Arrise is rising to the occasion

Give Arrise a microphone and he says he will rise to the occasion. The 29-year-old can transition from singing to deejaying in a matter of seconds and make the listener wonder if it’s the same person performing.

He has been exploring the art of deejaying from as early as in the ninth grade while a student at Norman Manley High School. Of course, back then persons only knew him by his government name, Ricardo Bent.

It was not until he reached his 20s that he settled into his own and found the name that he said, “had a nice sound to it”.

He told THE STAR, “It took some time to find a name that best suited me. I was always a lover of music and recognised from a young age that it would not be easy to get into the business, but I haven’t given up and don’t plan to … I arise.”

Young talent

He added, “As an up-and-coming artiste, it is hard to find a producer willing to go through the journey with you. Dem not giving a listening ear to young talent and trust me, is nuff out here stuck and can’t move.”

The artiste shared that there have been many times when he feels demotivated, but he is lucky to have persons in his corner pushing him.

“Me have to give thanks to people like Yxng Genah [Productions], RiddimGad, and Teflon 13 Records for the support and giving me a chance,” he said. “If me feel like me fi stop, them nah mek me stop, and the people I have around me drive me to do music.”

He created a little buzz around his name with a clash song titled Contract Killa, where he dissed Quada, and then again with another single, Wallpaper.

Over the past three weeks, Arrise has possibly released more tracks than he did last year, including hardcore dancehall singles After Dark, Tony Montana, Cheat and Ratings; collaborations Gun Power, featuring One Chance, and Dangerous, featuring West Keno.

He has also released conscious recordings to the tune of roots reggae, like Rasta Would A Say, Hey Mama, released three days ago, and Heart Still A Beat, released yesterday. He has also put together a mixtape titled Mix of Darkness.

“I am working with a strategy, throw dem out fast and try promote them with the tools I have access to, like YouTube. I am not watching the views. My focus is more on making the channel get some attention and build up the subscribers. I have a track for everybody, every occasion,” he said. “I want when my career launches out big, the channel has a steady stream of music and listeners. In the next five years, I see myself – the music and the brand – known in the streets as a versatile artiste.”

Previous releases: Far Away, Silent River, After Dark, Cheat, Ratings and Bad To Di Bone.

Inspiration: “Emotions. Some persons may look at different emotions and even say it messed up. But when you deh roun’ people and really observe the emotions from a simple conversation, you can get inspired … is that inspire me.”

Interesting Fact: “One of my biggest tracks, Wallpaper, is a song of heartbreak. One girl I liked scam me out of an iPhone, and those emotions I end up put into a song. Is the best response I ever get.”