Andre Jebbinson, Staff Reporter
"They should not be comfortable if I come even second in online voting."
THAT IS what Ricardo 'Chicago' Gayle had to say to his fellow contestants in this year's finals of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) Popular Song Contest. He can already taste victory and is convinced that only a catastrophe in the online voting process can derail his winning train.
"I am 90 per cent sure I will win. I don't have any rivals; I am their rival," he said.
The competition has been heating up, as each man is claiming that his song relates to everyday experience. But according to Chicago, his song is the "only song dem haffi pull up every time mi perform on the stage shows." He said the response has been overwhelming and has made him more confident.
The Kingstionian entered the competition after being encouraged by a friend who saw the potential in Gayle. It was even more appealing since the competition was no longer a festival song competition but a popular song competition. "I thought it was really a good ting. It mek younger youts listen like how they would listen to a Gyptian," Chicago said.
WHAT IS THE FRENZY ABOUT?
So what is it about Chicago's Only If You Know that has Jamaica in a frenzy? The punch line goes "only if you know/seh di youts grow now, listen mi flow/you haffi go yow/only if you know seh di youts dem great/wi a nuh fake and weh wi come from, wi bun politics straight."
He said the song was a direct response to P.J. Patterson's announcement that he would retire as Prime Minister and also a retaliation to some of the principles of the late Pope John Paul II. While he chose not to fully disclose the connection, Chicago said people are relating to it, hence the tremendous feedback.
For a man who only entered to give himself exposure across Jamaica, the outlook seems rosy.
"Is a buss mi woulda love fi get out of this. Mi know mi solid right now. Mi proud of weh mi deh now. It hard fi do it on your own and even find a manager. JCDC is making it easier," Chicago said.
He said he remains the only contestant with more than one song being played on the radio.
Contestants have a $10,000 budget for making a video to go along with their song, but Gayle said directors are saying that his song deserves more than the allotted amount. "They said they would rather do $50,000 worth of work just to make sure the song has a video to match any other artiste," he said.
"My song well put together and very solid. It build in a way weh only me can sing it. I can't be pirated by nobody," Chicago said.
