Sizzla advises the young artistes from Judgement yard who are preparing for a radio stint. - colin hamilton photos

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

The Star, as part of its Artiste of the Month feature, spent a day with Sizzla Kalonji.

As one can well imagine, the experience was a great one, but the challenge was to actually keep up with Sizzla, a man who is always on the move, busy doing many things all a once.

Sizzla, who spends most of his time at his home and studio at Judgement Yard in August Town, St. Andrew, finds himself in studio for most of his time. Otherwise, he will either be attending to the business side of his music or just simply hanging out with his friends and fellow Judgement Yard artistes.

Unfinished business

After spending most of the morning voicing in studio when The Star team visited on Thursday, Sizzla said the studio aspect was not finished by a long shot as, "wi gooda guh voice some 45 inna di day yah too."

But in the meantime, that thought would be placed on the back burner, as Sizzla sought to get together some material for his young artistes at Judgement Yard who had an opportunity for exposure after doing a radio interview.

"Wi guh do a ting pon Buzz last night, an dem require wi gi dem four songs and a autobiography of all di artistes a Judgement Yard, suh a it wi a hussle fi do yah now," Sizzla said.

"Come get di lap top yah suh cause mi waan listen dem yout yah lyrics," Sizzla told one of his engineers, while he ordered, "an uno get di man dem autobiography ready, talk to dem, yuh know di question dem weh fi ask an wah fi put in deh."

Throughout the day, Sizzla was always in and out, from the studio to a room where he listened to the material brought by each of his Judgement Yard artistes, to going downstairs or meeting with other individuals in another area of the house to discuss business related to music. At one point, Sizzla was away for more than an hour.

Nevertheless, The STAR team used the opportunity to rap with the people who were always around Sizzla.

Rude Bwoy, one such individual, was the man behind 'Rasta TV' and he says they were responsible for recording Sizzla's major activities.

"Every show in Jamaica, me a di videoman, an wi do a number of great shows wid Shaggy and Sizzla, Luciano and Tony Rebel. wi have all a di ting dem pon video clippings, DVD and cassettes," Rude Bwoy said.

in the kitchen

Next, The STAR team joined Sizzla's other assistants who were busy in the kitchen sorting some food items and vegetables that were just bought.

Sizzla's personal chef and brother, Byron, says, "a yah suh wi do wi ting, spice up di ting yuh nuh. Wi have orange, plantain, carrot, scallion, okro, irish potato, peppers, tomatoes, all a dem ting yah wi a cook up fi likkle more."

Sizzla suddenly appears in the kitchen to see what is happening.

"A wa a gwaan inside ye suh?"

After one of his assistants explains, Sizzla is at ease again and joins the conversation briefly.

"Yea man, a we dis, mi haffi have a staff, not even staff, a family," Sizzla said before disappearing again to finish working with the artistes.

Bobo Jah

Barba Jah aka Bobo Jah, one of Sizzla's closest friends, says he can recall the very first time he met Sizzla and how they actually became good friends.

"Mi did live a Wisconsin an mi love reggae music, suh a yout bring up a cd fi mi called Burning (Sizzla's first album)," Bobo Jah said.

He recalled listening to the album and there were a few words which grabbed his attention, things that he could identify with and because of that, felt some kind of spiritual connection.

"Suh mi call a Jamaica one night an ask mi fren Jah Lloyd if him know Sizzla, an him sey yea, him deh right here beside mi an him gimmie di phone mek mi talk to him," Bobo Jah said.

Sizzla then invited him to come to Jamaica and after the two met up and started to reason, the relationship simply grew and charted a natural course.

"In Jamaica at the time (in 1997), Sizzla was very popular, he was like the new sensation. But from dat day we met till now, wi never had a quarrel or a disagreement," he said.

Sizzla prepares the fire for his chef. Though we did not see it, we were also told that he cooks.