General Degree Says He Hated His Breakout Hit Song ‘Granny’

Veteran Dancehall superstar General Degree, recently revealed that he actually hated his hilarious breakout song Granny and even begged and pleaded with ace producer Danny Browne not to release the track, which immediately became a national hit the day it was released in 1992.

“I told Danny not to release the Granny song because I hated it,” General Degree explained in an interview on Toronto’s Entertainment Report Podcast.

“Every artiste can tell you, there is a time when you end up just recording some songs because you get a vibe with a song… and then you sit down and listen to di song an say ‘yow mi nuh like da song deh’.  Is like you cannot see it at the moment.  Is after when you voice it and start to think and listen to it, yuh nuh like how it turn out; yuh nuh like how it feel when you listening back; everything feel wrong,” Degree explained.

Degree said being a Main Street artiste he had full creative access to Browne’s studio, and so was only playing around in the facility when he voiced the song, which he had preceded with a similar, but lesser-known song titled Mother Rule Pickney.

“So when I voiced the song I said: ‘No sah.  I don’t want come out sounding like a old lady’.  Remember I was just joking around…it (Granny) was like a part two of Mother Rule Pickney. But I add the granny vocals to it. So that is how that song came about,” he said.

Degree whose given name is Cardiff Butt, detailed how he pleaded with Browne not to release the song on multiple occasions, but each time the producer reassured him that everything would be fine.

“And I was in Mandeville and I went to the call box – I will never forget – and call Danny and said: ‘Danny, don’t release da song deh’. (Release) suppm else.   And Danny seh: ‘no Degree and Danny convince mi.”

“So like two days past and I went back and I said ‘Danny I will voice another song.  Please.  Don’t release did song’.  And Danny convince me again at dat time,” the now 52-year-old added.

Degree who was only 24 years old at the time, said the first time he heard Granny being played on the radio, he held his head down in embarrassment as he was in a public space and he was sure the listening public would have disliked the song as much as he did.  He also thought the song would be a colossal flop and he would look foolish.

However, that was not to be.  Instead, the reverse happened and the Mandeville native was propelled to instant national stardom.

Degree said when the song was released he was unprepared for the unexpected excitement which greeted it from all quarters of the Jamaican society. Granny was on the lips of the nation and became a street anthem sung by children and adults alike, as well as Christians and even those who were not fans of Dancehall music.

“So when Granny came out now, I could never forget, I was in Half Way Tree, and I was hearing it on the radio for the first time.  I was standin, beside like some vendors and a radio was on Irie FM at the time and I was standing there and mi hear di song come on and yuh know, and honestly mi feel shame like mi hold dung mi head and seh ‘jeez’ and walk away,” he recounted.

“I could never figet. Di vendor was standing there when the song came on and I could hear him seh: ‘a wha dis?’  I hold dung mi head and when I walked down like I was going back dung to di clock way, mi still a hear di song a play and when mi walk round is like everywhere mi turn and a radio on mi a hear di song.  Is like di song a pull up 100 time and I wasn’t feeling excited ova it because I didn’t like it.  An di next day mi buss!  Literally di next day,” Degree explained.

When he went to bed that night, he fell asleep to the tune of Granny being played on the radio, and when he arose the next day, the national excitement had heightened.   Browne was receiving phone calls from all over the entertainment fraternity, and by that weekend Degree was being booked for a slew of stage shows across the island.

“It was one of those monster buss song.  It was not just a buss song. I am not exaggerating because is me do it.  Granny went down in history as one of the biggest buss song dat came out of Jamaica… on that top five of buss songs that came out of Jamaica, Granny is somewhere there,” Degree said.

“Everything was happening so fast.  It was unbelievable.  When you look, everybody, from granny demself, pastor to teacher – you name it who neva like Reggae music, everybaddy like Granny song,” he said.