Freestyle platform to showcase young talent during Reggae Month

From Jamaica to the UK, music industry professionals are geared up for the celebration of Reggae Month.

Antony Reid Elkington, better known as Reggae Selecta UK, has been promoting 'Freestyle Settings', a platform he founded and hosts that features new and established reggae-dancehall entertainers. He told THE WEEKEND STAR that the platform has the potential to expose up-and-coming talent.

"Anytime an artiste shows his or her skills doing a freestyle, it gives them exposure. One of the biggest acts we've had is Jahshii, who performed on our show before he became a media sensation, and not too long before either. I don't want to take credit for that but we contributed to his exposure," Reggae Selecta UK said.

He continued, "With not a lot of stage shows going on or none for that matter, I saw a need to create a live show where artistes could be highlighted in that way. I know there are other platforms like this but I felt a bit of inconsistency and like that there could be an improvement. Also, there are so many artistes in Jamaica, there can never be too many platforms to showcase their various talents."

Reggae Selecta UK, who was born in South London, shared that he grew up watching DVDs and listening to audio of stage shows from his father's collection, and was entertained by clashes between reggae and dancehall entertainers who were often asked to 'ride di riddim' and show off their lyrical abilities.

"I have always been a fan of shows that allow the artistes to freestyle. We're seeing a lot of these acts, like Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, making it big. It shows their growth and getting to see them more means seeing their potential over time," he said. "For Reggae Month, my aim is to give up-and-coming acts a voice through Freestyle Settings and, with the help of Frankie Music and Ace Media Entertainment that does the recording in Jamaica, I have been able to kick-start it.

Each entertainer gets about 15 minutes to record in the booth, and these unedited videos are released every week. "We don't edit unless the artiste really messes up," he said.

Entertainers such as Mr Lexx, Laa Lee, Flyght Bluugo, Mr Peppa, and Tatik have been featured on Freestyle Settings, all of which Reggae Selecta UK has organised remotely.

"Next up, we have Fully Bad showing his skills. So far, we've done about 30 to 40 sessions. My plan is to make the platform mainstream as I help different artistes make a breakthrough, including the ones I manage, Trisstar and Doniye Mafia, both of whom are based in Jamaica, because I genuinely believe in the talent of our young reggae and dancehall acts," he said.