Cartadon using music to heal after near-fatal shooting

Last year, dancehall recording artiste Cartadon was left singing that he did not know what the future held, following a traumatic shooting, in the Jarrett Lane community where he resides, that left him nursing three gunshots wounds.

It has been a difficult recovery, both physically and mentally for the artiste, who said: "Every Saturday, it come een like it just happen."

"It also gets extremely painful when it gets cold and I can't run for too long without getting short of breath, because I received one of the gunshots in my chest area. I still have flashbacks of the incident and think of how I lost friends that night," Cartadon told THE STAR.

While he has not sought counselling from a professional since the incident which occurred last July, he said that he is one step closer to healing, thanks to music and God.

"' Gwaan hol' it, my dawgs weh inna di graveyard ...' that's the line out of a song I wrote speaking to the friends I've lost. I'm trying to not make the emotions consume me. I like to deal with my problems by myself [so] I been recording to stay focused on more positive storylines," he said. "All of us have good and bad inna we or do bad, and people judge me by looking at the physical, like my tattoos which I consider to be art. But I can say I'm a good, God-fearing man with a dream and talent."

Known for singles like Wiser Now, Protected and No Love, the artiste, whose given name is Richard Anderson, has earned a reputation for being a hardcore dancehall act with a signature style of embedding conscious messages within his verses. His determination and focus have not gone unnoticed as Cartadon celebrates being one of the newest recruits of dancehall outfit 6ixx, led by hitmaker Squash.

"When they reached out to me with the Sweepstake Life riddim, I already knew what direction to take and it turns out they liked what I brought to the table," said Cartadon, who, 10 days ago released the audiovisuals for his track Lifestyle, in which he expresses what he wants to achieve.

"I have known and been affiliated with them for a while but it has become official. Outside of recording and a few bookings, I have just been staying inside and trying to eat healthy," he said.

"Nothing can bring back my friends but I can only stay focused on the future and pray for better to come through me achieving my goals. I have several bookings on the calendar but it all depends on my health or how I'm feeling. As I said before, the situation is still very real for me and I still feel the impact every time the weekend comes," Cartadon added.