Jamaican dancehall icon Spragga Benz in a recent interview with I Never Knew TV, he explained the message behind the Jamaican cult classic movie “Shottas,” in which he played the street thug Wayne, alongside Ky-Mani Marley (Errol “Biggs” Williams), Paul Campbell (Max) who extort Teddy Bruck Shut, played by Louis Rankin and murder their way to the top of the lucrative drug industry.
“It’s more like the facing of good and evil and the choices you make will possibly make the difference inna your life,” Spragga remarked about the highly bootlegged film which as released in 2002.
Born Carlton Grant, the Kingston deejay turned actor, reflects on the narrative of the Cess Silvera-directed film, which revolves around the intertwining lives of two friends navigating the gritty underworld of Kingston, Jamaica, and the streets of Miami.
“One was did a tell the other one good, common sense to leave certain type of livity now, enough is enough, and on the next half the money a make, this other one nah resist, decide him wah go for the food and continue same way.”
He talks about the central conflict of the film, highlighting the struggle between redemption and the allure of a life steeped in crime. “The whole concept was not wanting to stop, want to continue in that road of destruction,” he explained. “It show loyalty, where even at the end one would even want to even take it further for a friend and put everything on the line for a bredrin just the same. It’s a story of loyalty and focus on what you a do in life and listen to common sense.”
Transitioning to the subject of contemporary dancehall music, the Jack It Up singer offered a sobering analysis of its impact on society. “The frequency of the music definitely plays a great role in the temperance of the higher, whole heap a violence and chop off your head and all a them thing deh, them ting deh really a happen,” he observed. “If we start say bare love straight and everyone a sing bout love that aguh happen. But that nah guh happen because you haffi have the balance.”
The Reggae Billboard chart topping artist advocates for a more conscientious approach to music, recognizing its potential as a tool for both upliftment and destruction. “We can use it (the music) as a tool, to uplift and educate, or to calm and do whatever the frequencies you choose,” he asserted. “Its an abundance of frequencies but a you choose the violent one or the one weh too destructive. The system itself design fi that happen, destruction and chaos. You find seh a more a that music you aguh hear in the official programming.”
Spragga’s first album “Jack It Up” (VP Records) was released 30 years ago and his international career started shortly after when Stacy Greenberg of Capitol Records visited Cactus Nightclub in Portmore Jamaica where he was performing and signed him as her first artist to the label. His only released in the deal was his sophomore album, ‘Uncommonly Smooth,’ in 1995. Since then he released several radio hits scubas A1 Lover, Peace, and Rasta Run The World. His biggest hit to date is Turn Me On with Kevin Little which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004. In 2019, he earned his first #1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart with Chiliagon released on Easy Star Records.
Commenting on the global ascendancy of Afrobeat music, Spragga adopted a pragmatic perspective, acknowledging its growing influence while reaffirming the roots of dancehall. “Is a shift in the musical arena. It shuffle around. It deh in a position where dancehall was, economically and being pushed to the mainstream but I don’t see it as a threat because it still derived from dancehall,” he asserted. “A still we, so a just we fi get ourselves organized as an industry and demand what others demand.”
In 2019 Spragga revealed that he has shot 8 episodes of the new Shotta’s movie series but it is yet to be released.
