Showing posts with label Grassroots. Show all posts
The Clash is on, Squeezy started it, but will Jah Bami finish it? He wasted no time responding to Squeezy's track. Bami headed straight to studio and laid down some sharp lyrics, recorded a video and released it to the social media world. Being a true macco I had to talk to Jah Bami and get his side of the story. Just to fill everyone in, Squeezy Rankin, recorded and released a song dissing international recording artistes Khari Kill and Jah Bami. In this interview we were able to get inside Jah Bami's head and ask all the questions that everybody wants to know!!
Entertainment Macco: What was your initial reaction when you heard Squeezy Ranking calling your name in his diss?
Jah Bami: “I was in a meeting and after the meeting I was told to go on the computer because Squeezy send a message for me. So I was like what going on here? To me it was funny and I was laughing because I know he is a jokey man but when I heard the things he was saying about me and the obscene language that was when I realized he was serious. Now he and Khari had some kind of beef when they were like 15 or 16 and he (Squeezy) talked to me about it and I tell him them need to deal with that...”
Jah Bami: “I was in a meeting and after the meeting I was told to go on the computer because Squeezy send a message for me. So I was like what going on here? To me it was funny and I was laughing because I know he is a jokey man but when I heard the things he was saying about me and the obscene language that was when I realized he was serious. Now he and Khari had some kind of beef when they were like 15 or 16 and he (Squeezy) talked to me about it and I tell him them need to deal with that...”
Entertainment Macco: Do you think that you responding was the best way to deal with the situation? Why?
Jah Bami: “To be honest it wasn’t the best way because I know the artiste, I know the individual, and I know him on a personal level. I considered him meh brethren; I know which part he came from. My natural instinct was not to respond, that is why I went on Facebook asking people what they think, some said yes while others said no. On a real though, if a man calls you out, the right thing to do is answer back. If I didn’t answer people would have said I soft...Right now what Squeezy doing is like Satan interfering with Jah.”
Entertainment Macco: Now that a clash is official do you intend to respond every time Squeezy sends messages?
Jah Bami: “Clash eh have no rules, everything I talking bout is where I living, it eh easy to live on my block and I have it locked. My beef is not with Squeezy is with the people who endorsing he shit. I feel he have to do like 3 songs for my one song for me to answer him back. What I watching is the fact that people enjoying the clash so that might encourage me to respond as well. Until he stop I will keep jabbing because I am a boxer you feel me? Squeezy is a punk and I will expose him and his fans.”
Entertainment Macco: Alright...I am following you…
Jah Bami: “Let Khari come and defend he business now. My problem is with Kwasi from Studio 53, them looking for hype. We do real hard work behind that studio and them coming behind we. …”
Entertainment Macco: I have to ask though, what happened with you and Studio 53?
Jah Bami: “Kwasi is a nasty man, plain talk. He does anything for petty fame and image, he just looking for hype; he do it without respect for me, without respect for Khari and even without respect for Squeezy. Right now I eh want nothing to do with studio 53 or studio 53 artistes…Straight up!”
Entertainment Macco: In Squeezy’s interview he stated that his problem was never with you, if you had this information before would you have responded the same way?
Jah Bami:: “Yeah I would have still responded, that is derogatory, Squeezy know where I would have been if I wasn’t a Rastaman, my dreads are my antennas and he disrespect. If you have nothing with a man don’t call he name. It have real people I don’t like and I doh call nobody name. You can’t call meh name because me and Khari Kill good but you see when ungodly men sit down and have counsel about you the weakest does show themselves and that is Squeezy.”
Jah Bami:: “Yeah I would have still responded, that is derogatory, Squeezy know where I would have been if I wasn’t a Rastaman, my dreads are my antennas and he disrespect. If you have nothing with a man don’t call he name. It have real people I don’t like and I doh call nobody name. You can’t call meh name because me and Khari Kill good but you see when ungodly men sit down and have counsel about you the weakest does show themselves and that is Squeezy.”
Entertainment Macco: I heard that you and Squeezy were on a tour in
Jah Bami: “Not a tour but we sang for some kids on St. Paul street, good thing I have that taped, because Squeezy saying no and trying to give people the impression that me and he had issues or something.”
Entertainment Macco: In his interview Squeezy said it is never personal with him when he disses an artiste, are you taking his attack personally?
Jah Bami: “Yeah I taking it personally, you know why? You see the part where he say it isn’t personal that is just a cover. I know the fight, I understand the man but still you just cannot call up my name and not expect me to take it personally. Is 15 years he diving off them stage yuh know! It is personal with me I can tell you that... Straight!”
Entertainment Macco: Have you ever been attacked by an artiste before? If yes when? If no, why do you think?
Jah Bami: “Never….but I could smell the fear on nuff ah them around me. I could have a million diss tunes but that is not my scene.”
Jah Bami: “Never….but I could smell the fear on nuff ah them around me. I could have a million diss tunes but that is not my scene.”
Entertainment Macco: Why you feel no one has ever done it before?
Jah Bami:: “Because I am a respectable guy, I am a team player, I does help meh brothers them. My fight is with the radio stations, I know them don’t like me from the 1st “Ah Cah Wait” because them try to fight us down. As for Squeez, he looking for pity from he Trini fans and the war is on.”
Entertainment Macco: Why didn't you leave Khari to respond first?
Jah Bami: “Khari on tour in California and I was about to head there too, we sign up to go on tour with Lutan Fire, Norris man, Ras Attitude and some other names. I was not going to waste time for Squeezy to get all the hype so I jump on it.”
Jah Bami: “Khari on tour in California and I was about to head there too, we sign up to go on tour with Lutan Fire, Norris man, Ras Attitude and some other names. I was not going to waste time for Squeezy to get all the hype so I jump on it.”
Entertainment Macco: Khari know what going on?
Jah Bami: “Well I sent the riddim for Khari and I let him know to defend himself, he is very aware with what happening but he doing his thing too.”
Entertainment Macco: How does he feel about your response to Squeezy Rankin?
Jah Bami: “Khari laugh, we laugh, we know he does cut grass and he get a melody in he head and run in the studio and sing it…but that eh make him no artiste, so we had a good laugh at him trying to diss us.”
Entertainment Macco: He comfortable with what is happening?
Jah Bami: “He cool man he know Squeezy and them other artiste who paring with him eh ready for we. If we used to move like them other Trinis who make it big and eh come back home we will be fine yuh know but we love Trini.”
Entertainment Macco:: You refer to Squeezy as Nigga over and over again, Do you endorse the use of that word?
Jah Bami: “People talking bout my use of the word nigga and yet people still buy a Jay Z album and he is a millionaire and them eh damning Squeezy bout his derogatory statements and cussing loosely etc and people endorsing him. I was rhyming…nigga, figure, Hilfiger, people are hypocrites liming with them friends calling each other niggas but because I say it there is a problem.”
Entertainment Macco: In your song you make mention of Squeezy cutting grass/soil digger, do you look down on that profession?
Jah Bami: “Since I born and know myself all I doing is music, when I was in the Coastguard I was doing that and when I left there I was still doing music. My whole career is music, even if people eh hear me doing it I still living. He messing with my profession and when I jump on his, people mad at me. Why everyone riding my back? Besides being an artiste I am a father and I have to deal with that. Squeezy them know I eh really a favourite, my name eh jumping up in Trini so my name easy to call. I respect anybody who doing any kind of labour, he making his bread and I respect that but don’t come and look down on my profession. If I have to reach to me cutting grass, I will do it too because I have mouths to feed. He cutting grass for a very long time, landscaping is his thing and he has perfected that craft and so have I.”
Entertainment Macco: What about the whole Tommy Hilfiger thing?
Jah Bami: “Squeezy talk about he doing his diss old school, Tommy Hilfiger was very popular with black people back in the day and even back then squeezy never wear one. It is just a lyrical diss but it’s also a fact.”
Entertainment Macco: Before the release of Squeezy's song would you say that you guys were friends or was there some drama brewing from before?
Jah Bami: “The last time I was chilling with him on St Paul street, chilling and drinking Henny talking bout the industry and what we could do to make it better we was cool. I never had any beef with him and again my beef is not with Squeezy, I have a beef not with him because he is just the pawn that them put to take the bait.”
Entertainment Macco: What type of message do you hope to send to your fans by the whole clash situation? That Jah Bami is not to be messed with?
Jah Bami: “People know me for singing some sensible stuff and good music and yet still some people may not believe in you. It have some people who will try to denounce your name. Let it just be a lyrical battle if Squeezy prove he more lyrical respect to the brother, if people say me then so it goes. But when I firing shots I doh leggo no Badang! You see all the artistes who wasn’t talking before tell them don’t talk now, he is my son I eh want nobody punking him I alone must punk him. Nobody trouble the money me alone could punk he.”
Entertainment Macco: Now we have been maccoing your FB page and we see that some of your fans supported your response while others felt you should have just ignored Sqeezy, why didn't you ignore him? What influenced your decision to respond?
Jah Bami: “I wouldn’t be on Entertainment Macco right now if I did * Haha *, it wouldn’t have any excitement if I had decided to keep my mouth shut. You know what, I did the maths and within that I realize that if I don’t answer back, Trini wouldn’t have a full understanding of who Jah Bami is still. All the Squeezy Rankin fans who not showing him no better are silly people just like him, before they sit down with the man and show him or teach him how to handle the industry professionally them endorsing his nonsense.”
Entertainment Macco: Right I hear you…
Jah Bami: with people who eh need work permits, try and better yourself people out here who are Trinis didn’t even know who Squeezy was until he call up my name, not even a bootlegger have a Squeezy cd. I will use him to exercise…* Haha * Squeezy is a bigger artiste than me in Trini I will admit that, I doh get booked in Trini and I will admit that because that is what Trini endorse.”
Entertainment Macco: Clashing in music is this something you are accustomed to participating in and would you recommend this sought of thing to new artist in the business?
Jah Bami: “Yeah off course, I recommend it. That is where the Squeezy, Khari, Bami, Bunji, 3Suns and all ah them come from. Clashing was always good, that is how your skills stay sharp. It is good once it stays lyrical and no one jumps out of themselves. You know how much people want other people spot in the industry and once that person loose them earn their spot. When I said the man don’t make figures is just me trying to tell him don’t let people clown him, take time and perfect your craft so you can make real money.”
Entertainment Macco: So the riddim that you sang on is one that was produced by Studio 53, since this is the same riddim that squeeezy sang on is it safe to say that the music was done in preparation for a clash are they supporting the clash how were you able to get access to and record on the same riddim as squeezy?
Jah Bami: “When I heard the song I wanted to find out who build the riddim so I asked and Lava responded saying that he did it. So I asked him if he trying to set meh up basically and he said that wasn’t his scene. I asked him to send the riddim for me and sent he it like in 20 minutes after I hit him. As soon as I got the riddim I went in the studio the same day and record it and shoot the video one time and put it up. “
Entertainment Macco: Do you rate yourself as an international artiste?
Jah Bami: “I have an American passport, what do you think? Yes I rate myself...I am trying to get work permits for my brethrens to come foreign because when them come foreign they eh go need Trini support. I rate myself because I pass the level of certain artistes, the same grassroots that shot Squeezy video, I bring him up to St Lucia to shoot “She’s Fire” and he eat he ass full and now he in the fight and all….but I does leave them…We doh loose no sleep off ah them..”
Entertainment Macco: Have you ever written or recorded a song bashing another artiste?
Jah Bami: “I have been clashing long time, I was the number one clash man in the base…but I never sit down and pen no tune or record any bashing no artiste, I eh looking for no fame.”
Entertainment Macco: Now we are all aware that you reside in the US , what struggles have you encountered as a Trini artiste living in the US
Jah Bami: “The hardest is working with Trinis in foreign, I kind of stop working with too many of them. I started working with other Caribbean artistes because them thinking bigger because they are all Caribbean and not selfish…”
Entertainment Macco: Are you concerned about how handling issues like this can affect your growth as an artiste?
Jah Bami: “Let me tell you something, you can’t grow anymore as an artiste when you reach a certain age, your music will grow but I eh feel this affecting me because on the real my music not playing in Trini and that not bothering me. I am growing as a professional and that is my growth in general.”
Entertainment Macco: I have noticed that you and Squeezy both made mention of the Bunji and Fay ann, is there are reason for that, is there some sought of beef brewing according to your song Squeezy is their Mascot?
Jah Bami:: “In this industry some of us come from the same lining.. I was the first person that Bunji ever clash with. When me and him clash it was very heavy and it caused tension. I remember a time he meet me by the dial in Arima and he let me know that he getting into soca and I rate him. I could tell you that he buss with “Send them riddim mad” in We beat. It have no beef with me and Bunji or Fay Ann although Khari had ah issue with Bunji song “Banana” and Bunji and his wife tried to pull me up by association. Khari and Squeezy cut from the same cloth, them does do they own thing, say they own thing and so it goes.”
Jah Bami:: “In this industry some of us come from the same lining.. I was the first person that Bunji ever clash with. When me and him clash it was very heavy and it caused tension. I remember a time he meet me by the dial in Arima and he let me know that he getting into soca and I rate him. I could tell you that he buss with “Send them riddim mad” in We beat. It have no beef with me and Bunji or Fay Ann although Khari had ah issue with Bunji song “Banana” and Bunji and his wife tried to pull me up by association. Khari and Squeezy cut from the same cloth, them does do they own thing, say they own thing and so it goes.”
Entertainment Macco: Being involved in this clash, how do you feel this will impact your career? Do you see any good coming out of this?
Jah Bami: “I man have different portfolios, my meditation is different, I am getting into film school, RTV to launch soon, my situation is about that but this clash thing is to exercise my skill as an artiste and get back into the thing because I did kinda rest that for a while. I never went to broadcasting school to work on Tempo, I had 103 episodes and I am on to something else.”
Category:
Grassroots,
Jah bami,
Khari Kill,
Kwasi Robinson,
RTV,
Squeezy Rankin,
Studio 53
42 Comments
