BEAT MINER ...

Set amidst the mansion laden streets of Jacks Hill in Kingston 5, 2Hard Records was once a simple dub studio, full of life, with artists gracing its stoop and spitting 'specials' for sounds all day long. This was back in the mid-nineties when producer, Jeremy Harding, CEO of 2Hard, was a young and inexperienced fledgling of sorts in Jamaica's brutal and dutty entertainment industry.
Now, several years later, we visit a sincere, yet laid back 'grown-up', with a presence as commanding as any veteran producer.

It all started in 1993 when a then 23-year-old Jeremy was still living in Toronto, struggling to make it as a disk jock/producer/artists' manager/club promoter. Unfortunately, Toronto has it's own share of industry problems due to it's "clique-like" structure. Back then especially, Toronto-made music and Toronto-made industry deals stayed in Toronto. To make an international name for yourself, you had to move south across the border, whether it be to the States or as fate would have it for Jeremy, Jamaica.
His parents, needless to say, were not very impressed by Jeremy's decision to "opt" out of Montreal's prestigious McGill University (where he was majoring in Chemistry of all things). " They weren't having it. They wouldn't support me otherwise, but after telling them about Trebas Institute [of music...where he studied engineering & music production], they were at least thankful I was in school, and not on the streets." After his stint in Toronto, he returned to Kingston and set to work. The first thing he did was open a small studio and even with limited equipment (Akai sampler, Atari computer, simple keyboard and a couple sound modules) it served its purpose. He did freelance ad work, producing jingles for various major ad agencies, while at the same time operating a 'likkle dub studio' for the smaller local sound systems.

Jeremy's younger brother Zachary played an integral part in 2Hard's formation. As a member of uptown's Syndicate Disco, he spread the word about his brother's venture, and within a few months, sound system operators were flocking to Jacks Hill to get their dub plates laid in true digital form. A chance meeting at a bar in 1996 led to Zachary's introduction of Sean Paul to Jeremy. The two immediately hit it off and so a star was born. Sean's ground breaking single "Baby Girl" was recorded a few weeks later on Jeremy's first juggling riddim "Fearless". As an original member of the Sandy Park Dutty Cup crew, Sean did not hesitate to let his fellow deejays in on the goods and 2Hard became synonymous with 'all things Dutty'. While the Fearless riddim could have easily been dubbed an 'industry flop', this didn't prevent the young pioneer from embarking on yet another mission. Providing the foundation for such hits as Mad Cobra's Pet & Pamper, Sean Paul's Infiltrate, Mr. Vegas' [first hit] Nike Air & Dutty Cup's Stick Up, Jeremy's Playground riddim was a resounding success. With production completed, stampers cut, 45's pressed and labels printed, Playground was released and already in heavy rotation in what was thought to be its entirety.

Entré Dr. Beenie Man.

Jeremy gives a recount of the momentous occasion that changed his life forever... "Apparently Beenie Man had heard the riddim [Playground] on several occasions and loved it. He had even written a tune already when he arrived at the studio to voice without any prior notice. I heard a knocking one morning...and couldn't believe when I saw Beenie Man sitting outside complaining about how long they had been banging down the door. I turned on the equipment, and he went straight into the booth to record a perfect version of "Who Am I" in what seemed like one take."

Within days, the track was playing on the radio and the 'Sim-Simma' tune was creating havoc throughout the island. "On Tuesday morning", Jeremy recalls, "Jason Lee of Sonic Sounds [2Hard's distributor], called me demanding to know about this Beenie Man that was not in the riddim's line-up. I explained the situation to him, and we had the record pressed immediately." The rest is history.

Some would argue that "Sim-Simma / Who Am I" on the Playground riddim was what launched Beenie's career in preparation for his recent Grammy win. Jeremy certainly would agree that it was the Playground riddim that launched his own career.

Currently working on Sean Paul's sophomore release (slated to drop August), and having recently launched the "Lightning" riddim, Jeremy has already left his mark on the Jamaican entertainment industry and could easily be considered a driving force in Dancehall music.
Jeremy imparts some words of wisdom to young wannabe producers. The pursuit of music should be approached from a businessperson's perspective.
The love for the music is idealistically the most important aspect, but like anybody in 'the industry' will tell you, in reality, the business is a ruthless one, and must be dealt with accordingly.