Tarrus Riley has hits in multiple genres, his top song is the Canadian Billboard hit Powerful with Ellie Goulding which is also certified gold (500,000) in the US by the RIAA. Since 2006, the son of 70s/80s singer Jimmy Riley has been at the forefront of the reggae industry. He tours extensively in Africa, South America, North America and Europe with an almost two decade career spawning 7 solo albums.
Still, he is not satisfied and the St. Thomas native believes that reggae music needs some tender love and care, as over the years the genre has been mistreated by home-base artists, thus leaving room for outsiders to take up residence and reap the rewards.
His latest song is Baby Blue, produced by his long time collaborator Don Corleone and Matthew Keaveny A.K.A.] keelykeyz who also shares writer’s credits for the song. Tarrus says the song came about after his tour stop in Costa Rica where he headlined the PIC-N!C Festival in the rain, along with multi-platinum artist T-Pain. Other major acts billed on the show were reggaeton and latin artists Farruko, Juanes, Reik, Carlos Vives, Julieta Venegas, Manuel Turizo, Sech, Rauw Alejandro, ZOÉ.
In an exclusive interview Tarrus Riley shared with World Music Views why making reggae is important to global music’s ecosystem and what his plans are to play a leadership role in maintaining the genre’s relevance.
“Don call me and say you a the leader of the thing and if you don’t lead the thing it cyah lead. Give reggae a 6 months and lead it. When I went to do the Costa Rica show, I check Don the next days. We record it. Me co-direct the video,” he recalls to World Music View in a late summer Saturday afternoon talk.
In the video, which Tarrus co-directed with Walu ,“Singy Singy” as he titles himself, tries to woo his lady over with a living room live show after she took issue with his bedroom phone call earlier.
“My offering is music, the video is a subliminal, I am showing the audience that a live music me a deal with and that’s what I have to offer,” he quips.
He says the reason for reggae’s lack of popularity among younger audiences is due to the pace of album and single releases and even the energy of the artists during performances on stage. He also says fans support or criticize reggae music quietly, unlike other genres like dancehall and hip hop where more public discourse happen among fans.
“The reggae man them lazy, even some of them performace, and the people who support the music should not just love the artists behind closed doors. One of the things I like about dancehall is the fans support or cuss outwards,” he explains.
Tarrus’ last successful reggae song was 2020 Lighter which peaked at No. 1 on the World Music Views YouTube charts in 8 countries. That he says is important to him as a musician that his songs succeed and reach plenty people.
“It’s important for me to have a reggae song out in the space and I want it to be successful. We want it fi shot cause everybody want to be successful. Me really feel good about it.”
Burna Boy currently has one of the most popular songs in the world Last Last which has charted in 43 countries on iTunes including it being the current No. 1 song on Apple Music In Jamaica. Burna’s formula for success borrows largely from Jamaica’s reggae and dancehall culture whether it be collabs, covers or code switching the Jamaican accent with his Afro-fusion sounds.
Burna Boy’s Formula
Tarrus Riley says there is a simple reason why Burna Boy succeeds when he uses the Jamaican reggae and dancehall culture while other artists may not get to his level who are from the culture.
“Burna Boy is signed to a label that is structured systematically with strategy. Every-time I work with a label it works like ‘Powerful’ got into an Armani ad cause they know people, I don’t know them people but labels do,” he asserts to World Music Views.
He continues, “Burna step up him thing like a superstar, with his videos, his pictures, his image is like a superstar.”
The Black Soil artist says it is ok for artists to borrow from others to make their sets and presentations better.
“I was talking to Dexta(Daps), and he said him see me come out pon stage and stand up in the middle of the stage and just sing, and he just did the same thing at Sumfest. Him say ‘yo singer you born to sing and we haffi just lead out’.”
Even though he has the ability to go into other genres and be successful Tarrus, says he believes in the virtues of reggae music and culture and he stands present now as a leader of the genre.
“It’s not smart business to close our backs on reggae and then farrin people do it and we vex. People miss that feeling and we want to give them back the feeling and we don’t have to fight against anything else anybody a do. We just do it. We can make songs and arrange them and work with people cause I know the effect of what it can do. So alright, unuh love me as a reggae artist? So welcome ‘Singy Mars'(a salute to Bruno Mars).”
– Tarrus Riley
“Why is hip hop the biggest genre cause its Hip Hop- ‘hip’ alone could not do it, ‘hop’ haffi do it too. When the whole thing a shot now a different thing cause when people ears open up and ready fi take in reggae a different ting. If I did tell unuh say I was gonna do a song with Shenseea unuh would say no, see Jada deh a do ‘doo wop’ and it work. What we are finding out now is that dancehall is part of everything. Jamaica’s motto is out of many. The place is the most mix up place in the world. There is no one way to do nuttn here, so it’s a cultural expression,” he told World Music Views.
He revisits the idea of what makes Burna Boy and other Nigerian acts work on a global scale and says, “Burna Boy a sing R&B but with an African accent. Same for Tems and WIZKID, it’s an accent cause she not Beyoncé. It’s R&B with an African accent. When the world did lock in the pandemic a Foundation Music lock the place.”
Tarrus, has crticially acclaimed albums like Parables and Contagious but he has never been nominated for a Grammy award. This year among a list of nominees for the 64th annual Grammy Awards were Jamaican acts like Sean Paul, Etana, Spice, Jesse Royal and Gramps Morgan. It was Virginia based Reggae Band SOJA who came from out of nowhere and surprised everyone as the winners. Tarrus is not complaining and he sees their victory as an opportunity to step up the pace. He says, reggae is roaming the streets now as she is no longer swearing fidelity to Jamaicans alone when she is being treated prestigiously by foreigners.
“Overall it’s a real and true and great time. The world needs more reggae music, it’s not a thing I want to argue with or fight with anybody. We can’t wait till other people do reggae and and then feel left out. If a man has a woman and nah treat her right she leaves we. Reggae a gi wi bun right now cause we nuh love har up and treat her right so she find a next man fi par with so we need to go back fi we girl,” he says.
“She bun we with John legend, Bruno Mars. So we need to put down we pride and go back for wi girl.”
Another subject Tarrus speaks candidly with World Music Views about, was the value of reggae music in light of recent news that Popcaan is commanding USD$150,000 per show.
“That’s just music business,” he says. “Artists book and charge per demographic, Buju Banton got X amount after he came home, Jah Cure was the same thing. The price in one country may not be the same in another. Not everywhere command the same value, in different markets an artist charge different money, it’s just music business,” he concluded on the subject.
Clashing
As dancehall newcomer Skeng took shots at Riley’s Corner collaborator Masica recently with the song Day Break, the Simple Blessings artist says clashing is important for the culture ‘but only if it’s done the right way.’
“All of it is important and there is a way how to do it and it has to mean something to both artists. I don’t think anybody should clash if them nah go really clash on stage. Masicka is a lyricist and Skeng has an energy wah nuh normal but in the clash side of dem gonna clash just clash. Clashing is a very good thing and make you get good but it’s not for everybody. It is not for everyone but for who it is, it’s entertaining.”
His parting advice to artists nowadays, both young and established, is to give the people some more value.
“Imagine if you can clash and make big songs? That’s more business for you. Right now it’s a great time for our music cause we getting a lot of attention. I urge youth and youth to be part of it. There are so many artists, good artists that are qualified. Artists don’t be lazy, give the people something to talk about. I am proud of youths like Skillibeng, him must go full speed ahead with no time to waste. Make some music. We have to have real evidence of success where a man sing and have lyrics. Can’t move the goal post cause internationally the standard is high. It’s like cooking, if you don’t know how to cook you nah go know how to cook so when time come fi season the food you don’t know cause you never learn.”
