Fyah Roiall On Being ‘Underrated’, Growing Pains Of The Underground And Finding Balance In His Craft

A good old fashion back yard reasoning with the up and coming grimehall genius himself, the man they call Fyah Roiall. With the release of his long-anticipated debut album Underrated through the gate, Roiall had a lot to say in this interview.

This album I can hear you using a lot more melodies. We even get a look at what seems to be a softer side. Would you say that?

Alright [Lights spliff and inhales]

Mi wouldn’t say a quote on quote softer side, yuh get mi. It’s like I make music from my mind frame, from my views, my thoughts, how I see things. So a situation like the song Nobody , a nuh really what it sounds like you get me. Yeah the song soun’ like one a dem Kranium vibes deh, in terms of the concept of the song. But in reality a nuh nothing like that.

I was thinking about a situation where, me and this B, in a ting and we just genuinely a take things slow and a ease into it. You easing into something, you don’t want to be like ‘oh look at us.’ Because if that crash it will look a way [laughs]. Yuh get me? So, that’s where that came from.

As it relates to the melody, those who know Audiotherapy know that I’ve been doing this. It’s just that as an artiste I see that when I’m doing bars on stage I get a bigger forward, so for a while I was focusing my energy there. But working on this album I just decided that I would give everybody all the elements.

It speaks to a particular type of person that’s more into bars and I think maybe that is the majority because a lot of the icons in dancehall have that super lyrical element to their legacy. But you’ve proven that you’re proficient at that so it’s good to get those other elements like you said.

Lyricism also works well on stage like you said, which is surprising, so what do you think about that? Since most artists make the bulk of their money from shows, and lyrics do well live; what do you think about the people that say the super lyrical stuff doesn’t sell?

Well when people book me, them nuh book me fi come sing mi frien’. I don’t know about anybody else, but when me get booked, it’s not because I hold a note nicely. I get booked because of the freestyle that I just dropped last week or something. You get me? And then like– the shows that I do in Jamaica, again but when me a deliver, mi see! I can literally see in the crowd like gets lost in what I’m saying. I can literally see them start to feel how I am feeling, and then I’m feeling that, until it just becomes like a back and forth. Like we a play tennis with energy, you get me. It’s massive. So when I spit something fast and lyrical, by the time I get to a certain point in the verse, is like the people are so engaged in what I’m saying or doing, that they’re able to make out what I’m saying. The fact that they’re able to hear that, it amazes them and that’s where the fawud come from. To me still. Even women go crazy about lyrics.

There is that debate of the lyricists vs the singers, and the hybrids. It’s always kind of been like that divide between good lyrics and great singing. Vybz Kartel vs Mavado was a lyricist vs a singer. What gave Kartel the upper hand was when he began to incorporate melodies in his music. Now we’re ina time where they’re saying lyrics a come back. How you feel about that?

Lyrics a come back? Lyrics never left the room mi frien’. Yuhzimmi? Lyricism has never let me. I find it petty and beneath me, as a musician to try and weigh melody vs lyricism. Because it’s like oh you can sing and you can hold some notes but what are you saying? So lyrics important. But oh you have some bars and you’re saying some shit but your delivery is off, so melody is important. Balance is obviously important and to the average listener. Nobody nah get up and a say ‘oh mi nuh want hear no lyrics at all’ or ‘oh this rhyme is over three syllables so i’m not interested. No one does that mi frien’. So it’s like why force them to choose? When I look at other genres, like Grime. Rappers aren’t weighing themselves against singers. People just acknowledge artists for what they do. Can’t it be the same in dancehall. Which is why I’m showing in my album that, a n-gga can do both. Mi find di balance as well where I can be lyrical with melodies. Like Spaced Out for example, or even Nobody.

It comes back down to content, like you said. But at the same time, lyricism vs melody is one debate but good songwriting is a kill and principle in music. You don’t debate that, all artistes need it as a skill. As a lyrical person, how do you decide on good songwriting, whether from yourself or from others? How do you grade when you think a song is good?

It go right back to skill. Originality. You get me? I shouldn’t be listening to your song and a remember Vybz Kartel. Like the whole time I’m listening to you I’m remembering someone else. That nuh right. Something’s off. For me, I’ll record it, bring it home, plug it in, and listen to it. If I get tired of it, then it’s a terrible song. If I wow myself, then I know that alright something can be done with this. Everybody knows that an artist is their own harshest critic. Yuhzimmi? I’m a really harsh critic in general, so you can just imagine what I do to myself. I would have songs in my trash that I will never touch that you would probably call tough. [Laugh] Yuhzimmi? I’m able to put myself into a zone mentally, where I can listen to the song from a third person perspective, so if I like it, or impress myself, then I know it’s a good song. How I grade songwriting is on it’s impact, delivery– like I should be able re-read the lyrics without a beat or cadence and still think it’s amazing.

When did you start putting together this album?

Three years ago. Four now. I started working on this in 2016. Yeah. I recorded about songs over that time period for this.

Was it always this concept, this vibe, and this name?

Yeah. I did other things on the side, just to stay current. But for years, this has been the focus and I just went in. Four years now, damn. Glad to see it come to life.

What inspired the concept or what was the creative drive?

It’s just how I pree I guess. Like I talk to people on Instagram. So if you’re not weird. I’m finna answer your DM and just like talk. I communicate with my followers. A lot of them are artists. A lot of them are in some places or positions that I remember being in. I know how that feels. It feels f-cked up, or lame, or like it just doesn’t make any sense to do this. People are telling you to change your sound or change your style. This won’t work, or that won’t work, especially if you’re coming with something new or unique. So it sparked this idea, after reflecting that there are different types of people in this world. There are people who will say, things were hard for me and I worked hard for mine; so things should be hard for you too and you should work just as hard for yours. Cool, that mek sense. But then there are people who just say things were hard for me and I worked hard but they believe that; the reason is so that I can make it easier for anybody who follows. I’m the latter. So I decided to make a project around that.

All the producers I used, are quote on quote underrated. All the engineers, the people who did the visuals, everybody. Yuhzimmi? Totally fascinating people, great in their own craft, completely underrated. The big question is; why? You look at a video like Nobody and it’s just as good as anything you saw on BET last night if you watch that, but then is like—? So it’s basically just an ode to the underrated and my mission to kick in the door and leave it open for people who feel the way I felt on my journey. So that’s where the idea came from, I spent the last four years working on that shit.

Very Interesting. You brought up something key when you said you’re told to change your sound or your style. A large part of that is if you do anything alternative or anything hip hop, or any kind of fusion really, it comes off as strange to audiences who won’t support it enough. But all of us sort of grew up listening to other genres along with our local ones. Then to boot, some of the offshore music like hip hop or grime for instance, blend so well with reggae and dancehall, which is largely due to their influence in these foreign genres I believe. 

Yeah if you’re born in the 90s especially you grew up listening to Celine Dion, Missy Elliot, Outkast, N.E.R.D, Tribe Called Quest, too many to name.

Well the conversation is that there’s this weird audience politics where artists are shunned when they do that kind of fusion. Which is a huge mystery in some ways. There’s a lot of artists out there that borrow from that hip hop or grime influence. 

I’ve asked the same question and I’ve looked deeply at this thing. I look at this shit like a market. You have some goods–say you’re selling coconuts and breadfruit, ackee and dem ting deh. You’re at your yard gate, trying to sell to taxis, passersby. Yeah you will eat a food but it’s slow. Sooner or later you’re going to understand that you need to go to coronation market and find a good spot. Eat real food. You get me. I say that to say this. Sometimes people just market themselves wrong. They position themselves where majority of their fans want something else, and then they’re forced to create that to appease them. I’ve placed myself in a position where if you follow me you expect alternative things, So I don’t have that problem.

To me it’s always been about diversity. A diversity that is there, but that most people either choose not to see or never make the effort to look. If you check it, the same people who complain that Dancehall is violent and whatever, are the same people who won’t search for the good songs that aren’t about violence. There’s plenty of good dancehall out there, positive, inspirational stuff. The reality genre, of which artists like Busy Signal were such big proponents. It just doesn’t get the kind of support that it needs. 

Look pon TeeJay. TeeJay a sing long time, have some great love songs, some great conscious songs. He was getting some views yes, but when him start sing “empty clip inna yuh girlfriend mouth”, Buss. So it’s a question for society rather than the artist.

Well it is a feedback loop, like you said a few moments ago with the back and forth of energy. What is considered Dancehall is a feedback loop between the artist and the audience. There’s a culprit though. The people who are spending their time campaigning against dancehall calling it violent and all these things, don’t also have time to find the dancehall they should be supporting. But I think the audience suffers from that dissociative mentality where they’re the ones helping to make the thing they hate popular.

[Laugh] That’s facts.

Check out Fyah’s Underrated album.