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Emerging during the latter half of the 90s, the enormously prolific Sizzla was one of the leaders of the conscious dancehall movement. Along with Buju Banton and Capleton, he helped lead dancehall back to the musical and spiritual influence of roots reggae, favoring organic productions and heavily Rastafarian subject matter.
As a result of a partnership with Damon Dash Music Group (DDMG) Sizzla has recently released a brand new album titled "The Overstanding." Peppa Pot caught up with Sizzla while on tour throughout North America to promote the album.
Peppa Pot: Tell us a little about your new album, "The Overstanding."
Sizzla :Well you know I have been in the music industry for quite a long while, since 1994. Of course we have been doing things before as youths growing up in the ghetto. In 1994 we got that break and we really saw the potential of the music and the response from the people was good so we said, "Try push the music inna the mainstream current. And push the righteousness so the world can hear more". So from there we just trod up and down the road, we link up some people until we find people appreciating the work. We were in the clubs and studied that side of the market. We sing - but at the same time we have the wisdom to market the music in a perfect sense.
So we continued working until we linked up Def Jam. We worked with them [Def Jam] until they decided that they were not going to put out the album so Sizzla Kalonji remained independent. After a while Damon Dash told me that he got a distribution deal with Koch. So I said "Aright Dame, we gonna just work together as two Black yute. Based on the vibes from Jamaica and what your doing we want to reach out to the world of people who share that love".
Eventually we have the album coming out through Koch. It is a beautiful album, intended to share the spiritual warmth and love to the people that open their eyes and see what is happening in the world today and learn to respect their fellow brothers and sisters.
Peppa Pot: When you initially made the link with Damion Dash, was he familiar with all of your work?
Sizzla: Dame knew of my work. Really and truly it was a joy when we met because they have been in the music industry and they heard about this side of the music, reggae, and they know the popular stars, Capleton, Buju and others. I mean it is easy to tell, you go on the internet and all the research is right there. But them seeing the artistes in person, it is a joy, a new vibration.
Peppa Pot: How do you compare the experience of being with a bigger independent label like Koch to a smaller independent such as VP or Greensleeves.
Sizzla: Well, they reach a wider scope, and you get different people starting to listen to and love the music, even though VP and those companies have done well; these mega companies distributing the songs give you more work, more interviews, you have to take it more seriously. I have even learned to appreciate reggae music more due to the fact that so many people love the music but it is just that they cannot get it.
Peppa Pot: We see that you included some songs from the past on this album with more of a jazz mix, was that an aim at the broader American market?
Sizzla: Those songs that were mega hits, songs like "Gimmi a Try"; the rest of the world would love those songs but they did not get them so they decided to bring those back. I also have a couple new songs. I personally wanted to just give them a brand new album but they said that these songs are still new [laughs], such as "Black Woman and Child", and "Thank You Mama", I couldn-t deny them the chance of putting it out again. So I just did a little remix, throw some acoustics around it and give it to the world again along with some new tracks.
Peppa Pot: Recently you held a "Back 2 School" treat in August Town.
Sizzla: It was real beautiful. Whenever we put on inaugurations like those it always receive full support. People are always there and especially when it is for the kids, it is well supported. We have a lot of love for the youths. And even before the treat we relate with the youths, while they are still in school, helping out parents with school fees for them. It is a family ting, so whenever we put together and inauguration, the people will always be there to support it.
Peppa Pot: We know that you are always pushing education! How important do you see education for the youths?
Sizzla Education is the basic foundation for every nation. You have to be educated about life, your present surrounding, and your people. You have to be educated in different realms also; in knowing what character your future will be shaped. Subjects that you may eventually study and where they will take you in your life. That is one of the first things that your mother and father were always strict about. As you wake up in the morning and you can attend school, whether Basic, Prep, Primary, Secondary, High School or College, they are going to make sure that you are dressed and off to school so that eventually school became your work. While Mommy and Daddy left for their work, you gone ah your work- in the form of school. That is how we learned to face the world so education is very important.
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| Sizzla Cooking | Peppa Pot: Recently you launched SizzlaKolanjiInc.com, tell us why you launched the site.
Sizzla: Whenever I am touring and doing stage shows a lot of people said that they wanted to see more of Sizzla. A lot of people love Sizzla and they say that they can-t readily reach to me. I am a Rastafarian and I-m always mediating so I do not want to be caught up too much in the system but then again the people out there want to reach us so we have to do the work of His Majesty and gather the people. And it is not only black people that like the message of Sizzla, all sorts of people like the music and some of them just do not find anything from Sizzla on the internet. Sometimes you go on the internet and you find that other people just upload stuff about Sizzla, just for the joy. So I said "I am going to get SizzlaKalonji registered". I know that it is my name; I should be the one that have the authority and domain over all these things. So we just got it structured, got Kalonji Records structured, got the company licensed and paid the necessary fees and release the albums.
Peppa Pot: In terms of you being out there and promoting the album, are you getting a lot of attention from American artistes?
Sizzla: Yeah man! Wherever Sizzla goes and there are American Artistes, they recognize Sizzla. All sometimes when I am not sure who it is, they know me already brethren! And they-re giving me much respect! It did even surprise me till mi seh "Jah know. Dem rappers really know Sizzla?" So I don-t form myself a fool, I just get down to business same time because I see the potential. I don-t like going to a studio and hear beautiful riddims, whether it is reggae, hip-hop or dancehall and so many big artistes are out there and the riddim is empty. I-m going to start a little trouble right there by making a song [laughs] and trouble dem brain, then everybody is going to have to sing something or catch the vibes. That is what the world knows me for, so why should I be sitting in front of you and not singing anything. That would be a mere waste of my time; I don-t have any time for that!
Peppa Pot:Finally, for those who don-t know, what does it mean "to overstand"?
Sizzla: The same way Solomon prayed for knowledge wisdom and understanding, it is the same understanding but then again we know that we have been raised out of slavery and we are not speaking our rightful language. So you find that Rastas praise Rastafari because he is the King of Ethiopia and we have to honor the King because he is the Emperor. So because we praise Rastafari, we are Rastafarians. So we know that we are not speaking our rightful language, the King spoke Amharic, Hebrew and many other languages. We know that our original native tongue would have been Amharic if we were in Ethiopia, Africa.
So Rastas would say "These are all Babylonian languages". For example, you answer the phone you hear someone say "Hello". Hell is hell and low is low. We don-t want to go to hell and we don-t want to stay low so Rasta Man would change it around. So when you say under we would say over. It is just a little thing with us Jamaicans; we want to correct certain words that are in a sense not really positive. Sometimes we end up using them, but if we should really check it, they do affect us spiritually and we don-t really know that - so hence "Overstanding". Even when I go out, sometimes I am on the road talking to the people and I say "Yeah, I understand". And them say "No Sizzla, Rasta no under nuthing, Rasta Man over everything". So it is really like that. It is all love and I really do not think that I am doing anything wrong in trying to show love to the world.
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