Rural artistes taking over

Rural artistes taking over

For many years, so-called 'country' artistes have struggled to get much-needed acceptance and resources required to facilitate their growth. Without much help, many of these artistes outside of Kingston have managed to break on to the music scene and have done well, not just locally, but internationally as well.

The rise of artistes such as the diamond-selling Charly Black, Grammy-nominated entertainer Jah Cure and dancehall top-tier artiste Tommy Lee Sparta have apparently served as the impetus for the break out talented persons from rural Jamaica. A new generation of artistes, including Ryging King, Teejay, Rhyme Minista and Ricky Teetz has emerged from the west.

In a recent interview with The STAR, MoBay's fast-rising star, Rygin King, said it was only a matter of time before 'country' artistes started to show their strength in the industry.

"Everything happen wid time but things better inna the country right now as it relates to helping artistes reach weh dem wah go. We have some bad producers here too, a nuh just Kingston producers dem bad. The youths focus, dem spending time in the studio and dem nah make the fact say dem deh country stop dem," he said.

"A nuff talented artistes inna di country and we nah look fi go town fi di buss again, we a do the work right weh we deh. If we go town and get a buss den dat good, but we a put in the work yah so too. Music nah stay one place again like one time innu, so it nuh matter weh yuh deh these days."

abundance of talent

Fast-rising Montego Bay-based artiste Ricky Teetz is not surprised that artistes are making their presence felt from rural Jamaica.

"The fans were thirsty for a change and we actually always had an abundance of talent down this side. However, the structure and unity were lacking," he said. "The moment we got a look in we took full advantage and the fans were impressed, so now the table has turned, the western sound and style is trending."

According to publicist Karl Durrant, who has been promoting many western-based artistes for a number of years, the shift didn't happen by chance. He believes social media has played a major part in bringing about the revolution.

"When I started promoting a few artistes from Montego Bay and its environs, I often found it quite difficult to get secure priority placement for these acts," Durrant said.

"However, the increased relevance of social media and the fact that most of the major shows are held in western Jamaica opened the doors for many of these talents who continue to show their worth."