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COLLIE BUDDZ: New reggae artist is diversifying dancehall
*What are the characteristics of a dancehall superstar? Born in New Orleans? Raised in Bermuda? Bald? White? Musically immersed in the music with influences of hip-hop and soca?
No matter what you may have thought, those are exactly the attributes of who MTV is calling “the next big reggae star.” He goes by the name Collie Buddz and he is all of the above, and then some.
Hardly the picture of a Rastafarian, Collie explained to EUR’s Lee Bailey that while he may not have the common look of a dancehall maestro, he definitely has the heart of one.
“I just fell in love with the music,” he said. “I just basically grew up with old reggae music. I was just constantly around the music, buying CDs and session tapes. As far as I can remember, I was listening to reggae. I guess it all ties in with how I sound today.”
That sound has been described as “fat, fragrant sack of rugged roots reggae” and an “on drop crooner” of reggae. And that sound has been a source of amazement for dancehall fans.
“A lot of people are shocked when they first see me. They first hear the tune and think it’s some big Rasta man from Jamaica and they see this little white boy,” Collie said. “It definitely puts people off, at first.”
Fortunately, the surprise has been all good so far. The dancehall lyricists said that he’s yet to run into any haters unhappy about his, er ... lack of melanin. His acceptance may be in part by the fact that Collie makes no attempt to be something he’s not – in addition to his popular music. His sound is his own and so is his image. He even explained that he doesn’t sport dreads, a Rastafarian tell-tell, out of respect for what dread locks represent.
“Dreads, to me, represent being very spiritual and deep into the Rasta religion. I’ve never got into that so I don’t want to portray myself as someone I’m not. So I’m just sticking with the bald head,” he said.
One thing that does fit the bill is the singer’s admiration for herb. His stage name, Collie Buddz, was derived from his real name Collin, but developed after his introduction to marijuana as a teen. And furthermore, his first US single, “Come Around” could clearly be considered an ode to herb.
“It’s about the drought that we get in Bermuda of herb around winter time,” Collie explained. “It’s hard to find some good herb and when you find it, it’s real expensive. And if you pay for it, you’re lucky if you get something good. So, the tune is about finally when the package comes and you get some high grade, you’re happy about it.”
While he admits there may be some resistance to the song, like any islander, Collie shrugged off any disapproval, saying: “There’s going to be a couple of people that are not want to promote it, but I’m not that concerned about it. It’s a part of my culture.”
Collie Buddz' "Come Around" via YouTube:
Collie’s culture is a dual citizenship of the US and Bermuda, though he generally calls Bermuda his home, and has a strong connection to Jamaica.
“It’s just like any other Caribbean island,” he said of Bermuda. “Just like in Jamaica, dancehall and hip hop rule everything. It might not be the thing that tourists see all the time, but definitely reggae is the main music here.”
And even in describing his style, Collie referred to the Jamaican terms for a singing DJ.
“They have a saying in Jamaica that a DJ isn’t a guy who plays records, he’s actually a guy that sings dancehall lyrics or fast-paced lyrics. And then they have singers. But you can have a DJ that sings also and they call him a sing-jay. That’s how I describe my music; a dancehall singer putting melody to it. It’s rapping, but with melody.”
The self-titled debut disc from this melodic rapper hits stores this June, but you can already check out his sound online at www.colliebuddz.com or his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/colliebuddz.
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Some folks think she sounds like Mary J.
Check out new artist Deemi's "Soundtrack
of My Life" (click the link below) and let us
know what you think: Deemi@eurweb.com.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid507904852
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