Mel Cooke: You used to go to Lalyce Gray Basic School?

Mavado: No. Me used to go Salvation Army Basic School an' Miss Watson basic school.

Mel: Salvation Army Mannings Hill Road?

Mavado: Gallings Hill Road (laughter all around).

Mel: Which part Miss Watson deh?

Mavado: Glen Drive.

Mel: But ah see yu give suppen to Lalyce Gray (a computer).

Mavado: Yeah, me gi suppen to Lalyce Gray. Inna my time Lalyce Gray neva deh roun' y'know. Lalyce Gray come 'bout after me reach certain age. Or, probably it deh roun', but we neva so know it true, we a pickney dem time. But the reason why me really give suppen to Lalyce Gray now, a because me know is jus' a school whe inna de community. Me see dem waan fix up de school an' dem need de help, so from we can gi dem de help we gi dem de help. An now me yute dem whe did a go a Lalyce Gray, me son an' me daughter, so a dat mek we really come do whe we do fe Lalyce Gray, yu understan?

Mavado (right) hands over a $10,000 cash donation (not shown) to committee member Paula-Ann Porter-Jones. - Contributed

Mel: Yu gi suppen to de women's mediathon whe day. Yu was the firs' male artis' give ova suppen.

Mavado: Yeah, because how me really come about doing dat, me go roun' a Solid Agency fe deal wid some ting an' me see Miss Burke an she a reason wid me an show me sey dem have a ting fe de lady dem an, y'nuh an' me a contribute suppen. She a sey yeah, yu can contribute anyting. At de time me jus' contribute whe me really have inna me pocket (it was $10,000).

Mel: So if yu did have more yu woulda drop een more?

Mavado: Definitely! A whey u a sey man! Den if a suppen fi contribute to de woman dem, cause de woman dem mek de nation y'nuh. An yu done know mos' a de woman dem go tru whole heap a tings an it good fe know afta dem go tru all a dem ting deh somebody out deh fi really care fe dem, fe help dem back towards certain ting, yu understand.

Mel: Me hear bout in de early days, de MAFIDI crew. Dat was de start. Early, early?

Mavado: No, dat wasn't de start y'nuh. Because it start from before we sey MAFIDI y'nuh. Mos' people might no know, but mek me show yu dis. Yu see David Brooks, me deh roun' Killer from '95, '96. Me a deejay wid some yute name Algebra an' Ragga B an Scratchy B. A nex' yute whe name Gary Ghos. Ninja Ford dem. Long, long, long, long time. See it. Me a tell yu bout from inna de early '90s. Dem time deh me a likkle pickney, but me jus' love music. Tief out me house an all dem ting deh fe go stage show. Even Buju Banton used to deh pon de gully wid we. Me an Buju Banton used to deejay pon a likkle soun' whe name City One, pon de gully side. An a nex' likkle soun' whe name Super King. Yu see it? So is a far distance. Until after dat now inna de '04-'05 now, we come sey MAFIDI. Dat a wid me an Flexx an me fren Rakilla an me nex fren' name Terry Killer.

Bounty Killer and Mavado - File

Mel: So how MAFIDI come inna it? Jus' mek a ting?

Mavado: Yeah! Cause Flexx an Rakilla an' Terry Killer come from Grants Pen an' me come from Cassava Piece.

Mel: It was a peace ting or war did a gwaan?

Mavado: No, nuh war neva did a gwaan! Nuh war neva did a gwaan. A jus' some yutes from dese communities, y'nuh. Flexx from Grants Pen, me from Cassava Piece, a good ting dat. A so we came up wid de name MAFIDI. An we an Killer a link now. Dem long, long time now. Killer always used to come tell we sey we fe check him. We voice song all inna Dave Kelly studio.

Mel: Inna de Box?

Mavado: Yeah. Killer sey a my likkle artis' dem. An we in deh a chat bare tings, see whe me a sey. Den de Killer come out wid de Priceless (label). So mos' people no really know how far de ting a come from. A no jus' five year ago an' dem ting deh. An tree year an' four year an' dem ting deh. Yu understan'?

Mel: So why yu feel sey Killer did tek such a interes' inna MAFIDI?

Mavado: 'Cause Killer know talent y'nuh. Killer know talent. See it. Jus' like how Killer come an sey Scare Dem. An come an sey Predator same way. An whole heap more yute, whe him still gi a strength. So Killer is a man whe know talent an' is a man whe love help yute, yu understand.

Mel: What a de firs' song yu voice on yu own?

Mavado: De firs' song me voice pon me own a years ago y'nuh, when me a likkle yute. Me have a cousin whe name Digi, call him Digimax. But we used to keep stage show pon we corner. Like roun' a Glen Drive we ave 'Lorna Bash', an pon Cassava Piece gully we have 'Gully Bash' an' dem ting deh. We as likkle yute a mash up de place dem time deh, yu see it. My cousin go so now 'bam' an fly een from foreign an sey him ago start voice some likkle artis'. De firs' song me voice aroun' '93.

Mel: Yeah? Wha (laughter)?

Mavado: Yeah!

Mel: '93 (more laughter). Same style like now?

Mavado: No. Arright, me ago show yu. Yu see de song whe me a sey (he breaks into song) "so me waan know a who, tell me a which gal, a coulda which gal get .... inna cyar back las' night, a which gal get .... fe a col' Red Stripe - ". Yu see da song deh, a from '95 me a sing it.

Mel: Eh heh. So yu write it down or yu jus' remember it?

Mavado: Flexx write it. Flexx write song deh gi me. An me write de secon' verse. Yeah man, den nuh wha night we a reason 'bout it man. Roun' a de studio, me an some yute whe know de ting from long time man.

Mavado (left) flexes with Flexx. - File

Mel: A 13 year dat.

Mavado: Yeah man (laughs). Yeah man (laughs). De firs' time me voice 15 years ago fe real. Dem time deh me a likkle yute. Me dads, yu see when me a go church (voice goes low). Yow, if me ever tell yu all some tings yu woulda feel like a joke. Eh B****er (friend standing close)? Anyhow me tell yu some tings me dads, yu haffi wonder.

Mel: Jus' tell me an done.

Mavado: Yu see when me a go church, an yu have poem an dem ting deh an y'nuh, yu have a ting whe dem call registration or whatever whe dem call yu up pon stage. Cause a whole heap a years dat. Dem time me roun' five, four, five, dem age deh me dads. Yu know whe dem call me? Master David Brooks.

Mel: Eh-heh? Yu inna yu tie an all dem ting deh?

Mavado: Yeah man, me likkle necktie an ting. An me granmodda bring me fe go sing. Yu woulda haffi interview me whole day fe me really tell yu dem ting deh me dads. Yeah man. Master David Brooks.

Mel: Which church?

Mavado: De church right roun' by Grants Pen y'nuh.

Tomorrow Mavado, who will be one of the featured acts on the upcoming show, Rendezvous, on May 10, speaks about the gangster years.