‘Europeans appreciate Our Roots’

Curtis Campbell, Gleaner  Writer

International Reggae artiste Natty King says Europeans embrace Jamaican culture more than locals.

The artiste, who has been missing from the local music scene for sometime now, says he has been busy spreading his musical efforts in Europe.

Natty King came on the scene in 2003 with the hit single No Guns To Town, produced by 2mile records. He explained to The Gleaner that he was already established in Jamaica and, therefore, had his eyes on the bigger market.

“Jamaicans don’t buy your records, and gone are the days when a song had to blow up in Jamaica before being recognised overseas,” he said, citing Gyptian’s Hold Yuh as an example.

Natty King has four albums under his belt.

“I might not be very visible, due to lack of local promotion but I am really working hard,” he said.

The artiste recently released an album, Born to be free, under a European label in Austria.

According to Natty King, the concept behind the album’s title came as a result of management issues slowing down his musical development.

“I was bound to a five-year contract that started out good for the first three years, then it just wasn’t working out,” he said.

The artiste said the contract restricted his ability to work with other artistes and producers, and that prevented him from taking on opportunities that would have been beneficial. He also said the contract had expired and he was free to do more music.

“That is why I called the recent album Born to be free, because it’s just a reflection of how I felt being released from the contract,” he told The Gleaner.

Natty King said he thought the 16-track album was very good and that his two favourite songs on the compilation were Evil Surround Me and Care For Life.

According to the artiste, the album was already doing well in Switzerland, Holland, Germany and Austria after only three months.
Another European tour is on the horizon for Natty King as well. From October to November, he is scheduled to do promotion for the album.

“In years to come, I want to be an icon, like Jimmy Cliff and Burning Spear. Dem man deh push reggae to far places, and that is my aim, to surpass the boundaries of just Jamaica,” he said.

Showcase

The artiste also said he liked the organisation of the European scene.

“I love to give a performance, and here (Jamaica) we don’t do that. It’s like a rush t’ing and other artiste want the mic. Dem thing deh jus embarrassing. When I perform in Europe, it goes by time, and I get up to an hour to showcase my songs,” he said.

The singer said he now produces some of his own material and is also harnessing fresh talent. “yu have a artiste name Cunnie Ras I am working with, and I now have my own label, Wellowell Records.

The busy reggae artiste also said he recently completed work on another album, following Born To Be Free, which should be released soon. The album, which is currently untitled, he said, is set to be released in 2011 for a record company in Sweden.

Having been missing from the Jamaican media scene for sometime, Natty King said he intends to make himself more visible, starting with the release of a single, Law and Order, featuring Lukie D.

According to Natty King, a video has been shot for the song and should hit the airways soon.