Jakal urges locals to ‘buy Jamaican, build Jamaica’ - But rapper says associated costs are a deterrent

A week ago, Jamaican rapper Jakal uploaded an image of Popcaan wearing a pair of his Lujó Grooves Footwear ‘Jakal Edition’ sneakers.

“I don’t recall many, if any, rapper, much less entertainer or Jamaican, having a luxury line,” Jakal told THE STAR. “Yeah, sure, we get sneaker deals and endorsements, but not a brand we can call our own, and from I returned home, as a deportee, my goal was always to put Jamaica right up there beside the big names in Italy.”

Lujó, which means ‘luxury’ in Latin, are handcrafted in Italy and came out of an endorsement with New York-based designer Secundino ‘Dino’ Martinez, who has a shoe line which caters to Rastafarians and is partly inspired by Jamaican culture.

Jakal said, “After listening to Jah Vinci’s song Born in Jamaica, which I am featured on, Dino reached out. Then he got to know my story and vision for my own brand, and we decided to take it further.” But he expressed dissatisfaction with one element of the process.

GROWTH

“The challenge I am experiencing is with mailing, freight and shipping – the tariffs, lack of support for those trying to buy and build Jamaica – there aren’t really any perks being a citizen,” Jakal shared. “I will purposely go out of my way to wear things designed by a Jamaican because it contributes to our growth as a people. But when we have to make a purchase, pay for shipping, then when it gets here sometimes pay double what we paid for it for clearance, it’s distressing.”

Jakal believes that creatives should be given more opportunities to expand their brands worldwide.

“Jamaica is a launch pad, always has been the place people come, get ideas and steal them. We have to find a way to stop that. Prime example, we created hip-hop and rap; we will rise and dominate the genre,” he said. “And in the process of that, we bringing shoes and clothes, all merchandise from here. In any field, we should be competing on the world stage – that’s what Lujó is for me.