Bounty Killer, Johnny Osbourne among top label picks

Mel Cooke, Star Writer

Producer Lloyd 'King Jammy' James, whose output on the King Jammy's label in large part defined the early years of dancehall's ongoing digital sound in the 1980s, criticised payola at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, last Thursday.

He was speaking in the final session of this year's Reggae Talks series, put on by the UWI's Department of Literatures in English and hosted by Professor Carolyn Cooper.

During the interactive session which followed James' tale of his musical journey from gathering scrap parts for his electronics interests in the 1960s through to the creation of the Sleng Teng rhythm in 1985, and a current project to remake the Black Uhuru album Love Crisis, he spoke about radio and the business of music.

There was a time when there was not much of a relationship. "Back in the day, radio man never used to play our music. Me have my radio station, which is my sound system," James said.

Now, however, although things have changed, payola is an unfortunate factor. "Now it different. The radio man them nowadays want a arm and a leg to play a song. Me no know how de yute dem a go manage," James said. He went on to speak about the radio disc jockeys ''who a take a bag a money an from him know de man no have no money yu no play him tune. That fi stop."

James said that there is good music out there to be played, identifying artistes such as Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid and Jesse Royal among those who are putting out good material. "These youths trying to bring the thing to a standard and me appreciate it," James said, noting that not so long ago it seemed like a case of some people ''jus' a do a thing".

"I think the music is going in a right direction right now," he said. "I would like the more the merrier - more artiste, more producer, but come with quality. Don't just come with something and throw down."

James was asked about the persons who recorded for the label for whom he had the highest regard. On the deejay side, he identified Rodney Pryce. "Bounty Killer a my deejay when it come to dancehall. Bounty Killer is a youth whe - him is a bad pickney, but me love him. Him loyal and me like when people loyal," James said.

Among the singers, Johnny Osbourne was the pick as "one of the most versatile artistes ever come into my camp".

Both of them recorded popular songs on the Sleng Teng rhythm, Johnny Osbourne doing Buddy Bye and Bounty Killer Lodge.