Who am I?
I am a teacher born and bred in Massachusetts, but have lived in places such as NYC, Denver CO, and an Indian Reservation in Northern New Mexico. I am a DJ, semi -retired, who was immersed in hiphop since the early 1980’s and who fell in love with Dancehall music in the late 90’s. I have been a fan ever since. I experimented with beatmaking and producing, and I admire all the different decades and styles of riddims and producers, from the 90’s, 2000’s and 2010’s up until contemporary times. When I interviewed producer Dakrome (in the blog section of this website) I asked him what makes something dancehall. He answered that there has to be that “core”, and that core is what I love. I am a novice and like all of us true novices I want to learn as much as I can, not to make a profit, but just for the love of making a vibe and the pleasure that improving and growing in any art form brings.
In this blog I (like Sting said) come here seeking knowledge. I want to learn and I want to humbly share what I learn with others. Follow my trials and errors and learn from them. I write from the perspective of a longtime fan and DJ but a novice producer. I want to know how great and should be great riddims came to be and how producers and beat makers struggled and solved the creative problems to birth some truly wicked vibes. So many legendary and should be legendary producers are among us, working in relative obscurity. Like any learner and fan, I want to know their stories and experiences: for my own growth, for the growth of others, and for the growth and promotion of the culture across the world. This blog is a record of what I have personally learned and struggled with creatively but also how others have dealt with their own creative struggles. If you have suggestions or are a producer/artist no matter how known or unknown and would like to correspond, please reach out. I do this for the love but I admire those who choose to take on the difficult world of the music business, and I support those who are trying to reach an international audience. If I can help on my end (the US) I am happy to do what I can.
Just for the record, I am not Jamaican (though I was married to one) and am not a black man. It’s important to say what should be obvious, that black lives matter both in Jamaica, the US, Africa, and all over the world. As an American it is embarrassing that today that those words would even be questioned but the reality is that they must be stated and repeated and backed up with anti-racist action. No justice, no peace.
Truth and Rhythm Ultimately Overcomes Negative Energy
-DJ T.R.U.O.N.E or TRU-1
RiddimLove 