Hey massive! This past week, mi have the opportunity to sit and chat with four of the hottest singjays to come out of the Caribbean.  And mi dun mean hot just as in appearance.  It’s tonal quality, lyrical skill and audience cross-over ability of which I speak.

T.O.K.  Alex, Flexx, Bay C, and Craigy T.  We linked as they prepared to grace Philadelphia with their appearance at Traxx Nightclub; and for a little more than an hour, they brought me into their world.

For the massive with short memories, let me take you on a trip back in time. 

The year is 1999.  Having emerged on the reggae charts with “Hardcore Lover” three years prior, T.O.K. releases “Eagles Cry” and becomes an instant international success.  This was closely followed by one of reggae’s biggest, albeit controversial, hits “Chi Chi”.  Leap forward to 2001. 

Here we find the quartet making an entry into the U.S. market with their debut album, “My Crew, My Dawgs.”  Sound familiar?  If it doesn’t, you must not have had access to a radio in some time.  The album goes platinum in Japan and makes it onto Billboard’s top 10 reggae albums chart.  And they don’t stop there; what follows are more chart-toppers spanning the years: Galang Gal, Gal You Ah Lead, Footprints, and Guardian Angel, just to name a few.

With numerous hit songs under their belt and widely-acknowledged crossover appeal, T.O.K. has succeeded in cementing its position at the top of the entertainment industry.

So what brought them to Philadelphia?

“Our World,” said Flexx, “The album is out and we’re basically letting everybody know.  It came out August 25th.  And we want everybody to know to get a copy. It’s like a classic.  A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this album.  I mean the last album was in 2005.”

According to Craigy T, this album was a particularly difficult one.  “This album came right after we did a lot of (clears throat) infrastructure changes within the group,” said Craigy T.  “Some of the members unfortunately lost loved ones.  It was a difficult time for all of us.  So we had to really draw on each other’s strength.  I mean every man haffi go through a period where he’s tested.”

From the looks of the final product, it would appear that they passed their test with flying colors.

What can fans and new listeners expect from this one?

The list of producers on “Our World” reads like the Who’s Who of the Reggae/Dancehall Fraternity.  Rohan “Jah SnoCone” Fuller, the man behind Sean Paul’s Temperature, Arif Cooper, Mario “Mad Scientist” Lawrence, Craig “Leftside” Parks, Tony “CD” Kelly, Shane Brown, Chester Walker, DJ Karim, and Bay C, himself, all had a hand in the finished project.  And it shows in the diverse selection.

This time around they made sure to pick songs that everyone could relate to.  According to Flex, there’s something on it for everybody.

The raw dancehall lovers are certain to like the heavy-hitting “My Crew, My Dawgs” and “Gimme Little”.  Ladies, if you just looking to whine, check on “Gyrate”, “Couple Up”, or “Whining”.  And let’s not forget about hit tracks “Guardian Angel” and “Afternoon Pornstar”, an ode to working women who want to show their wild sides to their men.  Because, “Every girl wants to be an afternoon pornstar…and wake up normal in the morning.” Other tunes include the meaningful piece “Live It Up”, and “World Is Mine”, a message to those who thought the group had disappeared.  

Even the group members have their own particular favorites.  Bay C likes Live It Up for its acoustic feel and the message. Alex and Craigy T were in agreement on Afternoon Pornstar.

As for Flexx, he pretty much likes whatever the ladies like, whatever will get them moving. “I like to see the ladies gyrate,” he said, as everyone at the table broke into laughter.

The tunes indeed seem to run the gambit from smooth R&B to straight dancehall; where do they get their inspiration to do a particular type of song? From the fans, for one.

“Whether they know it or not,” said Flexx, “they do impact it a lot. We are all artistes and producers.  And we listen to a lot of music.  On this album we tried to mix a lot of the genres we like.”  For the listeners out there with an idea for something they’d like to hear, according to Alex, the best place to hit them up is on Myspace.

Bay C, in particular, wanted to give a special thanks to all the female fans, especially the ones posting the videos on the YouTube, using Afternoon Pornstar as the backdrop.  “I’m not gone knock it, yuh know.  If you have something you want to post it, go head and show us.”

[And by the way ladies, every one of them is single, they like their women “well-rounded”, and they check their MySpace and Twitter daily.  Do what you please with the info.  And feel free to post your exploits to the GlobalBlog.]

To what do they attribute their popularity and success?

On the whole, the group prides itself on thinking outside of the box. “We’re very focused on where we’d like to go.  And that’s why it’s very hard for someone to make us go another way,” said Bay C. “People use to say, ‘You’re a group so you cannot do dancehall,’ and we’d prove them wrong.  And when we start to deejay, people say, ‘You not supposed to do that because you dancehall.’ And then we come out with Footprints.  People always trying to put us in a box.”

So far, the group has managed to avoid the box, producing hit after hit across commercial markets.  However, with so many talented artistes coming out of the Caribbean, what’s the group’s take on why those artistes aren’t making it into the U.S. mainstream?

They believe it’s a combination of things.  First, everyone’s trying to be so different that they don’t give the market enough time to warm up to a sound before they switch directions completely.  Second, they run into a language barrier and don’t express themselves in a way that most people will comprehend.

“Some artistes don’t care about that; they come with straight Patois. And they forget that the world is listening.” Said Bay C.  ”And it’s the marketability of the act sometimes.  You have to think about image and professionalism. Sometimes an act or an artiste can be poised for great international success, but their attitude in the interview, or how them look or the work ethic part of it just mash up the whole thing.”

Their advice to up and coming artistes is to believe in what they’re doing and to have confidence.  Also, read up on the business and educate yourself.  “This is not a nice business and people will try to take advantage of you,” said Bay C.  “And also, make sure you find a name for yourself.  Don’t try to be a follower; try to be a leader; try to be unique; try to find a niche for yourself; be different from everyone else, because that’s the only way that you’re going to stand out.”

“We just have to play our part.  We look at ourselves as ambassadors.  We trying to carry this music out there.  We trying to make it believable that Jamaica can put out something long lasting. This generation.  Because Bob Marley has already proven it with reggae; we want to prove it with dancehall. That is our movement.  That is why it’s our world.”

Purchase "Our World" at the iTunes Music Store.

 Click here for photos from the album release party at Traxx...

Purchase "Our World" at the iTunes Music Store.

Tidbits:  Look out for up and coming artists Sleepy Hollow Tips.  And big up to Hopeton and JDP for the link.

Trivia:  For the curious reader, interested in what their names stand for: Craigy T stands for Craig Thompson.  For whatever reason, people seem to have trouble getting Alistaire McCalla’s name correct and ended up shortening it to Alex.  Bay C (Roshaun Clarke) has a bass voice nice enough to mek a woman tink pon house and kids.  And Flexx?  Well Flexx (Xavier Davidson) said that he thinks his name may have come from the way he likes to jump around all over the place, and his flexibility.  However, Craigy T was stifling a laugh the entire time Flexx was speaking, so mi skeptical.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment