get let tru by Richie B, GT Taylor and Bagga Brown. Bagga Brown was the first one fi tell Jerry D seh a me a guh come run di ting. But di MC ting was really inspired by mi deejay Ras Ghandi, cause wi guh a one stage show an it did boring an him know seh mi have vibes an ting an him seh mi chat nuff, suh him seh mi fi guh inna it. An from there till them, Nuffy has been Jamaica's number one an baddis MC," he said. He added that his favourite MC is Sample Man from Drews Land, saying "a him a mi fadda."
A few prominent MCs gave insight into the strategies that they use, while pointing out the difficulties that are also faced from time to time.
"If you are an MC, or master of ceremony, it mean seh you response fi di show. Anything guh wrong, or anything, a you response," is how Nuffy describes the role.
"Fi keep di show alive yuh haffi be a stage manager and an MC at di same time. Yuh haffi direct the show and be an MC at the same time. Is not a easy work fi do all dat an keep di vibe, an a dat me do today why mi get more work dan anybody else. Me can call up a L.A. Lewis afta Beenie Man an mek him get forward. Mi nuh mek artiste fail. Other MC jus come an MC fi people seh him bad," Nuffy said.
PERSONALITY
Jennifer 'Jenny Jenny' Small of RJR Radio 92 says her approach to being an MC is to simply to look at the audience as her friends and interact according to her own personality.
"I think being an MC is an extension of one's personality, like one's wild side, so I can sometimes be a professional, act like a jackass or a skettel. Being an MC is like talking or interacting with someone that I know and I always believe in giving a hundred per cent all the time. I have such a love for interaction that being an MC comes naturally," Jenny Jenny explained.
"If I'm before a crowd and I feel intimidated, first I see them as human beings. And if that doesn't work, I picture them naked and that helps me to do it," she said.
Where a stiff audience is concerned, Jenny Jenny said all you have to do is "find somebody who is seen as the leader or someone who is respected among the group and you pick on them, because if they let their hair down then you find that others will feel more comfortable having fun."
ANALYSE THE CROWD
GT Taylor of Irie FM says in order to do the job, one has to really feel what one is doing.
"It has to be a part of you, you have to feel the crowd, analyse the crowd and feel a vibe and then it will flow from there. It is also a talent, because a lot of times I go to shows that are not properly planned and as I take up the mic, everything just flows. You just have to know when to take things up a notch, deliver yourself properly or get down," Taylor said.
On the local concert circuit, a few names keep coming up. However, this does not mean that they are the ones bringing in the big bucks.
"People often mistakenly think that if you are on stage a lot you are carrying in a lot of money, but that is not necessarily the case. We might do a lot of shows where we are in the spotlight, but the pay may not be as big," Jenny Jenny said.
Nuffy, who says he has hosted events of all sorts, from 12-year-old parties and school functions to wedding receptions and stage shows, went into financial details.
"Like throughout the month mi woulda end up do like 35 show. Some a dem mi wi do it fi free, mi nuh tek pay fa when mi just a help out a fren, me is not jus a normal MC. Mi get paid to chat, dat a di important part a my work. Now, if mi do a likkle pickney party, dis is where mi coulda guh free, but mi wi seh gimmie a gas, a likkle $5,000. Now, when yuh a guh do a show like Sting and Champions In Action - Di first time mi a guh a Sting, mi guh fi free, cause mi guh like me a director, but my bottom line price fi a show like dat (Champions In Action) a $50,000," Nuffy explained.
Nuffy, however, feels that some MCs are not compensated enough for their time and effort, and MCs who do not work on radio have it much harder than those who do.
"Right now mi a seh mi fi a get a bigga pay. Wi nuh inna dis fi money still, but sometime mi wi ask fi all a $80,000 or a $60,000, dem a seh fi do wah? Dem man deh (radio personalities) wi all seh dem nah reach a di show till 'X' time an lef 'X' time an dem nuh call up more dan three artiste an dem get dem money same way an gone. Wid Nuffy now, dem a guh waan seh me haffi reach a show from 8 p.m. an nuh lef till 8:00 inna di morning," Nuffy said.
"Radio helps, but I get shows because of me. I was an MC before radio; I started out as an MC, so my name was made before. Radio has been the past 14 years, but I am in the entertainment business 35 years now. But yes, you have a lot of talented MCs out there who are not in radio that I think promoters should also give a try. They are not getting a work because of the radio MCs, because promoters think that their show will get a little big up on radio," GT Taylor said.
BASIC RULES
Jenny Jenny said "some (non-radio MCs) are at a disadvantage because they are not popular and well known, but if you know some of the basic rules, like having an extensive network, they can get some really good shows or parties, even an exclusive that pays a lot."
GT Taylor urged MCs who are not radio personalities to keep hope and be positive, as it will pay off in the long run.
"Be positive, believe in yourself first and keep at it. For example, professional MCs have to do a lot of research before a show, on artistes and so on. It took me 25 years before I could eat food out of the business. It was years and years that nobody would call me to do shows, but you just have to practise and keep at it," Taylor said.
