Mr Universe, the style icon

Karrie Williams, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:If you think dancehall deejay LA Lewis' flamboyance was enough, wait until you meet Savanna-la-Mar's Ted 'Mr Universe' Brown.

He is charismatic, risqué, and simply in your face.

"I was not born to fit in; I was born to stand out," said Brown, who is fast becoming a household name.

True to his word, Brown and his over-the-top persona constantly make him the centre of attention wherever he goes. But it is perhaps his unique fashion sense that is his most distinguishing feature.

"I have an edge over others in the way I dress," Brown told Western Focus recently. "Whenever I am going out, people tend to want to know what Mr Universe is wearing. If I know someone is wearing something, I am not going to wear it. I have to be different. I have to stand out from the crowd."

Largely considered a fashion icon on the entertainment circuit, Mr Universe is often approached 'paparazzi-style' at parties and other functions by persons captivated by his image.

Brown credits his father (Owen Brown) and his cousins (Rapper and Otis Brown) for his trendsetting ways, which have seen him winning the Best-Dressed Male in western Jamaica for the past 11 years.

style and fashion

"I grew up in style and fashion," said Brown. "I have a 'swag' daddy, and from a tender age, I noticed how my dad and my cousins would always bring the 'swag', and people would always look to them for dressing up and looking good."

With his personality and strong sense of fashion, it is no surprise that today, Brown is one of Westmoreland's most sought-after MCs as his appearance at any event usually guarantees a sold-out affair.

Brown credits Irie FM's Elise Kelly, with whom he regularly shares witty on-air discussions, for helping him to create the platform for becoming so well known.

While declaring, "I was born naturally pretty," Brown nonetheless admits to doing limited skin bleaching to keep himself well toned.

"I won't deny it. I do use a little thing on my face because you have to look good when you are in the public light," said Brown. "My complexion is already cool and pretty, but I just use a little something to keep it looking good. At the end of the day, I love to look good; I have to maintain my image."

Though being a prominent member of the entertainment fraternity and enjoying close friendships with several top-flight dancehall artistes, Brown says he is somewhat unhappy with what he calls a distasteful breakdown in the current status of dancehall music.

"In the entertainment industry right now, I think some of the lyrics that the artistes are spitting out are just for the moment. These songs are not songs for the future. So I think these artistes nowadays not going to reach anywhere," he said.

"The songs with lewd lyrics are just for the current hype. After next month, nobody will care about those songs anymore," continued Brown. "We need uplifting music like what we get from artistes like D'Angel and Tarrus Riley."