Chris Gayle Speaks On Popcaan’s Criticism Of Usain Bolt, Says Artists Should Collaborate Not Mock
West Indies batting superstar and Dancehall recording artist Chris Gayle, says well-established Jamaican Dancehall entertainers should be looking to join forces with himself and Usain Bolt to do collabs, instead of jeering or ‘passing bad remarks’.
The cricketing superstar was recently weighing in on Popcaan’s controversial comments made in January, in which he rubbished Usain Bolt and his manager NJ’s Living the Dream song and admonished him to use his resources to help ‘some youth wid real musical talent’.
“No one can come and dictate to any particular one say you not allowed to come and venture into the music world,” Gayle told entertainment journalist Anthony Miller, during an interview that was aired on Television Jamaica’s Entertainment Report on Friday night.
“We are Jamaicans, we love our music; it is part of our culture, so any athlete want to do music you have all right to do so,” he added.
According to the self-styled Universe Boss, sportsmen like himself and Usain Bolt owe nobody any obligation and will not pander to the dictates of any artist that they should be benefactors for young artists, or who may want to dismiss their creative efforts or mercilessly mock them.
“Other artistes gonna look at an athlete and say as a successful athlete, ‘hey why not help others if you want to venture into this business? Why not help other artistes as well… we don’t have to dweet. We don’t owe anybody any obligation,” he declared.
The Universe Boss, who has just released his new single Wack We a Wack, on his Triple Century Records label, was responding to questions posed by Miller about how other established artists would view himself as a sportsman, wading into music recording, a field in which he has no prior experience or known vocal talent.
Gaye explained in turn that he had been assembling a professional team under his Triple Century Records label, and the members had been providing him with the requisite guidance, resulting in two releases, the other being the track titled Blessings.
Unlike Usain Bolt, Gayle has been receiving much accolades for his two releases, evoking thumbs up from artists such as Jesse Royal, Chi Ching Ching, Ding Dong, ZJ Liquid, and even Minister of Entertainment Olivia Grange who is a former manager for Patra, Shabba Ranks, and Bounty Killer.
The Excelsior High School old boy said sportsmen like himself should be encouraged and even invited to do collabs, as opposed to being shunned or ridiculed by established artists, as he himself, pushes Jamaica’s music genres wherever he goes in the world, particularly in far-flung countries like India where the island’s music is not popular, but where he has millions of doting fans.
“Sometimes when we go out to bat, we have the choice to choose a song, so we can choose our local artistes and spread it on that platform – like in India. Reggae music is not big in India, so if Chris Gayle play Reggae music in India, it is a big highlight for the local artiste here to get their music out there on a different platform. You go to Australia, I say ‘here DJ, I want this song’ and we tag them (Jamaican artistes) sometime on Instagram to say your music is actually playing in Sydney, in India, in Sri Lanka, in Bangladesh, in Pakistan – wherever I go round the world,” he explained.
“So it is a win for them. So they should actually say yow, let’s do a collab with Chris Gayle or Usain Bolt… they can (then) venture into different side of the world which their music has never been before,” he added, noting later that not much Jamaican music is played in South-East Asia, the few exceptions being songs from Sean Paul, Shaggy and Beenie Man.
Gayle also said that Jamaican artists are underestimating the global power of the Jamaican music culture.
“Jamaica is a powerhouse when it comes on to music and these artistes really don’t get it as yet; these artistes don’t rely know what is in their hands,” he remarked.