Mavado finds Amazing Grace, stays on The Rock

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer


Mavado

Today we continue our in-depth interview series with David Constantine 'Mavado' Brooks, whose 'Symphony' (actually part of the name of his debut album on VP Records) has resonated with the dancehall audience. Yesterday Mavado spoke about his early years, ending with his singing in church. Mavado said the church was in Grants Pen. Just where?

Mavado: Right in front a de stop light, Blue Ribbon it name, or suppen like dat. Years ago dat y'nuh me, Dads. Twenty-odd years ago me a tell yu bout y'nuh (laughter). From me a likkle yute (more laughter).

Mel Cooke: So is a church-start den.

Mavado: Yeah man. Yeah man.

Mel: So a so Amazing Grace (one of his recent hit singles) come een?

Mavado: Yu know sey how Amazing Grace come een, a me likkle cousin Chase Cross an a (breaks into song) "... Amazing Grace," y'nuh and "... bway dem a chase". An we deh deh an say dat 'bad'. An a so we start work pon it an' fix it up (breaks into song again) "...amazing grace shot fly tru face..." An' we jus' a sing it like a joke. An we jus' sey yu know me ago voice it. An' me voice it an me see it become a hit. An dem crucify me fe it. (Long laughter from all four men present. Mavado speaks again with a blend of laughter and contemplation) ... Wicked an' evil. (More laughter. Someone else says 'pastor dem call in'). Yeah, pastor dem call een pon radio station. After Jah sey don' judge no man. An me live fe hear pastor a judge me more dan one an' two an' tree time. Yu see it. De pastor a judge an' him grudge.

Mel: So, yu ever feel sometime like you a get targeted differently?

Mavado: How?

Mel: Me a talk bout de lyrics an de pastor an de woman an de Reggae Academy Awards an dem ting deh. Yu ever feel like yu a get targeted differently, like somebody out fe you?

Mavado: Out fe me like how?

Mel: Like no want yu progress an ting.

Mavado: People always out fe me. Yu nuh see it man. Even now man. People always out fe you man, cause when nobody nuh know yu nobody nuh out fey u y'nuh. As soon as de worl know yu, all who nuh know yu out fey yu. Yu have people nuh know yu an jus love yu. An yu have people nuh know yu an jus hate yu. Understan? So people always out fe you, but we nuh watch out fa. A Jah we shout fa (chuckles). Yeah man.

Mel: Yu eva feel like yu woulda turn a Christian one day?

Mavado: Nuh know wha de future hols. Is not a feel like. Is nuh feel like turn Christian. Jah jus' sey a your time, him call yu now. An it jus' happen. Is not a feel like ting. Nutten bout me inna life cyaa be feel like. It haffi real, 'cause tings jus' real as ever. Yu understan'. Cyaa be a feel like. Jah jus' haffi sey yow, y'know sey a time now, fe u come sing inna de church an dem ting deh an' den me jus' go inna de church. But fe now me jus' a gwaan love Jah an live an gwaan sing me song dem an we a gwaan sing bout de good, whe dem nah pay no attention to.

An we a gwaan sing bout de gangster part a de ting, cause a tings wha happen in de streets we a sing bout y'nuh. A no tings whe we tell people we get up an' go do y'nuh. We sing bout' wha a gwaan inna de street. Yu understand. So need fe. If dem no waan we sing bout dese tings, den dem need fe clean up de society den. Dat mean sey de yute dem get work fe go, more school, more job, better education an' all a dem ting deh. An den we won' haffi see de yute dem a rob an kill fe live an dem ting deh. Yu understand.

If de society better, den we haffi sing bout better. Look pon Sean Paul an dem yute deh. Dem haffi come sing bout party an nice tings because dem grow up uptown. An dem come an see dem parents mek dem alright an everyting nice an everyting. Yu understan'? So we now, come from offa de Gully whe we see man come kill man, me see police come kill man, we see all a dem ting deh, cause a jus' dem ting deh gwaan inna de ghetto so a dem ting deh we ago sing bout bredren. See whe me a sey.

If we neva did a sing bout dese tings, picture me a sing bout bare partying an' bling bling an dis an dat, me woulda a tell lie bredren. Yu understand? So because we inna de gully an we inna de gutter an' we see wha a gwaan, we sing bout dese tings.

Dats why we still come sing bout righteousness same way, dats why we come sey 'I'm on the Rock' an all dem ting dey. Because look how much tings wha a happen now. Me a try mek my life better an' people still a try draw me dung. Yu overs? Simple.

Me a try mek my life better an people a try draw me dung. An everyting wha dem try Jah jus' mek me still dey ya same way. Dats why me come sey "I'm on the rock, higher dan high, Jehova guide me", yu see it dog, cause a real ting. An memba y'nuh, me come sey I'm on the rock from January, from de year start, cause it come een like me know all a dese tings whe a come reach me now y'nuh.

Lucky ting me shout fe Jehovah from early an sey guide me. (Speaks directly to one of the other persons present). Yu see it. Yeah man, a lucky ting, or else me tell yu it woulda wicked pon me, me Dads.


Mel: The line in that song whe sey "helicopter in de air" (Mavado says 'yeah'), yu deliberately tek it from Buju song from (Mavado interjects 'no!') dem time dehÉ

Mavado: Me neva tek it from Buju song. Cause a real ting Buju did deejay seh, cause Buju was dere when it happen. Yu understand? Buju was there y'nuh when it happen. Dem time deh me tief out go a dance wid my bigger fren dem, dung a Red Hills Road.

Mel: So a de same experience it come outta?

Mavado: Yu understand. An den me keep my party now inna 2007 a Temple Hall Estate an' a de same ting me see appen. Helicopter in de air, bright light a shine dung pon people an dem ting deh. De people get scare. Mos' people sey dem tink a me a come outta helicopter. Special ting. (There is laughter all around).

Mel: Shabba style.

Mavado: Special appearance. Until we hear a man sey nobody move, nobody run, we are surrounded by the river an de sea an everyting (chuckles) an de bushes. So a wha really appen we tell dem inna de song.

Tomorrow: Mavado , who will be appearing on the upcoming show, Rendezvous, on May 10, reacts to his exclusion from the inaugural Reggae Academy Awards and the relationship with his father.