Interview: Keznamdi’s Journey From Janitor To Reggae Revivalist With ‘Time’

Reggae singer Keznamdi released the visuals for his latest video, ‘Time’, recently. The single is a poignant reminder to humanity of the importance of cherishing life’s most essential moments .

Filmed against the vibrant backdrop of Ghana, the video is a soulful exploration of Keznamdi’s deep cultural ties to Africa and his commitment to delivering music that resonates globally. This release marks the first glimpse of his highly anticipated sophomore album, slated for release in the first half of 2025.

What was it like growing up with your parents who were musicians in the band Chakula? What important lessons did you learn.

Growing up with my parents, you know was a very unique experience and you know, I never realized how unique it was…until I got older to understand what my father and mother was about, you know? I mean like growing up in the 90s as a rasta family, where each one of your family grow locks, Rastafarians weren’t looked up on as anything in our society, dem smoke drugs, dem smoke filth, that’s how we were viewed in society.

Other parents never wanted their kids to come play with we or sleep over our house, we did kind of de amongst we-selves. Furthermore, my parents were musicians, revolutionaries and activists, you know? So, the household was very vibrant, but at the same time, was very serious. Because every move and every decision and what my parents livicated their life was to the betterment of humanity, you know. So, you know, you grew up with them, kind of certain morals. And hearing certain conversations in the household, you know, and those kind of things were really shape your mind as a youth. I, you know, growing up we did have a studio in the house in and dem time de, that was very unique at that time. Mi did think everybody have a studio in dem house, you know, not a big recording studio, just a place to record, you know, I mean and, you know, that those kind of things set the foundation for I and I to develop my craft and create the music that I’m creating today, you know? So yeah, we give thanks.

Share a humorous story about living in Tanzania during tour youth.

Kind of crazy you know when my mother got the opportunity to go to Tanzania to work…came home one day and say we’re moving to Tanzania. I never even know what Tanzania was. She literally had to take out a map and show it, here. And was that was a huge, massive move for a family to go to that. Because we’re going to a whole new place where you do not know the, language, nothing. It was a big risk that we took, I remember driving the whole family, we did that to the National Parks, which is the parks where all the animals and the tribes live free of society. It’s like a nature park where all the animal live free, you know? I remember when that time we literally got chased by a stampede of elephants, you know? Because we were out on the road and we were looking and taking pictures. Next thing, you know, You know, it it’s hard for explain but it was serious, you know, like we could have get stampeded by elephants…crazy…very serious ting.

And I even remember one time passing by this tribe of adolescents. They were doing this ritual when they move from a child to a man, they run this ritual where the youths paint their face white and they go out in the wilderness by themselves without their parents. So we did stop now , see dem and the whole ah we get fraid and ah wonder which tribe this? Dem look like dem a go nyam we (laughing). So we get to understand and explain what we’re going through, and the time and period, and do this is ritual like they run where a boy becomes a man, you know. But there were some good moments in in Tanzania, you know, very special place. It’s always gonna be my second home to Jamaica, you know. I definitely have some good family out there and some good friends out there who I still keep up with today, you know?

What was your first job? What was that like? Or did you always feel ordained to do music?

Yeah, my first, first job was actually in university, you know what I mean? I actually got that job through a fellow Jamaican over there who was a Jamaican at the same university that I was going to and, you know, I was explaining and expressing to him that I was going through a very tough time financially, you know. We’re out here in America, in the wild, wild west by yourself, no help from your parents or nothing and you try to figure out how the hell you’re going to get through this, you know. So my first job was actually a janitor, you know what I mean? Cleaning out toilets and cleaning up the stadium at the basketball games, you know what I mean? And I remember always being very frustrated because all these drunk college kids used to just forward and just throw popcorn all over the place, vomit up in the toilet them and thing and, you know, at the end of that day I was, you know, going to university, I already knew that music was my calling and I already knew that this is what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing, you know.

So doing that job, it was nothing for me because my vision was so far ahead of this place that I would just be focused and just put my headphones in, listen to my music and just do my job, you know. It wasn’t. I have never been afraid to work, you know what I mean? And as I said, my vision was so far ahead it was nothing for me to do that, you know. But it never lasts, you know what I mean? I never last in a school neither, so, you know, that was like a year and then after a year I was just like, yo, I’m not wasting my time doing this anymore, you know.

We have a short-lived life and we need to be in a situation where I’m doing my music and at that time I remember I was working these jobs and I had the number one song on Billboard and the number one EP on the Reggae Billboard charts while doing this, you know. And none of my peers at the time in university really knew that I was doing music and my music was actually getting somewhat of attention, you know. So it was, I felt like I was living a dual life, you know, where I was this musician in Jamaica where, you know, you’re building a steady audience and you’re building a steady fan base but now you’re in university where nobody really cares about you and in America nobody really gives a shit about you, so yeah, that was my first job as a janitor.

How many musical instruments do you play?

You know, my instrument and my main instrument is that I know how to play is the guitar, you know, and that’s how I write most of my songs. That’s the instrument that I use if I’m performing. That’s the one that I’m most familiar with and also introduced me and taught me how to sing was before I was a DJ.
But you know, my father kind of did really was very persistent in me learning how to learn an instrument if I’m going to take music seriously. And, you know, and now growing up and being an adult myself, now I understand why he was so persistent about it. But playing guitar really helped me and taught me singing and melodies and not just words, because before learning an instrument, it was more about the words for me.

But, you know, playing the guitar really taught me how to make records. And through the knowledge of learning guitar, now I know a little dabble of bass, you know, I can and I know and understand music where I can spell a card or, you know, you know, on the piano and I’m able to now produce my records through learning guitar. Music easy, you know, just twelve notes in a scale, you know.

So from, you know, the understanding of certain things, you pretty much know the whole scope, you know what I mean? It’s just more about how much time you can you can be a jack of all trades, you know, so guitar is my main instrument, you know.

What is the overarching theme of the album?

You know, well, this album really is, you know, I like to have a variety of different sounds and feelings on the album, you know, especially when it’s an album. Because when you’re putting together a body of work, you want somebody able to play it from track one, go all the way down to the end without skipping it, you know. And for that you have to have a basket of fruits, you know, and have something on there for everybody.

But, you know, a lot of these, the sounds on this album is personal stories and real feelings and emotions when we put on wax, you know. And then I would say there’s a there’s a huge global outlook as well on the project, where the overarching theme and the thread that threads everything together is the third world perspective and the struggle of, you know, living in a third world country and thinking so big and trying to overcome it. But no, you’re being oppressed by the colonial minds and the colonial system that is still there, that’s still a grind.

We still have impact on our country as a Third World country, whether you come from the islands or you come from Africa and everything. And that was one of the main reasons why I went to Ghana is because it sounded so African and it sounded so such like from a Third World perspective that I felt the need and the calling to make sure I bring these textures and tones to Africa. And, you know, so it’s very African sounding and it’s a Third World story, you know what I mean.

But at the end of the day, it’s still stories and real feelings as a human being. And because me tell it from a very true and honest place, anybody can relate to it, even if he’s from the first world, you know what I mean. But the overarching theme, I would say, if was to put it in two words, is colonial bandage and how we overcome it and how we can triumph over this colonial bondage we are faced as a people.

I think touring, you know, I’ve been touring for the past 10 years, you know, all over the world and it’s definitely helped to build a very core audience, you know what I mean?

What sort of advice do you have for youngsters in music

But if I was to give advice to a youth, you know, from the experience that I have had, I think that the most important thing is records, is the time and mastering the music that you make.

Because, you know, you can tour and tour and tour, but it’s not flyers make people come on your show or a good website or good shirts or the set that you perform, it’s the music where you release, you know what I mean?

So I think the most important thing is focusing on getting your music heard and focusing on making sure you master your craft.

Because I truly believe that if you have great music, that it will reach the people, it will really catch like wildfire if you have great music and then you can tour all you want. So, you know, I would say it’s not about just touring and getting up on, you know, I feel like when I started out, I never really have any links in the industry like that.

So the first thing that came natural to me was guerrilla marketing, which is literally taking my music and bringing it to the doorsteps of people because I have nowhere else, you know what I mean?

Do you believe that reggae artist should tour often to develop a cult following overseas?

You have to also be careful because there’s a lot to it, you know, like touring and understanding the scope of like how Live Nation works and how to climb up from a 500 cap venue to a 1000 cap to a 1500 to a 2000, what does that mean and how to really do this, it’s a path.

But at the end of the day, the market for touring, you can’t fluff it. It’s not like social media where you can fluff up your social media and make it look like you’re bigger than you really is or whatever.

Touring, you can’t do that. If you put your name on a flyer and only 50 people come, that’s what you’re worth in the eyes of the industry, you know what I mean?
But you know, touring is great. You create great memories with the people and you can’t deny that. But what’s more important is the records that you create because that will live on forever even when you’re dead and gone.

It’s the records, it’s not the touring, it’s really the records when you release, you know? So I would say put more emphasis on the release and mastering the release and getting your songs heard before you just go jump and go tour.

Has the Reggae Revival movement stalled?

Um, you know this term, Reggae Revival, is something that took place many times. It didn’t just happen with our generation, you know what I mean?

Yeah, the Reggae Revival happened even in a Bob Marley days them, when all of the rest of them did come out and liberate people through music.
That was a whole Reggae Revival, you know, you know what I mean?

And it’s a rise of consciousness, you know, through the medium of Reggae.
So that’s why they say Reggae Revival, if they want to put a name to it.
But it’s really a rise up of conscious music and amplifying that frequency.
And, you know, that happened in a Bob Marley time, that did happen in a Boudreaux them time, and then it did come down and happen in a Sizzla them,
and Capleton time, and Anthony B time, come down to Prodigy, and Taurus Riley them, till it come down to Kranix them, and Kez Namdi them, and Kelisa them, and Jesse them.

You know, and this is something that happens every so often, you know what I mean? Because the people demand it, when life is a cycle, you’re not going to just get good, good, good, good.

You’re going to get different frequencies too, and because life is duality, where there’s good, there’s bad, where there’s day, there’s night, where there’s sun, there’s a moon. So, it’s the same thing in our music.

You know, and I feel like, definitely has installed, because globally, what people want to see, it may feel like that in Jamaica, you know what I mean?

Because the dominant music in Jamaica right now, is dancehall music, you know what I mean? Amongst the youth them, but once a youth start become, of age and understanding who them is, and they start to question who they are, the first thing them going to hold on to is reggae.

So, don’t get fooled, because when you see a bag of 16 year old youth, are listening to certain kind of musics and stuff, no, that is a stage where them there. But when them reach 20, and 21, and 22, and start questioning themselves, them are going to start dig a little deeper in our music, to find out what’s going on, in our themselves, and they want something more than just getting drunk to music, and partying, you know what I mean?
There comes a time in everybody’s life where that happens.
So, as I say, it’s a cycle.

Do you feel there will be a huge rise in the production and marketing of conscious music in 2025?

And now, I think that we’ve reached that point now, where this year we’re going to see a huge rise in conscious music, and I’m telling you that because I know amongst my peers that a lot of people have their albums ready to release this year. I’m not the only one.

There’s many other people who haven’t released any music for a long time,
who’s going to be releasing this year as well, and it’s going to be powerful, because it’s going to be a lot of us, you know what I mean? And you’re going to see the rise of our consciousness again, you know what I mean?

It’s just like when our Reggae Revival was birthed, it was in the heights of Tamili, you know what I mean? And not to say that Tamili isn’t doing bad music, the man there entertain people, he’s an entertainer, and you have two kind of entertainers.

You have entertainers who take you on a fantasy route and bring fantasy to you, it’s just like a movie, or you have an entertainer like me, where I hit you with entertainment with reality though, straight to your face, you know what I mean?

Now, man, it’s far from style, man, because look at the festivals, the majority of the festivals globally is Reggae festivals, you know what I mean? And they’re bringing thousands, hundreds of thousands of people,and what do they want to hear? Reggae music, you know what I mean?

So, it’s alive and well, man, and it’s one of the most unique music because it’s the least budget spent on, right? However, how is it so impactful that it can still go into these crevices and corners and still be alive and well, you know what I mean? So, yeah, man, music is a movement.