'Ghetto People Song', a good fit

Mel Cooke, Sunday Gleaner Writer

From pre-Independence ska at Chocomo Lawn, west Kingston, through to the post-2000 Cassava Piece 'Gully' dancehall allegiances of Mavado, recorded Jamaican popular music is inseparable from the inner-city.

Bob Marley took his Trench Town rock to the world, and one stage deejay, Bounty Killer, built on his inner-city support to declare himself the 'Poor People Governor'.

There is one striking song, though, which declares itself the preserve of those from the ghetto - and, by extension, maybe marks Jamaican popular music as the territory of the class from which it sprang.

Everton Blender's Ghetto People Song appears on the 1999 album Rootsman Credential and is on the popular Lalibella rhythm, the most popular cut of which is Tony Rebel's If Jah is Standing By My Side.

And, as Blender tells The Sunday Gleaner, were it not for his having already done Ghetto People Song on the Lalibella, he could have been the performer of If Jah is Standing By My Side.

"I was supposed to do If Jah is Standing By My Side ... True I did have a song on the rhythm already it wouldn't make no sense coming from the same camp," he said.

Blender was not involved in writing If Jah is Standing By My Side, and described the penning of Ghetto People Song as a collaborative process.

"The whole of us was around by Flames (in Pembroke Hall, St Andrew). Then, is like Tony Rebel say to me, 'we find a song for you'. We were going to do a show in St Elizabeth," he said.

"Is the whole of we come together and write Ghetto People Song," he said, identifying Bello Bell of Star Trail Records, Tony Rebel and Jabari among those who had a hand in the song. The chorus goes:

"Is a ghetto people song only

them can sing this one

It's a song for the poor who's

facing sufferation"

That comes after an introduction of a repeated "higher", which gets progressively higher in pitch to set up the start of the song. Blender said that he came up with that part of the song himself and also contributed the lines that start the second verse:

"Give a little, even a little

Just make it trickle, know who

you give to

I'm talking to you Mr Fortunate One."

While those lines make a request, in the first verse, Ghetto People Song is more demanding:

"Followers of downpression

Why you only terrorise the poor?

Deluding the fact they are human

Who one day will not take it any more

Take it from your brother

Everton Blender

Now is the time for you to get stronger

Wise up, wise up and temper your anger"

"Is a syndicate. We say ghetto people fe have a song for themselves. Yeah, only they can sing it," he said. Blender, it was decided, was the man to do it as "it fit me, true me grow in the ghetto. When gully bank come down me a look an' say 'Jah, no make it come over'."

Ghetto People Song has, naturally, been sung by many persons apart from those on the gully and various inner-city areas, in and out of Jamaica.

"I been in Italy and do it with about 50,000 people or more. Me a sing it and the whole place erupt. Jamaica also; from you go on the stage and say 'higher' the people start bawl," he said.

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  Album launch brings Blender home

Everton Blender spends much of his time in Miami but makes it clear that "mi nuh leave mi country".

So he came to Jamaica earlier this year and picked up a Clarendon Award, and will also launch his new album, Higher Heights revolution, on Saturday, in Old Harbour, St Catherine.

Three songs from the 15-track set - Bubbaru, Hold On In Deh and When You Wrong - have been pre-released and The Sunday Gleaner immediately picks up Blender's nickname 'Bubbaru' from his popular 1990s song Piece A De Blender.

Blender says the song was written in that period. "Is a vibe. True mi nuh remember some song to sing, or it would probably record before," he said.

"We never give away all the hit song; we keep some in store. If a man give you six corn, cook five and put one down to dry so you can plant."

Similarly, the home connection is very important.

"Many times we off the island in different places. Jamaica is where you get the mineral water and these things. In Florida mi set mi career a bit more stronger," he said.

"Jamaica is beautiful; nice, where you have the vibe even if you feeling low."

Among the other tracks on Higher Heights rEvolution are I'm Gonna Serve Jah, I Can't Keep My Eyes Off You, Carmelita and Bun Dis Ya Fire.

Since the start of the year Blender has performed in California, among his United States concerts, and in October he has other dates in that country. Still, he points out that it is "very, very important" to get airplay in Jamaica. However, Blender said "it is so sad you are in Jamaica and people elsewhere respect you more".

"I know you have my fans in Jamaica who love me so much, but the bling bling man, it a fling!" Blender said.