Capleton featured artiste - File

February's Artiste of the Month feature takes an unusual turn. This month, instead of featuring one artiste, we dedicate the month to some persons in entertainment who are making 'black history' right now. The STAR will feature, over the coming weeks, persons who have a lot to say about why we should, or should not, celebrate Black History, and what it means to them.

We continue the feature with Capleton

by Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

In 1993 Capleton's Tour exploded on the Jamaican music scene, the lament of a deejay newly into Rastafari looking at the mayhem all around (come back a Jamaica everyting insecure, booga man a plan all fi march an' tour), as well as the violence meted out to entertainers ('come back come hear sey Panhead skull bore').

And he observed the infighting among deejays ('and de deejay dem naa teach people no more/a bare clashin' an fightin' dem no unite no more'), noting that 'if slackness a de sickness den culture a de cure'.

Thirteen years later, Capleton is expanding on tour, if not the song, then the places that he is coming back from. Shortly he is headed to Hawaii, then after that he does Europe and Canada. But there are new places on the Prophet's concert map this year, among them Brazil, New Zealand and Chile.

It will be the second groundbreaking year for Capleton, as 'las' year we go Slovenia, Finland fe de firs' time. An we do some of the bigges' festival in Europe, like Rotterdam in Italy and the Dour Festival in Belgium.'

The response has been striking. "When you see how outside people embrace de music with love. People who don't know the language still sing de patois an' still sing de English," Capleton said. He said that he has been to France, Spain and Germany and people have been singing his songs 'word for word' while he has been performing.

"More time it mek our people look like dem no know wha dem have inna dem han", Capleton said. Bob woulda sey our music is news.

He was speaking to THE STAR backstage at the Get Up Stand Up concert, held on Bob Marley's 62nd birthday at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, Hope Road, St. Andrew, shortly after coming off stage where he had performed It Was Written with Stephen and Damian Marley. He would definitely work with them again. "De firs' time me do some work wid dem a Grammy," he said, smiling.

"It was written, but true nuff people no read. The truth is there for one to find. Yu have to believe in yourself. Always glorify another man work," he said.

And that glorification applies to deejaying as well, Capleton reminding THE STAR that 'a me sey music is a mission', is me sey 'alms house'.

But many years after he did those songs lamenting the feuding deejays, as he did in Tour, Capleton still finds himself having to caution the clashers. Why It have To Be Like Dis' on the Taxi rhythm addresses some old clashers and some new ones. Capleton said the song goes out to deejays such as Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Ninja Man, Vybz Kartel, Aidonia and Mavado.

"Clashing always be a part of de ting, but now man mek it become a personal ting. Man fi leave dem family life a dem yard," he said.

And as he sees it, those songs won't be going on tour.

"The clash ting dem a gwaan wid inna Jamaica, is a minimal place that can carry on a galactic scale. Dem can only go New York an' Miami likkle bit. Some a my people woulda sey it cyaan pass airport," Capleton said, laughing.