Sizzla - Contributed

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Music is an art and we're di artist

- Sizzla

Despite his enormous success, Sizzla has remained a mystery to the public at large, keeping mostly to himself. The Gleaner caught up with the artiste in his home setting at Judgement Yard in August Town, St. Andrew.

Sizzla Kalonji began his career as a conscious artiste with the hits Praise Ye Jah and Black Woman & Child, among others. However, subsequently he garnered much criticism with his dancehall lyrics, including instructions to "pump up har p...m p...m". However, he denies that his conscious and dancehall lyrics are at odds.

"Words get their meaning according to how they get used. In Jamaica yuh have different genres of music - calypso, soca, hip hop, soul, R&B, Nyabinghi, reggae, dancehall. We're the stars; we gotta fit ourselves in these genres and rule it. I see the different types of music as an office for Sizzla to occupy. We haffi know di current of di nation. Mi a star of dancehall, reggae, African, Ethiopian, Black star, I'm still the star - I've got to represent it," he said.

"Producers keep making riddims every day. When yuh mek a dancehall riddim, if Sizzla can't put a song on it is like him not representing di nation," he said.

Denouncing homosexuality

Sizzla gets close to his audience. - Nathaniel Stewart/Freelance Photographer

One aspect of Jamaican culture often reflected in the music is the denouncement of homosexuality. Artistes such as Shabba, Buju, Beenie Man and now Sizzla have come under attack from the gay community. However, Sizzla refused to release an official apology, resulting in show cancellations in Europe and the United States. Kalonji was also officially banned from England late last year.

Yet, while it has affected Sizzla, he has not regretted it. "Music is the staff. Music brings money and income; we get incentives. When we can't reach a certain place we can't mek money from di product and di talent, we don't get to reach out to di fans, it teaches I and I to be strong. A lot of people say bad tings, but everyone is entitled to their own free spirit and opinions. Criticism is good in certain ways; when we hear when dem criticise we, we strengthen up ourselves too. When people seh bad tings 'bout me it don't affect me still; I clean up what I think is wrong," Sizzla said.

He says while on tour he tries to mix dancehall and reggae, editing himself onstage, depending on his audience. Sizzla always tries to gauge the reaction of the crowd, reads reviews and watches recordings of himself onstage to see what needs to be done better. "We haffi structure ourselves; sometimes de audience inna a nice cultural mood or not. People dress fi come see yuh, dem buy yuh record - me personally when I front of di people I study dem and deliver di message, but is how yuh present it. Every stage show mi go pon is fire, people dem frenzy and if dem not frenzy we haffi mek dem frenzy 'cause is our duty," he explained.

Kalonji says more needs to be done to protect Jamaican music. "We need to be more inaugurated widin demselves, study di music and see dat a lot of tings being wasted. Producers, promoters need fi get lawyers to defend di music, because we have a lot of artistes have music overseas and know nuting about it. As an artiste if yuh don't get the justice yuh won't produce. Right now the industry needs to get more serious and tek up di industry more in hand. Di Government need to promote reggae music cause reggae music bring a lot tings to Jamaica," he said.

Kalonji has almost finished another album, which is yet to be titled.