In the hour that we spend interviewing Jazzwad, one thing is clear, it's all about the music. He is extremely modest about his success and our appreciation of his impressive catalogue of hits is met only by
"Yeah, I do a couple well known tunes." His take on the current wave of dancehall 'producers' who in many instances use drug money to pay for tracks to be made then take full credit for production, is not surprising.
" It's terrible, a lot of it is hustling. When we were doing the music first it was love for the music-we weren't earning any money…there was no money in the business. Now a man a tink bout di money before him tink bout di music and how it a go benefit di business…Nuff a dem working for the fame and fortune and dem come wid some fast tune but nuttin nuh deh behind it."

While he encourages genuine rookie producers and applauds their efforts he acknowledges that " A lot of people are just jumping into it, they don't have the experience, and they don't know what the music deserves. Nuff likkle yute jus' buy a drum machine and dem go inna di yard and sample two ting an dem is a producer or a musician." The same can be said about young deejays whom feel that their success can be achieved instantaneously. "Nuff a dem artist expect it fi happen overnight…if dem not already out there like Killer or Beenie, the ones that wanna be up there, dem nah tink bout grooming themselves to get to that point. Dem waan have a image, dem have a certain way dem dress and a certain amount of jewellery an' dem feel if dem go on stage and dance a certain way that's it…Not gonna happen like that", Jazzwad says shaking his head.

W: Are there any up and coming artists that you feel will break new ground in dancehall music?
J: Bling Dawg a gwaan. Him have more of an outlook than an image. Him look big, him look fat… that alone…you'll want to see what's gonna happen…and him have di lyrics fi back it. So people seh "Wah! dis fat yute ya..him bad! It was at Baby Cham's Another Level dance when mi did really see seh him a go bus. Is not every artist can go chat 2,3,4 lyric and di people dem nuh run him. Him have potential and him have him own style and him deejay clearly. Him deh deh long time…he's not an over night success.
You have some young yute like Assassin, him have good sound, good lyrics, di girls dem like him, and he can go far with the right production.
Wayne Marshall, bad singer, him have him own sound, own style. Dem a di young yute weh look impressive to me and you can see them growing and know that it a go happen… because is not really nuff a dem. Killer and Beenie done have the business pon a level and if you're not exceptional you not gonna come through. Nuff a di yute dem, dem nuh try hard enough…dem jus waan come a di studio see if dem can jump pon di riddim. It's all about if Killer and Beenie and Capleton deh pon di riddim dem glad because dem feel like dem is one a dem too.

Jazzwad explains that local radio stations are to blame for the lack of airplay that young artists receive. "It's down to di radio man because they know that Killer and the whole a dem done mek it big already so give the young yute dem a start. And even if you know that certain man deh pon di riddim, try play the yutes dem more. Dem don't do dat, and that's a big problem. Yuh haffi highlight di yute dem- give them a chance. Even the public too. If you come on stage and your first song don't sound good dem waan run you. You can't build a star like that…but yuh see when di artist buss…everybody jump on the band wagon…dem jus waan see him achieve something so dem can come beg him a ting or beg him 2 dub or a show or whatever…dat nuh good."

With the advent (and near demise) of file sharing music websites like Napster, Audiogalaxy, and numerous others, Internet users are able to download all genres of music with the click of a button. Many local artists are unaware of the implications of their music being so accessible and consider it a form of exposure for them at an international level. Not taken into consideration is the reality that those who opt to download their music free of cost are exploiting them intentionally or unintentionally.

W: How do you feel about downloading music on the Internet freely and what do you think the ramifications will be on local music?
J: It's not good… anybody can just buy a computer and they'll know that they can get all the music dem really need. Dem don't need to go to the record store or buy a cassette or anything like that. Napster is not good for the business. It alright fi di Yankee dem because dem can sell platinum and gold and dem still alright.

Creating dancehall riddims is not where the buck will stop for this accomplished young producer. In the future Paul 'Jazzwad' Yebuah plans to establish his own record company, " with all the various departments and a certain amount of artists- bigger than just reggae. Because you have to try to make the music bigger than reggae, although we love [it]. It's up to the individual to take it to the next level, to cross over. Nuff man seh is sell out but you have to go to the next step… People know you in the dancehall, yes… but the business has to be more established. I want to have a label where they play the music not because big artists deh pon it but because the product sound good, so that we can further Jamaican music."

FULL 'UNDRED....

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