Gordon Williams, Contributor
Maxi Priest during a passionate performance on the final night of Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival 2006 in Montego Bay recently. - Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer
Maxi Priest refuses to stand with the so-called purists on this one. Long-time reggae aficionados all-too-eager to bash the current trend of dancehall's growing momentum will not find an accomplice in the British-born singer of Jamaican parents.
For him, change in music represents progress, and there is no point degrading, or worse, ignoring it.
"I'm not one of those to sit and say 'dem not playing true reggae'," said Priest, who has scored hits with songs like Close To You, Just A Little Bit Longer and Say A Prayer For The World.
"Music is music. I get music from an open mind and respect for the art."
That's why Priest appreciates what he calls the honour returned, from dancehall artistes like Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, who he claims will still call on him and others of his genre to spice up the music. It is one reason why he continues in the business after numerous hits littered over more than two decades.
"I thank God that somehow I am still in it and that Bounty Killer and Beenie Man still show respect and I still do shows with them," Priest said. "They still allow a Maxi Priest and a Beres Hammond in their world.
"Everything can't dance one way the whole night," he added.
Popularity rising
The rising popularity of dancehall should not be viewed as a negative, whether the listener prefers that genre or not, Priest explained. A review of reggae's history, he said, offers clear proof that the same adventurous spirit of dancehall was also present in early stages of traditional reggae. And that even the ultimate superstar Bob Marley struggled with gaining acceptance in the beginning. Dancehall, he said, is the way of a new generation, a younger generation, and it must not be hindered or stifled by tradition.
"I can't fight that because it's fi dem (youths') time," Priest said. "Bob was a pioneer for stretching the boundary of reggae. In Bob's time Jamaicans never really accepted Bob. Dem called him sell-out.
"But Bob became a pioneer, tek it (the music) worldwide and bring back a thing he called 'fi im reggae'. And now, because of the success of Bob people turn round and say he is the king of reggae."
Priest said the youths, who, he emphasised, were the ones pushing for the change of music's direction, should be allowed the freedom to express themselves in whatever avenue they wish. He simply wants them to be given the basic knowledge of music and be allowed to interpret and expand that, using their own inspiration.
"What are we aiming for, to narrow our minds towards music?" he asked."I have to teach a youth to play an instrument and with that comes a different vibes and feel (from him)."
When pressed about the accusations that some dancehall artistes promote violence, Priest would only issue a veiled warning to them.
"Be careful what you say," he said, "it might come round and haunt you. You all know what is right and what is wrong. That is going to be your judgement."
Priest, who is currently promoting a new single called Makes Me Wanna Halla, is also part of the 2006 Reggae Sunsplash tour which goes through Florida in the United States in August. Stops are scheduled for August 10 in West Palm Beach, August 11 in Tampa, and the following night in Cocoa Beach. Other big names scheduled on the bill include British band UB40, Third World and Toots and the Maytals.
The man who scored huge crossover hits as a solo artiste and in combination with other big names, including Shaggy, Roberta Flack and Shabba Ranks, said even after his lengthy stint in the business, there are no immediate signs to slow him down.
As for his flexibility, which makes him hard to pin into any specific musical genre, he is not worried about the quest of others to define his style.
"Strange you know, when it suits some people I'm an artiste," Priest said with a laugh. "When it suits others I'm a reggae artiste. When it suits them they pigeon hole me elsewhere. Can't complain. I must have gone down well somewhere."
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
