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 Two of the major pioneering forces of the recent dancehall movement are Tanto Metro and Devonte. In the late 90s, they were able to pave the way for many reggae artists. They were tapping into the international mainstream markets during a time when it was unheard of for a Jamaican artist to reach the charts outside of their home country. Peppa Pot sits with Tanto Metro And Devonte (TMD) and talks about their new album Musically Inclined and more.
Peppa: Where are you from:
TMD: Kingston, Jamaica! [laughs]
Peppa: How did you first get started in the business?
Devonte: Well I started out back in High School. My friend had a sound system and everywhere his sound went I would go. After leaving High School I went into professional recording with King Jammys. I got my first break as a solo act in 1997 with Bashment Ting. After that I kept on singing; met Tanto. Shortly after that we collaborated, did
everyone falls in love and from there it's history.
Tanto Metro In 1982 I used to DJ on Metro Media sound system with Peter Metro. He was the man who brought me into the business. I recorded my first song with Peter Metro in 84 or 85 named "We Are Professional". From there non stop straight recording and do mi ting. Then Devonte came into the picture and everything shot off from there big time.
Peppa: Speaking of sound systems - clash is not as big as it was in 80 s early 90 s ......
Tanto Metro It no nice like dem time again. Clash still going on you know but they take it more personal now. Back in the days when selector and selector clash and deejay deejaying a clash when sound string up and sound string down and everybody gone a dem yaad. Everybody come together and talk and say "Last night a mi win dat
one deh" and a next man say "No - a mi win rah rah rah". But now they take it more personal - this man don t talk to this man and this one carrying a feud against this one.
Peppa: So who was your favorite clash sound system?
Devonte: My favorite was Silver Hawk and Stereo One.
Tanto Metro Body Guard. Body Guard a boom in dem times deh. Metromedia we nah ramp man. You dun know mi nah lef out mi sound. Dem sound was the big sound dem time. When you had clash and you had Kilimanjaro and dem sound dem.
Devonte: Kilimanjaro - How could I forget Kilimanjaro?
Peppa: Cyan forget Kilimanjaro with Ricky Trooper - Stan Guard! [laughs]
Peppa: How did the link of Tanto Metro and Devonte come about?
Devonte: Ah the people put we together.
Peppa: How did TMD get linked up with Shocking Vibes?
Tanto Metro I was one of the founders of the company. At the time it was Little Lenny,
me, Beenie Man, Little Kirk, and Patrick. Lenny did the "Healthy Body" tune and the "Gun Inna Baggy" tune. Little Lenny eventually left the company. The four of us were there still doing our thing. Then Beenie made it big in 1993 when him and Bounty Killer kick off.
We always welcomed anybody who is really interested in music. This is how we set up the camp: Any new member who comes, Beenie will take the responsibility and say mi you a make di link, mi ah go show you how the whole organization run. Then Kirk and I will do the same thing.
Devonte came to Shocking Vibes though a friend, Raymond Legister. Me and Devonte used to par. So it was a brethren ting before we started recording songs together. Dat a from 1995.
Devonte: Crazy Years. Nuthin nuh change.
Tanto Metro Only the weather.
Tanto Metro Me and him was brethren, par together, hold vibes and make some songs together. When we did "Everyone Falls In Love", we went back and did "She Gone" and "Say Woie."
Peppa: When you recorded Everyone Falls In Love - Did you know it was going to be a hit?
Devonte: Actually no you know because you never know what s going to be a hit. But everything you do, every song you do you do it to the best of your ability. So you do it and expect the best.
Peppa: When did you know it was a hit?
Tanto Metro We knew it was a hit in Jamaica when we did a show in Ochie (Ocho Rios). When mi and Devonte take the stage and sing that song, the response was huge. It was surprising to me. When I get off the stage I said to Devonte "You know dat song gone!" It eventually it went number 1.
Internationally we didn t know it was going to take off. We got a call from Florida saying "Yo the song, Everyone Falls in Love, ah play pon mainstream radio station" Mi seh "Yeah". Mi know it was a big song, number 1 in
Jamaica, but when we went to Florida performed and saw the response then we knew it was more serious than we thought.
Peppa: Tell us about the album, Musically Inclined.
Devonte: Musically Inclined. There are 17 tracks. We have a couple of collaborations: Morgan Heritage, Courtney Melody, a female singer from Philadelphia named Lady Rue. There s some crazy tracks on it - bad tracks.
Peppa: On the album, is "Cross The Border", a throw back to your sound system days?
Tanto Metro Yeah we just a reminise a little. You see Courtney Melody - a great artist from long time. Dem man de no really get the recognition wheh dem fi get. We go back and dig him up.
Devonte: Dig up the pioneer.
Tanto Metro And ge him ah strength and blessings and say come man. We put that song together so when people hear a song like "Screechy Across The Border", sit back and reminisce about the days of Stereo One and when music nice ina dancehall and man a whole on pon a woman and rub har.
Peppa: Speaking of that compare dancehall 10 15 years ago to now.
Devonte: Back in the days you could understand what s happening in the business. Now it s more complicated. Although we had lyrics similar to what s happening now. Now them step it up a notch. It s more fun but more controversy still.
Tanto Metro The controversy part more serious nowadays than back then. If you really don t careful you gonna hear say something happen to someone and we nuh want that. Them take it more personal now. We don t need to go that route because Reggae music a step to a level. Everybody was wondering when was the time and we ah get the time now. It s like a Tupac Biggie ting right now. Everyone should just say mek we nuff up the music now.
Peppa: Tell us who are some of the producers you worked with on the album?
Tanto Metro Tony Kelly the big man. Robert Livingston.
Devonte: Christopher Birch. Troyton - Troyton a mi right hand.
Tanto Metro Of course me and Devonte produced a track. Shocking Vibes as usual.
Devonte: Ryan Leslie, whose affiliated with P. Diddy. Crazy production.
Peppa: Now TMD makes girls music - what kinds of music influences you?
Devonte: Well we love hunies you know. We love di ladies dem.
Tanto Metro We cyan sing bout gun and it reach anywhere. That a negative vibes, that ah send a negative message and you won t reach to the level you want to reach to.
Devonte: Although we do sing bout it sometimes cuz you know we a street youths. We look pon tings universal We look at whats happening around us. We cyan act as if it no exist. But we re focused mostly on the ladies - we love them bad.
Tanto Metro When you a spread the word love - it always reach. We have to sing bout the woman dem cause ah them mek we anyway.
Devonte: We listen to all genres of music. Every music has a concept, a message. There s always an idea behind the music. A reason why the person did the song. We as musicians sit and listen deeply and figure out why the person did such a song. We then share our views and ideas.
Tanto Metro Dem have some bad rock star. Ah mad man dem who sing some wicked tunes. There are some bad country and western people. We listen to everythin si me ah seh?
Peppa: Any last words?
TMD: Go get it. Get the album "Musically Inclined" and you dun know when it come onto to inclined we just inclined and di gal dem fi just fling sweet wine - Si weh mi a seh? Alright.
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