CAPSICUM SONGS & ARTISTS EXPLODE IN JAMAICA
"With nine major radio stations in Jamaica now playing various cuts from Capsicum Records’ debut “Reggae In-Fusion Album #1,” it was inevitable than some singles would begin to emerge as hits,” says label CEO and A&R Director Roger Meltzer. “I am delighted and thrilled for our artists, my co-writers and co-producers; but I can’t pretend I’m completely surprised by the results of all the talent and hard work we’ve assembled and invested into this inaugural CD. Our tireless promotion people have done a superb job down there, too.”
Meltzer noted that weeklysong charts published on the island August 6 showed “Just As I Am” by Misteree bursting onto Richie B.’s Hot 102-FM Jamaica Music Countdown at #24 and onto the Stampede Street Chart at #14 (Aug 2) with Stampede again naming her as “Artist To Watch” with her picture in the center of the chart as they did in June.
In the following weeks, Richie B. had Misteree at #23(Aug. 13), at #20 (Aug. 20), at #18 (Aug. 27), at #16 (Sept. 3). Stampede had Cuban Cohiba as “Artist To Watch” (Aug 9) with Misteree climbing to #12 (Aug. 9), #11 (Aug. 16), at #10 (Aug. 23), at #9 (Aug 30) and at #8 (Sept. 6).
Both charts are extremely influential beyond the shores of Jamaica and are frequently published on music websites on every continent. And if the growing demand for Misteree and Cuban tee shirts in Jamaica is a barometer of their popularity “Enuf Is Enough” by Cuban Cohiba is close behind. Cuban’s message song about society’s tolerance of gun violence on urban streets soared when civil unrest and a subsequent national state of emergency erupted in Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston this spring.
“But it’s not true that his song was written in response to that event,” said Meltzer. “In fact, the song was already playing on Jamaican radio stations for three months and was actually inspired by the fatal 2009 shooting of an infant in the crossfire of rival drug gangs during the Caribbean Independence Day Parade in Hartford. Cuban brought me the song two days later. We held up its release until February because we wanted to build a track for the song that reflected the tragic feel and sounds of this all-too-familiar bloodshed on our streets.”
Along with other cuts from the album, the two songs can be heard on Hot 102-FM with Richie B., Irie-FM with Big A and G.T. Taylor, Roots 96.1-FM with Dudley Thompson and Isis, Zip-FM with Bambino, Mello-FM with Barry G. and Franko, Linkz-FM with Deja Vu and Dadre-Anne, Vybz-FM with Sir W. One, and, just added, FAME-FM with Inferno and BEST-FM with String.
Closer to home, “Just As I Am” remained at #1 (Aug 30, Sept 6) on the 101.5-FM EnergyRadio live weekly Showcase and Music Countdown in Hartford. Song position there is determined by audience text message votes as well as by listener requests. Hartford's Busyradio 103.3-FM’s chart has her at #5.
Cuban's song also took off in the Midwest after a recent concert tour of reggae festivals in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, where he shared the stage with the Governor, and Ohio, where he autographed a guitar for the Rock & Roll Museum Hall of Fame. The two songs are now gaining airplay in Africa and Japan.
“Both songs still have a long way to go in the reggae/dancehall genre even before we can mount an effort to cross them over into the mainstream,” Meltzer added, “but they are certainly heading in the right direction. I hope people will also take the time to listen to Cuban’s extraordinary rendition of ‘Born on Third Base,’ the song American tourists vacationing in the resorts of Negril call ’the baseball song.’ Of course the song isn’t about baseball at all, just uses a baseball metaphor for those born into wealth and privilege who believe all their inherited advantages of ‘social capital’ are personal accomplishments.“
