Jah Cure
Introduction & Interview by: Maliika Walker
The voice of a generation… that is how I would classify Jah Cure’s voice. When one hears his voice, you can’t help but hear the emotion in every note he sings. The listener is taken on a beautiful journey by the most beautiful voice serving as a tour guide.
Jah Cure was born in Hanover, Jamaica. He got his musical education at an early age by sneaking out of his bedroom window to attend shows by such greats as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffith, Garnett Silk, Jacob Miller and Black Uhuru. Beres Hammond mentored him until his career was interrupted by his incarceration. Jah Cure was charged with four crimes, that he has always vehemently denied. While incarcerated he continued recording music, releasing several records while in prison. The albums Ghetto Life and Freedom Blues were both released while he was incarcerated. One of the records, that was also recorded, was the smash single ‘Longing For’. In fact that song was how I was introduced to his gift. Jah Cure has since released a few more albums including True Reflections, The Universal Cure, and World Cry.
Jah Cure released his Grammy nominated album, The Cure, this summer. A world tour was launched to support the release but the United Kingdom and United States continue to not grant Jah Cure a Visa to enter either country. The album was recently nominated for the Best Reggae Album Grammy, even though he has not set foot in the U.S. to promote The Cure. Maliika Walker got a chance to speak with Jah Cure about his album The Cure, Rastafari, and Obama’s visit to Jamaica. Here is our conversation.
The Interview
IRIE. Your new album, The Cure, debuted at #1 on the US Billboard Reggae Chart. How does it feel to know that your fans supported you in the U.S., even though you couldn’t promote it here in person?
Jah Cure: It give me inspiration, especially since this is the first album that was made with my money. It’s nice that the fans support my growth and that makes me happy.
IRIE. You executive produced & co-produced the entire album. What influenced you to take complete control over The Cure?
Jah Cure: I worked with some producers on the last album that spited me and I didn’t see a copy of my album until it was released. That is a terrible thing to happen to an artist and I didn’t understand why that took place. I said to myself that event would never happen again. No longer would l allow someone to oversee a project for me. I will oversee all of my future work. We are creating music in a time when artists are taking more control over their music. Artists tend to be more passionate about their music than some producer that may not be so tied to the vision of the project. The songs an artist releases are a representation of them so I have to make sure that the production of my songs are really fine tuned.
IRIE. No Friend of Mine is a great introduction to the album. Why did you choose that as the first song?
Jah Cure: There was no other placement for the song. When you listen to the album you see the first song was the best place to fit it. There is no other song like it on the album. The song has a deep sense of spirituality and tells people to beware of envious friends. We should not let them draw us into their world and bring us down to their level. So that song expresses that I do not need certain types of people in my life because I don’t want to drown in their state of mind. We should choose our friends carefully.
IRIE. What made you choose John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ as a song to cover?
Jah Cure: I felt the song was powerful when I first listened to it. I decided to re-record the song and I want to note that I am not a cover artist. I put a little of my art on my version. I went into the studio with some producers and spent some money on the production to ensure it was produced properly. Yeah the song is a cover but it had to have a nice groove.
IRIE. I know you are a big soccer fan. How do you feel about the success of The Reggae Boyz (Jamaica’s male soccer team)?
Jah Cure: That was a great thing because they were always losing. I used to be so disappointed over the years that I even stopped looking at them play. I would just hope that they would win one or two games out of ten to show they could win.
IRIE. Jamaica has decriminalized herb for Rasta’s but have not made the herb legal nation wide. How do you feel about this?
Jah Cure: It would be great if Jamaica would simply legalize the herb. I love places like Amsterdam and Colorado. California is also making strides. Jamaica needs to stand up and legalize the herb.
Jamaica has good soil and good farming so should be able to do so. It will be smart of the government to legalize and do it the right way. Legalizing herb could benefit us all. The herb helps Rasta’s, and those that smoke the herb, do a lot of thinking that helps us spiritually. The herb is part of the healing that keeps us in the spiritual realm.
IRIE. I love the opening lyrics to your song, The Life We Live. How was the song written?
Jah Cure: That song was easy to write because that’s how I live my life. Me and two other songwriters wrote that song together. It’s just life. Some days you’re down, some days you’re up. It’s the life we all live. The good and the bad come into play when we live our lives.
IRIE. If you could give yourself some advice on how to adjust to being a father, what would that be?
Jah Cure: I would say just be yourself. Be true to who you are. Take care of your children. Be there for them as they grow because we cannot leave as trees in the wild. Children need nurturing. That is one of the reasons there is so much chaos in the world. The prisons are full, homeless people are in the streets all over the world. So show your children love so they know that they are loved. It’s just like Whitney Houston said, I believe children are our future, show them love and let them lead the way.
IRIE. Your song I Surrender includes the lyrics, “They want to see me fall from grace.” Who do you mean by they?
Jah Cure: Everybody. Sometimes when you are living your life people want to see you fall but I surrender to Jah and give him all the glory.
IRIE. How would you define Rastafari to someone who has never heard of the way of life?
Jah Cure: Rasta is what is pure in your heart. It’s living a clean life. It doesn’t matter if you’re Buddha, Christian, or whatever, as long as you are right with the forces of the universe then you are right with nature and humanity. So if you are at peace with nature and humanity, then that’s Rasta.
Rasta is purity. Rasta is what is pure in your mind and in your heart. It’s not pure in loc’s or in food. Some people are vegetarian but do not believe in God, that’s not Rasta. Rasta means to be truly one with nature. Rasta is the ancient state of creation with the purest order of love.
IRIE. Obama recently visited Jamaica. How do you feel about President Obama’s visit to Jamaica?
Jah Cure: I love President Obama. He is welcome to Jamaica anytime. I normally do not care about President’s around the world but I care about this man. He will be spoken about as long as there is
humanity. I am not certain why he made this trip but I know it will bring about some good. He is one of the few people in the world that I would love to take a photo with and keep it forever. The other person is Lionel Messi but I took a picture with him recently.
IRIE. I understand your song ‘Made in California’ was written for your daughter. Share with us the light your daughter brings to your life.
Jah Cure: I love children and I almost wanted a child of my own. I prayed to God to bless me with children. Before my daughter was born I prayed to Jah that he would send me a wise one. Someone who would make a difference in this world. I knew my prayers were answered the minute I saw my daughter. She is growing up to be so smart. The power of Jah cannot be underestimated.