Falmouth-based artiste Jamari is not afraid to tackle social issues with his music and that is exactly what he did with the release of his single M.O.N.E Why, a video for which was released recently.

"People love the video, a lot of people have been liking it on Facebook and retweeting the link on Twitter, they love the quality of the video and the overall storyline which shows a young man being influenced to live a life of crime by a don, but who rejects that path by choosing music. That is an important idea to get across in Jamaica, especially with the high level of gun violence and crime. We have to give young people choices, it is the only way to change behaviour," he said.

Jamari has seen a spike in the number of spins of his video since its release last week, with the video generating thousands of spins since it was added to rotation on CVM, HYPE and RE TV.

The video, shot by the award-winning music video director Jay Will, has a moral storyline of a young man who rejects a life of crime and chooses music instead, a move that pays off immediate dividends.

"I've been getting a positive response on Facebook and Twitter, they love the look and the message," he said.

In the meantime, M.O.N.E Why, on the OD Records label, is doing well on FM radio and in the streets of the Kingston Metropolitan Area.

a lot of airplay

"The single has been getting a lot of airplay on HITZ, and it got some rotation on IRIE and ZIP as well. We are now cranking up the street promotion, the song played at Bounty Sundays, Boom Boom played it last week at Uptown Mondays, it played at Cash Money Wednesdays and Chicken Back Wednesdays in Spanish Town. The single is also going on mixtapes and Crazy Chris is taking care of selectors in the west to begin playing it in the dances," Jamari said.

Building on the success of M.O.N.E Why, he has been experimenting with different genres, working to fine-tune a sound he dubs 'dancehall jazz'. Other songs such as the brilliantly conceived One More Time and the spiritually charged Me Believe show that hewill be one of the fierce young voices emerging out of dancehall-reggae today.

He is moving full speed ahead to kick off his own label, Reid Music, and is seeking a young producer who wants to work with him.

"I want to develop and create a whole new sound for dancehall, I have a vision, all I need is the right producers and the right team to make it a reality," he said.

Born Jamarie Reid, he grew up in the community of Falmouth Gardens in the Georgian town of Falmouth in Trelawny. He attended Cedric Titus High School where he focused on academics, especially electrical engineering. After leaving school, he landed various jobs before fate struck in 2011. One night, he was out partying with friends when there was a deejay competition in the Falmouth square.

Now that he has a firm foothold in the reggae-dancehall industry, there is no turning back.

"This is what I want to do, make music and entertain people all over the world," he said.