Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Capleton on his throne - file

Today we wrap up our interview series with the Fire Man, Capleton. So there is something we really, really wanted to ask him that got lost somewhere in the near hour-long Ghana interview, watching the tape from his visit to The Gambia and taping additional footage for it. We really, really wanted to ask him about the lyrics to Or Wha' but ... another time.

STAR: De Sting dat you come out on de (The STAR pauses and Capleton says 'de throne), de throne, dat was a ting (Capleton says 'yeah man'). De throne did mek specially for that occasion.

Capleton: Yeah man. Definitely.

STAR: So what yu think of that intro?

Capleton: It was great. Then nobody never appear on a stage in that manner before.

STAR: You see that as a plus.

Capleton: Fi real. An y'nuh (he chuckles), yow, it was exciting, trust me. It was very exciting. Is like shot fire at the back gate. An then nex' gate again shot fire. Even the next gate again before I go on-stage shot fire.

STAR: So hol' on. So how far di throne was coming from? From the gate way outta de front? Me did tink it was backstage.

Capleton: No man! From outside a de big gate!

STAR: Yu mean fe go inna Jam Worl?

Capleton: From yu have a big gate an yu come backstage an yu have a nex gate an den yu have a nex' gate again. De whole a dem gate deh a gunshot fire wen me a go tru dem man. Shot fire! An trus me, de yute dem still hol' de throne firm. Cause me no know if de man dem woulda fia shot an feel like de man dem woulda drop it (laughs) or wateva. We see it as gun salute. Wen de shot fia we a sey ow yu mean, salute de King. (Laughs).

STAR: So yu did feel at any time like dem woulda drop it?

Capleton: No. Fi real. Yu see me done cue dem arready an mek dem know sey salute de King, so no man not even feel no way. A crazy man a try lif de ting. Me see man all beat man pon dem han wid baton. Cause man a try come een too y'nuh, so man a try hitch a han pon de ting. Man all a beat off de man dem han wid baton, de man dem not even a pay dat no mind. (Laughs again).

STAR: So where de throne is now?

Capleton: De throne? De throne still deh bout man. Still ave de throne. A me tek Sting da year deh y'nuh. It was Capleton Sting.

STAR: From ever since me see you perform, yu present yourself with your clothes ever distinct. (Capleton says 'yeah'). Is a fashion style dat you come up wid?

Capleton: Well is jus' a natural military energy. Cause we a revolutionary warriors an we a Kings of de Earth same way too, so we haffi dress inna da order deh, due to how we attire. Me have me designer still, both shoes man an man who mek de suit.

STAR: So how de pants an de shoes match (The STAR had been wondering all through the interview how Capleton had found a shoe to match the olive green pants with black whirls that he was wearing) is a man mek de shoes?

Capleton: Yeah. Me get a shoes mek fe every suit. So me have me own shoes man, me have me chef, me have me own designer whe mek me suit dem.

STAR: So de shoes man, everybody, a Jamaican?

Capleton: Yeah man. Dada a de shoes man an' Balla de man whe mek de outfit.

STAR: So yu don' wear jeans an dem ting deh?

Capleton: No. If yu see me inna jeans it would be a custom made one.

(We go through Capleton's tour experiences and he says it is no bed of roses, as well as how he performs when he is on the road, often hitting one and a half to two hours.)

STAR: Wen yu see One Third performing Top a Tings, it mek yu feel happy?

Capleton: Me a tell yu suppen. Even before dem perform Top a Tings me predic' sey a dem ago win. Yeah. See Miss Kemp deh (manager Claudette Kemp confirms). Before I hear dem sing Top a Tings, me gi dem it. I don' remember which song they were doing, but de firs' me eva glimpse dem pon de ting me gi dem it. Till me go hear de man dem sing me ting me sey no, dem really gone wid it now, top a de ting. Dem have it arready.

STAR: Yu feel it bring top a tings to a different audience?

Capleton: Yeah man, fe real. (Ms Kemp speaks about Capleton and One Third being on a show together and in the rehearsal period the band being told to not let One Third take 'Top a Things' out of their set, as Capleton has a lot more hits that he can do.) Yeah. Me tell dem straight me no haffi do Top a Tings. De amount a song whe me haffi do. Gwaan do yu ting. Can imagine? How much man yu tink ago do suppen like dat? So some woulda wonder why Capleton inna de ting so long an how him so consistent. A due to how we lef space fe de yute dem. More time some man want it all. We no haffi voice pon every riddim. Cause more time name sell ova de ting. No matter how de tune bad name do it y'nuh. More time when some yute a get a break pon some riddim yu haffi low dem too an' mek dem gwaan hol' a energy an a vibe.

STAR: Don' crowd up de ting.

Capleton: No, don' crowd up de ting. Everyone need a chance. A so Earth go. 'All fe self' ting nah go work. A dat some man deh pon.

STAR: There was some surprise wen yu did come out wid song like "she want it hard, she want it hard". Why yu did go dat particular route at dat time?

Capleton: At dat time. Well, is like a jus dat de riddim a sey y'nuh. More time we follow de riddim y'nuh. More time we write offa de riddim y'nuh. Write offa de name a de riddim, yu know wha a mean? An write offa de melody a de riddim. More time we buil' different melodies offa different sounds outta de riddim, whether de kinck or the phrase or ... Yeah, cause de riddim a sey suppen too y'nuh.

STAR: So yu tink de girl dem did appreciate da song deh?

Capleton: Well mos' definitely y'nuh. If yu do anyting fe de girl dem de girl dem ago always love it y'nuh. (He indicates 'Baby Don' Cry No More' and 'Hunting to Find' among his other girl songs.) De whole place me lock up.

STAR: An yu widen yu fan base some more an ...

Capleton: Yu see it. Cause we haffi mek dem know we response fe de girl dem too, cause a so it go. A so me did start out, from day one y'nuh. More time me have suppen fe de rude bway dem, an me have suppen fe de girl dem. Yu done know, roots an culture a de dominant part a de ting. Nutten nah go roun' dat. A de foundation dat. Dat will always be dere. But likkle party ting, people feel a likkle energy an a likkle vibes. An afta dem done party dem tek some message. (Laughs).

(We talk about the songwriting process, the hook-up with Munga Honourable)

STAR: Las' ting now. I hear you talking about maybe retirement, maybe not (he was asked about that in the Ghana phone interview which took place during our talk), if ever the time comes (Capleton says 'yeah, cause we no know a wen still). If a 40 year or a nex year, wen all a de tour an de CD dem mek an everyting, how yu want to be remembered in Jamaica music history?

Capleton: (There is a long pause). Fire. (He chuckles). Fire!

STAR: Straight fire.

Capleton: Mmm hmm. (He gets quiet) But the question is like. I aint going nowhere. Cause when yu sey how yu want to be remembered is like yu gone y'nuh, like Bob Marley an' dem man deh.

STAR: No no no no. Me a sey every man have a legacy dat im buil towards. Arright, me shoulda put it de odda way. (Capleton gives an emphatic 'mmm hmmm'.) What yu looking towards buildin fe you? How yu waan buil' yourself in de public min'? What personality yu waan leave wid de public when yu go out an perform?

Capleton: (Without hesitation). A fire. We ago have studio, label, contribute back, but everyting a fire. Straight.

We laugh.