|
Born Anthony Martin in Thompson Pen, Spanish Town in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, Lutan Fyah spent his his formative years in an environment where music was omnipresent. His grandfather ran a Sound System and artists such as Lt. Stitchie, Papa San and Lady G would gather in the family-s yard to practise and perfect their skills on the microphone.
The year 2006 was a busy year for Lutan Fyah. During the latter portion of the year he released two albums, Phantom War and Healthy Lifestyle, on Greensleeves and VP Records respectively. We talk to Lutan Fyah about his many talents and his relentless preaching of upliftment.
Interview conducted by: Heike Wollenweber
Peppa Pot: You released two albums in 2006, "Phantom War" on Greensleeves and "Healthy Lifestyle" on VP. Did you deliberately release two alums at the same time and why?
Lutan Fyah: Yes because that-s what really happened but we never really want deliberately see two albums released at the same time period because one was of my knowledge and one was not of my knowledge. We just know seh we do some work and a man just put it out. The Greensleeves one, we put it together. We get 18 tracks and do "Phantom War". The "Healthy Lifestyle" was VP, Exterminator Fatties, him just put that together and do him ting.
Peppa Pot: Did you do anything about it or just decide to leave it at that?
Lutan Fyah: It-s fine, it-s out. What could I do?
Peppa Pot: You used to do a lot of work with Buju Banton. Do you still work with him?
Lutan Fyah: We just go through and link up and hold a vibes. At the moment him studio kind of refurbishing. We just pass through and bless up and that-s it.
Peppa Pot: Which one of your songs is the biggest one in your eyes?
Lutan Fyah: Well, all of my songs is the biggest song and all of my songs is the most important to me. In the eyes of the people, we do a song with Josie Mel, we call it "Rasta Still Deh Bout". The people took on to it and like it and it create a energy, even here in Jamaica so we check that one deh as the one people see.
Peppa Pot: What inspired you to write "Rasta Still Deh Bout"?
Lutan Fyah: Rasta still. Ah just Rasta inspire we because if you check what happen today is like most people doing tings inside of Rasta which is not of Rasta and people who is not Rasta see what they do as Rasta doings and so we come fi make them know seh real Rasta still deh bout and real Rasta still exist and regardless of what them a see with the folly of men who call themselves Rasta which represents as the truth of rasta, which in fact derives from ignorance and even lie. That is my inspiration behind "Rasta Stll Deh Bout" song.
Peppa Pot: It seems to me that you are much more popular or recognized in Europe or generally outside of Jamaica. Do you think that you actually get the recognition and respect you deserve in Jamaica?
 |
| Lutan Fyah | Lutan Fyah: It-s a payola system in Jamaica. If nobody nah pay…mi say (Lutan sings) "I say the music fraternity is a dead end,.Without a big shot fi back yoy them say your style nah make sense. Eligibility is a pay off this big monet spend. Nuff go kiss ass and turn round and bend. I tell you about this pimp and prostitute kind of game. This fortune and fame. No love, life gone down the drain."
That mean seh the artiste weh just buss is the newest hope. Him got him pimp ah pimp him to the world. I got no pimp, I just sing reggae so I battle is more radical. I got to fight on a day to day basis. I don-t want to be fighting hard because that a go tired Lutan Fyah. I have been fighting smart. Because popularity come through what? You pay. The payola business wha go on, what involve money, badness and guns. I don"t have money, badness or gun, I got reggae.
Peppa Pot: Does it bother you not to get that recognition?
Lutan Fyah: It don-t relly bother me, cause mi know, mi expect that and mi prepare fi it. Cause you want no more than Lutan Fyah. Name them! No one is more that Lutan Fyah, lyrically nor vocally. It-s all about how the system is in Jamaica. We just have to wait. Our time soon come and whenever our time come it-s gon be like pandemonium everywhere we go. Dem gon haffi back up, because we nah follow no one. We nah sing like one and we say nothing that no one say. We do our own ting cause I and I a Rasta.
Peppa Pot: So do you prefer to write your own music instead of voicing on the popular riddims?
Lutan Fyah: Mi write my own music from time to time. I have a lot of music I write instrumentally and vocally, lyrically. As you know the music in Jamaica, a man just bring him riddim come and you just voice and 15 man is on the riddim. The main interest for Lutan Fyah is to write music like even how Bob Marley do it.
Peppa Pot: Does your ability to play the drums and the guitar help you as an artiste?
Lutan Fyah: Yes. The instruments we play, the guitar give I and I the inspiration in terms of melodies and sound. We always play the guitar on a every day basis where we just play and chant and sing, even just chant a melody. It don-t have to be words because the more we chant on the guitar the more we get a better sound out of weself so the guitar is like the main thing that keep Lutan Fyah vocal tuned in more time.
 |
| Lutan Fyah | Peppa Pot: Do you think it is more difficult to break as an artiste if you decide to do your own music instead of voicing on popular riddims?
Lutan Fyah: It is difficult once you don-t have the money to spend. It-s just plain and straight money. In jamaica, it-s a payola system run the music and eligibility is a pay off. It-s not really what you can do or the kind of talent what you have it-s just what you can pay for make happen. We could create our sound and our music and pay fi make it happen, we would do that but we just have to sing on a man riddim and make the man pay fi make him riddim buss. That-s how it is, everybody haffi eat a food.
Peppa Pot: What do you consider to be the main message in your music?
Lutan Fyah: My main message is Rastafari. But when you check it though you have to know seh we nah speak of Rastafari, we speak of Humanity, like in balance of humanity we show the world love. We come fi tolerate the beauty of people and the goodness of the world so with music we try to educate the people them morally, not politically so my message is like a upliftment to people whether you are young, whether you-re old, wherever you are from because it is a rebellious nation. We haffi speak a riddle, a rebellious nation from time to time. This message is about loving your self first and foremost, uplift your mind morally so you can be a person, you can be a human being again. That is message really
Peppa Pot: What are your plans for this year now?
Lutan Fyah: I want to take over Jamaica, mi want Jamaica for myself. Mi want London for myself, mi want New York for myself, my want Toronto for myself mi want Florida for myself. And mi want it and mi a go get it because I sing Rasta music and the world need fi know this.
Mi tell you once you get a collection don-t try to shun it cause this music shall rule for a for lifetime. My intention is just to continue doing good music cause good music is what the people want. Like in reggae, most of the artistes sing the same thing and mi nah come fi sing how the likkle reggae man a sing. Mi nah mediocre and we nah follow follow bwoy. We sing Rastafari, which is a day to day teaching, which is pure and also original. Blessed love.
Email This Q&A Back
| 
