Artistes are too hype about money, says Barrington Levy

Veteran singer Barington Levy is unimpressed with what he calls the vulgar display of money which has become an integral part of the entertainment industry, both internationally and locally.

In fact, Levy has dismissed verbal shouts of richness by entertainers as nothing but unsustained hype.

"If you notice, people with real wealth are silent. You never see the really rich people of this world jumping up and shouting how much money they have," the 'Under Mi Sensi' singer told THE STAR, adding that the flashiness and overt displays that he has observed in the industry have led him to question what is meant by 'rich'.

"The fact is that money don't love noise," he stated, adding that his fellow artistes need to re-evaluate their speech.

"I listen to my fellow artiste friend dem going around talking about rich and that is a lie. None of us are rich. We are just surviving and paying our bills and have a little change leave over. Rich is when you are selling millions of albums, selling platinum like Michael Jackson and those guys. We don't know what it is to be real rich," Levy said.

Levy, who entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the first reggae artiste to simultaneously hold the number one and two positions on an international music chart, has secluded himself in the hills of Clarendon, where he says he is living a simple life.

Additionally, he has been putting the finishing touches on his Clarendon-based Black Roses studio, but he insists on describing himself as "struggling".

"We are poor people pickney. We nuh inna the hype thing. I'm struggling. Do we have any idea about what it means to be wealthy?" he asked.

Stating that he has a mission to help those who need and want assistance, the reggae and dancehall artiste explained that he is also into furniture-making and has given the youngsters in the area an opportunity to learn a trade.

"If yute and yute want to pass through and learn how to make furniture the facility is there," he said.

However, he lamented that too many of the youth lack staying power and, "hyped up by shouts of 'real rich', they opt for the 'easy money' route, instead of learning a trade that will be theirs for life".