Malie chose music over athletics

Dancehall newcomer Malie is by no means your average deejay.

The 20-year old graduate of Bridgeport High School in St Catherine is known for his hard-hitting lyrics and literary devices in his hit songs, an indication of his academic prowess. He earned passes in 12 subjects [nine at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate level and three at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination level] to complete his secondary education before deciding to record music full time. The deejay, whose given name is Kimalie Hylton, gave up a promising chance to become a professional track athlete to pursue music instead.

OVERSEAS

"Mi graduate Bridgeport in 2019 but dem mek me do an extra year to go overseas to do running," he said. Malie, who is from Waterford, represented his school at the ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championship and also competed at overseas track meets like Miami Classics.

Now a member of the 6ix dancehall camp, he reasoned that although he was good at both music and athletics, he had to make a choice.

"Mi talent did a show more inna music and mi did a live a wild life. Mi did a smoke and dem thing deh and it never good with the athletics. You haffi give something 100 per cent fi it work, you cyaah a give something 50 and another 50. So mi jus look into myself and self analyse and decide fi do music 100," he said. He also shared that he thinks music is his true calling because all his attempts to secure a regular 9 to 5 job failed despite his academic qualifications.

Malie shared that he had to make sacrifices to pay for studio time while still in high school because he was hungry for success. He got the breakthrough he yearned when his music was shared with popular producer Atomatic of Active Music.

"Mi used to get all $400 a day fi go school and mi wudda just pay like $50 pon a Spanish Town bus and have like $350 left. So mi wudda jus' buy a juice and hold it until mi go home so mi cudda save up fi voice [in the studio] plus mi did have some girl weh did like me so dem wudda buy mi lunch," he said.

When he got a listening ear from Atomatic, he did not disappoint.

"Him send mi a riddim and mi voice pon it inna five minutes so you know that stun dem enuh ... after mi voice pon that, the dawg send another riddim like a test him did a test me and mi voice pon dat same time too and him a say 'No man, tomorrow mi a link you'," he revealed.