LU: When you say this is a “live music movement” here in Jamaica, how is it different, and why do you think it’s important right now?
Chronixx: When you check it, it’s not just me. It is a movement. We have all the characteristics of a movement. We still have a far way to go where unity is concerned. We are pretty much united as youths, but you can’t be too united. So we still have a far way to go with that. It sets us apart in a way in that it’s not like what people are used to in reggae music and dancehall. They are seeing artists in a united setting where we are not signed to the same labels or anything but we are friends and we are family. It’s not just a performance thing. We sit down and we hold vibe and we eat food, you see me?
LU: It sounds a little like Sugar Minott’s Youth Promotion, where the image was that people were supporting each other.
Chronixx: It’s really the 70s and 80s again. It was the same way in the 70s with Bob and all of the others. You had an uprising of artists doing Rastafari music. All of these great artists. It really takes you back to that time. And it is here again within the music because the music needs that right now. Music has its way of replenishing itself. This is one of the ways.
LU: And you talk about Rastafari. Can you tell me how Rastafari influences your music and then this movement in general?
Chronixx: Our day to day life is based on Rastafari teachings. Haile Selassie I teaches us about education and the importance of education. He teaches about responsibility, and the importance of acknowledging your responsibility. Haile Selassie teaches about life, the economy and these things. So our day to day life is based on these things. Health, education, for the youth. So we put this back into the music. The thing with music is that people don’t just listen to music, they feel it. So if you sing about something that is not genuine, or something that you are not living, then the people won’t feel it. Like if you sing about your big BMW and you don’t have a BMW, then that’s some fake music. But when you sing about health and strength and spirituality and Rastafari teachings and you’re living it? People feel it and they identify with your feelings and then they connect better.
