STAR On The Rise: Ulo ready to touch road

Having operated along the August Town to Papine taxi route as a taxi operator for 14 years, Matthew ‘Ulo’ Campbell is now ready to place more focus on his career as an artiste.

However, although he has given up his job as a route taxi driver, for now, he is still involved in the transportation business.

These days, he takes tourists to various places of interest across Jamaica.

According to Ulo, over the years he has been able to merge his love for entertainment with his tour guide business.

He said that he has made invaluable contact with persons involved in entertainment, both locally and internationally. Among them are crews from Vogue and Riddim magazines, as well as dancehall artiste Shane-O.

“Those people love my vibe, so when they are in Jamaica, I am the one who carry them around from they land until they are ready to leave,” he said.

As for Shane-O, Ulo calls him “a real friend.

“I used to carry him around for years and he has always encouraged me to live my dream of being an artiste. Even now I have a collab with him that we putting the finishing touches on, and things are looking good,” Ulo said.

That song, which is called Road, is produced by Anthony Dixon for the Kool Face Records label and pays tribute to the artistes who have ‘touched road’, like Buju Banton, or who are about to touch road.

Other singles by the on-the-rise artiste include Real Yute, released at the end of 2017, and which has received play on radio and in the dancehall.

The video was released mid-2018 and the description says it is the first single off the anticipated compilation album from Teflon ZincFence, Top Works Vol. 1.

The video has amassed more than 20,000 views.

His most recent gig was a concert on Orange Street staged by MTS radio station out of London, and, according to Ulo, his performance was so impressive that the producers have sent for his songs and said they want him to come to London in the summer.

“The concert was good. It was held at the record store on Orange Street and I was called up by Addis Pablo, Augustus Pablo’s son. I made the best of the time I had and I feel very good about it,” he said.

Ulo describes himself as a vibes person who people love to be around.

- Releases: Road, Real Yute,

- Inspiration: The Most High

- Interesting facts: Up to two years ago, Ulo went by the name Doh Play. It was his friend’s baby who gave him the name Ulo and he just “work wid it.”