Jamaican artistes fuelled by their ambition, says Spice

Spice says she believes Jamaican artistes are fuelled by a special ambition which drives their hunger for success.

Speaking in an interview with The Recording Academy, which was published on the Grammy website recently, the Go Down Deh artiste said a vast majority of her colleagues are driven by their humble beginnings.

"I come from humble beginnings, meaning I had basically nothing. I remember going to school with no food, no money, not even knowing how I was going to get back home. I had to beg people to put money together to pay my fare, to take a taxi or a bus. There were nights I went without food and stuff like that. My slope right now is from homeless to owning houses," she told The Recording Academy. "I remember at one point, I lost my home to fire and I was literally homeless, sleeping at friends and family and things like that. Growing up in Jamaica hasn't been easy for any of us. We have managed to struggle and come from a background where we basically had nothing and embrace our culture. We took it to the world and showcased it to the world. We all have similar paths."

"I would definitely say that we Jamaican artists are very ambitious. We strive to have our music known widely," she continued. "All of us (artistes) share the same thing of wanting to become international, having a wider audience. Shaggy and Sean Paul have done that impactfully for the genre. They have crossed over... and that's the dream for every Jamaican artiste, to be known worldwide, or widely here in America." She added that because of similar backgrounds, she enjoys seeing artistes work together.

"Often times, the media puts things out there to make it seem like we're fighting with each other, fighting against each other. I'm really humbled and grateful to show that together, we are more of a force to be reckoned with. When this song ( Go Down Deh) came out -- it's actually still trending in Jamaica right now, the music video -- people appreciated the fact that we were able to come together and create this song," she shared. "So, I just want people to know that we are together. I love the unity that's happening right now within dancehall and reggae music."