Whaddat?Com v.2 :: Hot Shots >> T.O.K.

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TOK
Is it not strange that sheep's guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?
~ William Shakespeare ~

I've been hanging around T.O.K. a lot lately.

I watched their first rehearsals for Sashi. As I sat crouched in the corner of the tiny studio silently eyeballing the guys, I firmly decided that after God created Xaymaca and He was scribbling down His To Do list, he included amongst Bob and the Grammy Twins, T.O.K. under the capitalized, underlined Entertainment heading. He made sure the members of the latter were to be conceived at a time that would allow them to grow with the richest of our music and growing broadmindedness of its genres. They would play instruments and have a fine ear.

Alex

Bay C.

Craigy T.

Flexx

They would move steadfastly through the most erratic and frightening yet significant eras of our times. They would know the importance of Fellowship and family, be kind and temperate and worthy of adoration and respect. They… they...

My vision was broken as Craigy T. ("the guy that does the higher pitched deejaying in the group") serenaded me… "Got me attracted to the shape of your brain… no, don't get it twisted, I'm just being plain… I wanna stain your mind with lyrics and get in your veins…" Oh my! Great singers, lyricists, jokers, hot boys… could T.O.K be the perfect group? That is the question.

In case everybody hasn't realized already, Jamaicans have in their midst a quartet of young and exceptionally talented musical visionaries led by a Guru called Shams aka. Richard Browne - their manager and band's bassist. If you don't know them by name, anytime you're in Jamaica, you are sure to be bombarded by their music on any given radio station at least a dozen times daily.

Richard Browne aka. Shams

Fyah and I interviewed them at Jazzy T's house (Jazzy wha? Teeeeeeeeeeee! - of Renaissance Disco and most recently, ZIP FM fame). We wanted to know as much about them as possible and at the same time get to know THEM well, so we could literally reel off their story on a whim. We spent about 5 hours with T.O.K. that day and gathered enough info to put together a more than just-your-average biographical interview.
		Branded for life - Reppin' TOK with tats

Alastaire McCalla (aka. Alex), Xavier Davidson (aka. Flexx), Roshaun Clarke (aka. Bay C.) and Craig Thompson (aka. Craigy T.) formed T.O.K. ten years ago while attending high school in Kingston. The long and short of the union is that Alex and Flexx lived on the same street growing up and eventually formed a duet. They went to different high schools (Alex went to Campion College and Flexx - Calabar) but Flexx was a regular visitor to Alex's educational turf. There the two met fellow Campionites Bay C. and Craigy T. who joined them in performing at school bar-b-ques and similar benefits. They called themselves Touch Of Klass and specialized in Cabaret and Doo Wop. The rest as they say…

…IS HISTORY

After high school, all four were ready to take T.O.K. to another level.

They needed a better strategy though. Although what they had been doing seemed to be working just fine, i.e. the Boyz II Men and Shai tip - big R&B groups on the international charts at the time - T.O.K. emulated them to a tee, down to the matching outfits and harmonies.

What was different about them and what they knew could and would sell, was that they are a Jamaican harmonizing group with that much sought after and often mimicked but never duplicated mentality and upbringing, but best of all - those sexy Jamaican accents and hardcore Dancehall background.

T.O.K. speaks of "Mona Lisa" as their premier track. But most of you probably remember hearing "Eagles Fly" for the first time and asking the person next to you - "Who sing that tune 'bout eagles fly…?" "Eagles Fly" on Dave Kelly's famous Bruk Out riddim was the track that really bus' T.O.K. It was definitely the track that made people sit up and take notice.

Those days, the matching outfits still played a major role in their performances but had spanned out from sweater sets and loafers to basketball jerseys and sneaks. More recently, however, the group's style has taken an individual twist… they all wear what they feel like wearing, when they feel like wearing it. "I knew the Boyz II Men vibe was the right thing but within myself some of the stuff like dressing identical wasn't necessary. It went overboard sometimes." Meet Flexx - the direct one aka. The Troublemaker. He always says what's on his mind without recoil. "Sometimes Bay C. and I will decide to wear just T-shirts and shorts, we don't give a fuck, and we're going to do it. I know we're going to have a problem with Craig and Alastaire because they think that going all out means having on the Prada shoes and the designer gears… I don't think so."

Today, not only has T.O.K. matured and etched themselves into the Dancehall scene convincingly and permanently and found their niche but they can also be heard belting out their finest works on all of the top selling "riddims" being pumped out of our local producers - at an alarmingly prolific rate.

They have an enormous fan base in Europe and the U.K. and the group is, without question one of the more recognised Dancehall acts out there. Still, we don't see T.O.K on the local charts every week like an Elephant Man or Bounty Killer. Why? "People a farin accept Jamaican music more than Jamaicans." Says Alex - who's reserved, modest and almost coy nature would have you believe he's the balance in the group. He's referring to the disturbing habit Jamaicans have in "watching the hype." It's a fact that Dancehall fans have a problem accepting anything too new or out of the norm. "We're still under rated as a group. They say 'T.O.K. is a group- they shouldn't be doing this or they should be doing that. We always have to be proving that we can do just as well as other groups out there."

It is also a fact that T.O.K. is a supermodel for "survival of the fittest" when it comes to "boy bands" out of Jamaica. Sure, there are (literally) a couple of up and coming groups who have great potential, but T.O.K. is, arguably, the best and brightest in this era of Reggae music - the Dancehall era (1990 - 2002).

If you were lucky enough to catch their fantastic performance at the Fourth Annual Sashi Concert (or any of their performances) the first thing you may notice is their individual energies that work so well together as a group. They are fun, charismatic and friendly, and it shows. Apart from their heavenly harmonizing (listen to the mean harmony on "Money To Burn"), they all have a very different sound and each of their voices has a special character of it's own. Flexx and Alex do most of the main singing vocals - those lovely high pitched soprano hooks that you can't seem to get out of your head ("You a real toppa toppa, no careless slappa, no gyal cyaan step inna yuh shoe!" ). On the deejaying side of things (note to foreigna - rapping Dancehall style), if it's not the alluring, "come-hither girls", deep bass ridden voice of Bay C's you hear ("My crew, my dawgs, set rules, set laws. We represent for the lords of Yard, gyal alone feel up mi balls" from Chi-Chi Man), then it's most certainly Craigy T. with his quick, witty lyrics and smooth tenor. "After twenty different performers [on one show], you can say 'T.O.K. did this or did that...' just to get the people to go home remembering" says Flexx on their stage antics.

CHI-CHI (n.) (slang) Word used commonly in Jamaica to refer to 1. a type termite 2. An unsavoury character.

In 2001, T.O.K.'s hit song, "Chi Chi Man" flooded the airwaves in Jamaica and internationally. They had a lot to answer for after that. Gay rights activists from all over the world attacked the group for threatening to "take the fire and make it burn them… take the fire and make it done them" ("them" being the "Chi-Chi" man). T.O.K. went on the record saying that a Chi-Chi man is not a gay (homosexual) person - just somebody who decent people wouldn't want to associate with.

Regardless of the meaning of the word chi-chi, the song rejuvenated T.O.K.'s popularity, and in the months following they would ride that boost and record a slew of hit tracks such as "Man a Badman" with Bounty Killer and "Toppa Toppa" on the much revered Diwale riddim. "With music we have a vibe and we express it. "Chi Chi Man" was a certain vibe but right after we changed it with "Shake Your Bam Bam" - a dancing, happy vibe". Says Craigy T. They can all agree that lately, they have been conscious about creating a "happy vibe" in their music.
		Performing - not uncommonly - with one microphone

HAPPY HAPPY, JOY JOY.

On that note, here endeth the (his)story of the original Touch Of Klass. Log on to TOKWORLD.COM for more info and upcoming show dates in your neck of the woods. Also, be sure to pick up their album, "My Crew, My Dawgs" (VP Records) at your nearest and biggest record store.

T.O.K.Vital Stats
		Name: Alistaire McCalla aka: ALEX D.O.B: Feb 10th Zodiac Sign: Aquarius Marital Status: Single Hobby: Playing Video Games, listening to music, writing music and going to the movies. Name: Roshaun Clarke aka: BAY-C D.O.B: August 3rd Zodiac Sign: Leo Marital Status: Single Hobby: Playing the guitar, chilling at the beach, playing basketball & soccer going to the movies. Name: Craig Patrick Anthony Thompson aka: Craigy- T D.O.B: September 21st Zodiac Sign: Virgo Marital Status: Single Hobby: Women Name: Xavier Davidson aka: FLEXX D.O.B: January 1st Zodiac Sign: Capricorn Marital Status: Single Hobby: Song writing, listening to music and meeting girls.

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