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1. So your upcoming album, Hook, Line and Sinker, brings together themes of faith, peace, justice, love, resilience, and celebration. What inspired the title, and how does it reflect the message you want to communicate through these twelve recordings?
The Title “Hook, Line and Sinker” was inspired from my style of song writing! Hook, Line = Subject, Sing along and repeat, While Sinker = Lyrical expansion and elaboration on the subject. These twelve recordings range from Roots reggae, Ragga/Dancehall to Ska with one thread of Love running through all songs and topics.
2. Your chanting style combines lyrical storytelling with social commentary. How did you develop this distinctive approach to reggae, and what have been the most important influences in shaping your voice as both a performer and a storyteller?
My chanting style came from the sound system era when I started out sounding like U Brown but as I grew into the experience of writing, recording and performing I realized I had developed naturally to “Sing like how I talk and dance like how I walk.” My most important influences starts from DJ: U Brown, URoy, Brigadier Jerry, Josey Wales. Singers: The Wailers, Steel Pulse, Dennis Brown, Freddie Mcgregor. Producers: Lawrence (Jack Ruby)Lindo, Bobby(DigitalB)Dixon.
3. Tracks like “Let the Guns Kill No More” and “Disarm the Weapon” address violence and the need for peace, themes that remain relevant across generations. What role do you believe reggae music can play in encouraging social change, and how do you approach writing songs that challenge listeners to reflect on the world around them?
I believe reggae music always play a role in encouraging social change so I approach writing songs from an open and observational perspective.
4. Spirituality has long been an important part of reggae’s identity, and “Hail Rastafari Forevermore” highlights the spiritual dimension of Hook, Line and Sinker. How does your faith influence your songwriting and creative decisions, and how do you translate deeply personal spiritual beliefs into music that can connect with listeners from different backgrounds?
My faith influences my songwriting and creative decisions because I present what I represent, and represent what present.” I translate my deep personal, spiritual beliefs into music through the cultivation of my tone of voice! The vocal is a door to the soul.
5. One of the album’s defining qualities is its range, moving between serious social commentary, spiritual devotion, romantic expression, and the simple joy of reggae. How do you balance these different moods within a single project, and why is it important to make room for celebration alongside songs that confront difficult realities?
The balancing of the range of songs on the album happened naturally because they were recorded over different time periods, from 2006 to 2009. As challenging as life can be, without celebration it wouldn’t continue, It’s paradoxical.
6. “Golden Rose” and “Play This Song (Mr. DJ)” reveal a much warmer, more celebratory side of the album, demonstrating reggae’s ability to bring people together through rhythm and melody. What do you think gives reggae its enduring power to unite people, and how important is that communal spirit when you’re creating music intended to resonate both on record and on the dancefloor?
Reggae’s enduring power to unite people comes from it’s ability to not only stimulate the brain stem to make you dance but to also reach the soul where we all are one. The communal spirit is foremost important in creating this music for people to listen/hear and dance at the same time.
7. Hook, Line and Sinker brings together producers Devon Bradshaw of AXX Records and Fitz Cotterell of Towerman Productions, with a shared commitment to musicianship and reggae’s traditions. What did each producer bring to the project, and how did your collaboration help shape the album’s overall sound while preserving the authenticity that defines your music?
Each producer brought to the project, The love for music, the Joy of creating, skill and experience. From 2002 until 2009 Devon Bradshaw was my bass player and musical director on the road, he’s a person/musician that understands my vibe and sound. Each time we tour we get ideas and would record when we got back to Jamaica. Axx Studio is Devon’s production spot in Portland where all these songs were made. All the music was produced and mixed by Devon. All songs written and performed by me except “Babylon Lose” ft. Beezy Coleman and Gary Pine, and “Play this Song” ft. Lenny I.
8. Reggae has a rich musical and cultural legacy, yet every generation faces new social challenges and changing listening habits. How do you honor the foundations laid by reggae’s pioneers while ensuring your music speaks directly to the realities of today’s world, particularly to younger listeners discovering the genre for the first time?
I honor the foundation laid by the pioneers by keeping the roots in the music, “Ancient man, Modern times. I recognize the merge of analog and digital
9. Across your work, storytelling and social consciousness appear to go hand in hand, giving your songs a sense of purpose beyond entertainment. When you begin writing a new song, does the message usually come first, or do the rhythm and melody lead you toward an idea? And how do you know when you’ve found the right balance between delivering a message and allowing the music to speak for itself?
Song writing happens for me in a few ways. I get melodies and mood out of strumming the guitar or listening to a riddim and draw ideas from it, sometimes out of silence idea/thought and then words come. I keep files and pull them up when it’s time. I know the right balance when the songs come simple and the messages in intact.
10. With Hook, Line and Sinker arriving worldwide on October 30, 2026, you’re preparing to share a twelve-track project that reflects both your personal convictions and your commitment to reggae music. When listeners reach the end of the album, what do you hope stays with them most, and what would you like your musical legacy to represent for the next generation of reggae artists and listeners?
I hope the joy of creating and the enthusiasm we share bringing forth this project, will stay with listeners when they reach the end of the album .
I would like my musical legacy to represent Consciousness,Truth, Peace and Love on Earth.
