Capleton wants hardcore acts to shine at ‘A St Mary Mi Come From’

When A St Mary Mi Come From unfolds at the Gray's Inn Sports Complex in Annotto Bay, St Mary, on August 5 after a five-year hiatus, the line-up will feature the new generation of hardcore dancehall artistes, including Skeng, Chronic Law, Teejay, Valiant, Jah Vinci and Pablo YG.

Even conceptualiser Capleton, while ready to uphold "the family and cultural vibes of A St Mary Mi Come From", said that he is equally prepared to give these acts their moment in the spotlight.

"Well, the new-generation dancehall artistes will bring an energy and a vibe for the young people. They know that this is a cultural show and a family show, so they need to leave out certain explicit content," Capleton told THE STAR.

He added, "A St Mary Mi Come From attracts almost 15,000 people to the venue, so it's a good platform for the younger artistes to reach their rural fans and to gain new fans, and also break some of their new songs."

Capleton, who embraced Rastafari decades ago and ditched the lewd lyrics in songs such as Bombo Red in favour of a more wholesome path, reenergised with songs such as Jah Jah City, In Her Heart, Tour, Raggy Road and Who Dem. Having emerged as one of the standard bearers for reggae and dancehall music, he is known for his 'fire burning' on corruption, Babylon and a multitude of sins. The Fireman's mantra continues to be 'Music is a mission not a competition'.

Quizzed if he thinks that it is vital that these young artistes understand this message and are ready to learn and live it, Capleton broke it down.

"Yes, it's important for artistes to know that music is a mission and not a competition, and what that means. First, you have to respect the other artistes in our genre. Over the years I have united artistes who were clashing against each other. There is wholesome and friendly rivalry which does not lead to violence and disrespect," the artiste, also known as King Shango' told THE STAR.

Capleton, who recently gave a stellar performance in England for the first time in more than a decade, has been touring Europe, and recently took time out to shoot the music video for his single Rich Summer, featuring Jah Thunda and BL tha Hook Slaya, for Contractor Music at Wickie Wackie Beach in Bull Bay.