Morgan Heritage wants industry to give young acts a chance
Published:Monday | February 14, 2022 | 12:07 AMStephanie Lyew/ Gleaner Writer
Grammy Award-winning reggae musicians Morgan Heritage are continuing their mission to engage the youth of the reggae and dancehall music industry. Originally made up by five of reggae icon Denroy Morgan’s children, Morgan Heritage the band now comprises Roy ‘Gramps’ Morgan, Peter ‘Peetah’ Morgan and Memmalatel ‘Mr Mojo’ Morgan, dubbed The Trinity.
According to Gramps Morgan, more now than ever, mentorship is important in the industry.
“We have a duty to share our experiences with the younger artistes and creatives in this industry, in order to maintain the culture and success of our music at home and abroad,” he told The Gleaner in a recent interview.
Sharing a lesson the group has imparted on their most recent collaborators, Jahshii, Rytikal and I-Octane, Gramps Morgan added, “In life, one has to lead by example. We do believe that as artistes who have had much more experience than those who are just coming into this business. This is the most important message.”
Throughout their careers, Morgan Heritage has conducted talent searches in their home parish of St Thomas. Each year, leading up to the annual East Fest, organised by the family, from 2000 to 2007 the group actively sought new and upcoming artistes to introduce to the stages. So, it was deemed a blessing for them to reconnect with Rytikal, given name Ryan McFarlane, who grew up footsteps away from the Heritage Estates in the parish, for their latest production titled Headline Fi Front Page.
POWER OF JAMAICAN MUSIC
Rytikal, who was freed of gun charges one week prior to the song’s release and shared that he would be showing dancehall listeners another side to his talent under the moniker Purytikal, manages a skilled report on the social atmosphere and the responsibility media has on the information shared, following in the footsteps of Morgan Heritage’s signature tone of keen social commentary. Meanwhile, Jahshii’s perspective zooms in on the misdirection of the people through a passionate verse of his own, and I-Octane, as the more experienced act, adds his distinctive brand of disapproval for the flawed society that continues to fail the youth.
Citing Rytikal’s opinion that “change in the world and the music industry is inevitable, and that means the music has to change,” Gramps Morgan said he and his brothers agreed and have seen where the power of the Jamaican music, including some of the productions coming out of the new generation of artistes, is “truly undeniable”.
“It influences so many other genres, and many artistes around the world for that matter. So we must continue to stay on the straight and narrow path and keep our artistry at the forefront, more so than our own personal opinions of the people who create it,” he continued.
Mojo Morgan said that music is an antidote that can bring the inevitable change that most Jamaican people desire, and that their goals for Rytikal and his music were boundless. “We are grateful to know we’ll be able to work with Rytikal in the way that we are. We have great aspirations for where this young man will take his career over the next five to 10 years, and look forward to many more years of doing an annual talent search across the parish when we launch our new festival to close out 2022,” he said.
The singer-songwriter further explained that Rytikal and Jahshii, and many of the younger acts emerging in the dancehall, “are the voices of their generation,” and unlike, the older acts, are more exposed.
“In the days of the creators of dancehall music, we didn’t have the culture so heavily influenced by entertainment from overseas as much as we have today. So when you see the culture today is being influenced by entertainment from overseas, then this is what you are going to get within the music. We can’t expect nothing better from humanity as a whole, much less Jamaica; when we have entertainment – from the video games to what we consume in movies or on TV – being so graphic. Even the content we see on social media, there is violence in every corner of society,” he reasoned about the music of these younger acts being labelled as ‘violent’ and having an impact on their personal lives.
“Dancehall is a music that was inspired by a place we would go to listen to rocksteady and reggae within the ghettos and the countryside of our island. The creators of the music have always been inspired by the life they lived or saw growing up. Historically, the music has always influenced and shaped the culture and manner in which we behave as a community. So we will never tell a creator or ask one to not speak about their truth or their experiences. We give them a chance, and encourage others to listen to them,” Mojo Morgan continued.
The collaboration with Jahshii, Rytikal and I-Octane is the first single in two years for the multi-award-winning group. It is also their way of connecting with the younger generation and providing another platform for these acts to share their experiences, but also a way to reconnect with the consumers of their music.
Morgan Heritage is known for hit singles like Don’t Haffi Dread, Down By The River, Tell Me How Come, as well as albums like Avrakadebra and Strictly Roots, which won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2016, cementing their name in Jamaican music history.