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In the fast-paced world of dancehall, there has emerged an artiste who resonates a cultural side of the music who goes by the name of Natural Black And like many of those who have "bussed" out of the pack before him, this artiste who has the capacity to sing and deejay has his eyes steadfastly set on stardom. "There is nothing I want to do more then just to make positive music for the world over to enjoy", is the Natural Black dream. Christened Mortimer "Duke" Softley, this singjay-whose vocal style, on occasion, have been compared to that of reggae singers Buju Banton and, Sizzla did a short stint in the army and was also a welder before settling down to his real calling. In the early days, the Guyanese-born artist constantly absorbed the sound style and attitude of the Jamaican culture. He further developed his skills by performing at yard parties, "a kind of Guyanese dance" where the music is provided by live Bands insted of a sound system. Most of his repertoire consisted of material by Terror Fabulous and Buju Banton.
The soft-spoken and determined Natural Black come to the realisation that his dream could only be fulfilled by moving to Jamaica- the mecca of reggae music, which he did in early 1995. He immediately went to work by recording for many producers such as Beres Hammond, Harmony House, Freddy McGregor, Big Ship, Bobby Treasure and Jack Scorpio among others. He quickly developed a solid reputation within the music fraternity as not only an extremely talented singer/singjay but also a prolific songwriter whose recorded material has swelled to over 40 compositions, all self-written. To date only a handful of his work has been released, labouring beneath the weight of poor promotion. His fortune however is beginning to turn since inking a management deal with Organic Records, run by Peter and Roger Grant. The fruit of the union has so far produced a soon-to-be-releases album "Spiritual Food" but more encouraging is the current single "Songs With Feeling" which is creating a stir both in the dancehall and at radio. The song exhorts members of the entertainment community to raise the standard of their material, as it seem that the current music is mired in negativity. Popular radio personality Jerry "D" Davy has lauded praises upon Natural Black exclaiming, "this is someone who is going to be successful." And about the song he remarked, "this is type of tune we need to pay more attention." The forth coming album is filled with messages of hope and warning showcasing the versatility of Natural Black on track such as "Girl On The Lane", a folk-style ballad beautifully sung and the hard-hitting "Bad Mind" done in a deejay style. Over the last few years he has given creditable performances on show such as Rebel Salute, Sattamassagana, Singing Melody Birthday Bach and Yasus Afari's Red Dut showcase. With the strong respnse he is receiving the artiste is upbeat about his future prospect and smilingly remarks "I love to make good music so that everyone can feel happy."
booking winter 2005/2006 : www.gideonproduction.ch |
| Country: Jamaica |
| Style: reggae dancehall |
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