7 minute read
The Iconic Dancehall
INTERVIEW
THE ICONIC DANCEHALL STORYTELLER MR. WILLIAMZ
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Interview by Sinai Fleary
Photo Credit: Mr. Williamz Pictures provided by Kartel Music Group
Introduce yourself for the Jus’ Jah Magazine readers.
My stage name is Mr. Williamz and I grew up in Jamaica.
I got into dancehall music from a very early age and it has stayed with me over time.
You were born in London but spent many years in Jamaica. What was it like growing up in both places?
Well, it was really good. We were living in the country side of Jamaica and I got to experience the real rural living. I was very young when I went to Jamaica and this made me very adaptable as a yout.
It was a great experience which allowed me to see a different side of life. Where we lived was a village and everyone socialised with each other.
But living in London, it was completely different. In the big city it is like no one doesn’t really know you except your closet friends and family.
You are a local legend
in West London, what was it like growing up in this part of London as a young man?
I was 16 years old when I came back to London and it was great. In West London, we were surrounded by so much Caribbean culture. We had the Notting Hill Carnival and it was always a nice vibe.
I would go to the local youth club to use the music facilities. As a teenager, I would describe myself as a bit of a hermit and spent a lot of time at home. I was focused on my music and my sketching. Me and my friends would go to the barber shops and see the different hairstyles and clothes people were wearing. They were similar to what I saw back home and it made me feel like there was a deep connection between London and Jamaica.
Congratulations on your new album, ‘SoundKilla Mindset’. It is a masterpiece! One of my favourite songs on the album is Worldwide Shopping, talk us through how this song came about.
I had to do a lot of shopping because my girl was upset. As I have travelled a lot, so I intertwined that experience into the song. I wrote the song to include an international shopping trip, which happens in one day and on one song –to try and find the perfect gift so she doesn’t feel upset.
It has a little comedy within the story, but I wanted to get the right balance between being serious and fun.
You are one of the UK’s most gifted storytellers. How do put your lyrics
Photo Credit: Mr. Williamz Pictures provided by Kartel Music Group together?
I put them together in different ways but it is always through inspiration. Growing up, I liked listening to stories and I would hear many in the Dancehall and on cassettes. I paid attention to a lot of the older generation and how they told stories. For me, it wasn’t just about the lyrics, but what was also important was the way that they told you something. It was the art form that I grew up admiring. JUS’JAHmagazine | Spring 2021
It is easy to make something sound catchy but if it doesn’t have a storyline it can be boring.
Talk about the title of your album, why did you call it ‘SoundKilla Mindset’?
We had several ideas. At first we thought we could call it my world and we were playing around with ideas.
But SoundKilla engulfed the whole mood of the LP. I am a huge fan of the Sound System genre. Growing up, the Sound System was my entertainment. Now people watch Netflix for their entertainment, but mine was always music and Sound System culture.
I would always collect cassettes and play them in the house.
My dad would send me to the shop and I would go and they would be playing a cassette and I would always have to stop and take in the vibes.
I was always late going back home from the shop, because I stopped to listen to music. The feel of the album collectively sounds like a Sound System, so that is how it got the name SoundKilla Mindset.
What was the process like to make the album?
When we were making the riddims and mixing the songs, I wanted it to sound hard –just like when you are on a Sound System. Having a heavy bass line was vital.
Having a sound killer mind set has allowed me to be the type of lyricist I am. The Sound System business is very competitive yuh know. Everything has to be right, the sound quality, and the bass line. The competitive nature of the business pushes you to become better and better and that is what drives the industry. The sound killer mind set really does equip you as an MC.
Sound System sessions are not rehearsed like when you are doing a concert with a set. It prepares you for spontaneous things happening. It is ultimately a training session.
The Sound System is like a university and classroom for learning about music. A lot of talented singers have come through the sound system era.
Do you think the Sound System culture gets enough credit for its influence on other genres of music?
No, definitely not! A lot of other genres music have direct links to the Sound System like Hip-Hop, Drum N Bass, Garage and Jungle.
The Sound System has unfortunately been pushed to the side, when it gave birth to so many genres. It is a main part of the music industry. When people from the Caribbean were coming to the UK, like my granddad, they were bringing their records
with them.
It is because of people like him, London became a hub for Reggae music in the 1970s and 80s.
It is important for people to understand the foundation and roots of things.
Tell me about your song Give Thanks to Jah and the concept behind it.
It is a melody that I have always heard growing up. I had some of the lyrics for while and I just kept adding to them until I wrote the complete song. I was on Jr. Gong’s Welcome to Jamrock Cruise and I met this rapper called MC Supernatural.
We linked up in America and we had some studio time and made the song.
I love the concept of the video, because there are two versions of you –one is drawn. Are you an artist in your spare time?
Yeah! I have always been into art and drawing since a young boy. People who remember me during my school years will always remember me drawing. Back in the days, many posters for dances and record covers were all hand drawn. I think being a musician and an artist go hand in hand.
Yeah I would like to do some more acting. I did a little bit of drama in school and college.
In the film Yardie, I was doing what I love, which is being around a Sound System. It was cool acting in the scene that represented the Sound System.
Who is your favourite artist of all time?
Woah! This is hard question. I can’t just say one because it is a whole genre. But I would say Super Cat, because we have a similar resemblance and voice tone. Growing up, he is a man that inspired me and my peers a lot. With Super Cat, he was always talking about reality and things with meaning and that is why I rate him!
How did you Photo Credit: Mr. Williamz find lockdown? Pictures provided by Kartel Music Group How did you feel not being able to travel and perform?
I was in London and at the time know one knew what was happening. Before the lockdown, I was spending a lot of time practicing my sketching. I was in a semilockdown before the pandemic, so I didn’t find it that hard. I just used the time wisely.
What is next for Mr Williamz for the rest of 2021?
I have a few things planned. I have the lyrics book to go along with this project, which includes handwritten lyrics and some artwork. I have some merchandise which is available now and some new music videos coming soon. There will be some exclusive giveaways also. When everything is balanced in the right way, I look forward to getting back on the stage and performing for my fans.
Your acting debut was in Idris Elba’s film
Yardie. Is acting something you want to go
into?
During lockdown, we had the historic
Verzuz battle between Bounty Killer and
Beenie Man, what did you make of the celebration?
It was entertaining and it was great to see the two of them bringing it to that level. They really brought some good energy and vibes. It was an honour to see them represent Dancehall and Jamaica in that way.
Where can people contact you online?
Website: www.mrwilliamz.net
Instagram: @45general
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ mrwilliamz
