Benzly Hype busy with acting projects

Actor-singer-songwriter-producer Benzly Hype recently returned to Jamaica after shooting two episodes of a series produced by YouTube-based film company Vid Chronicles in Dallas, Texas.

"I did one episode with fast-rising Latina sensation Christi Lux and the Vid Chronicles cast. I played the boyfriend in the car who was trying to force her to hide drugs for me after we got pulled over by the cops," he said.

In the second episode, he played a hospital executive who was trying to get a racist nurse to vaccinate black people by any means necessary.

"In the end, the nurse got arrested, as she fed them false information to get them vaccinated. In the episode, I played an immoral executive who was merely trying to make my quota, in the end, I got away 'cause the higher-ups are not really touched, but the nurse got arrested. The series teaches life lessons, with moral stories," Benzly Hype said. He said that he met with executive producer Ramario Facey in a restaurant in Texas and that's how the link was made.

"He showed me a conversation we had on Facebook Messenger years ago, where I encouraged him to do film. It was a really good vibe. So I was there for two weeks, and the team put me in five episodes but I only did two because of time constraints. It was a good feeling working with people that are fans and appreciate your work," he said. The episodes will premiere later this summer.

Benzly Hype is no stranger to the camera as he was the star of the television drama Mi and Mi Kru, which started in 2009. It was built around Benzly Hype and members, all cousins, of dancehall group Innocent Crew. He shot to fame as a member of the crew in the 1990s and is known for songs such as Impossible Train and I'm Innocent.

The deejay said he had to put plans to release an album, titled STAR, on hold because of the pandemic and he will be releasing it with "remixes in 2021".

He is also finishing an EP with Sly and Robbie which will be released before the end of summer.