Tanto Blacks- Second Times the Charm
Dancehall culture and music has been famous for a multitude of things over its fairly young life. From the sheer rawness, to the more critical seriousness, and even the fun loving stress free bits; Dancehall’s variety is nothing new. However, the changing times have definitely brought with it more contemporary takes on older bodies of thought. Tanto Blacks is one of this generation’s most charismatic artistes, who to his very core represents that carefree, fun loving aspect of dancehall culture. A fashion icon in his own right, Tanto stands tall on the shoulders of giants, like Bogle who lived as an example that dancehall was just as much about the dress, as it was about the music. Tanto first emerged onto the scene at a time when many didn’t make an effort to understand his aesthetics. The spectrum of molds were thinning because of a constant ebb and flow between a more explicit and unedited strain of dancehall music, and a more socially critical strain. So Tanto’s very unique mixture of these different types of expressions in dancehall was not only something that was strange at the time for dancehall audiences, but his passionate, happy nature questioned a seriousness that had laid siege to the industry since the imprisonment of Vybz Kartel. In recent months Tanto has re-emerged onto the music scene for a second time and our chat with him reveals some of the details of this. As a resident of Spanish Town, it should come as no surprise that our encounter with the Rich Boss took place in that very same place. The Backayard vehicle pulls up on the side of a car wash on a bleak afternoon and Tanto’s grey Honda is parked in front of a bar across the road. Phvrvoh, the photographer, proceeds to his wizardry with the camera and we give the Rich Boss a few minutes (for which he graciously requested) to get lunch before the interview. When he’s finally done he wastes no time walking over and initiating the interview on his own.
For those who don’t know, tell us, where exactly did Tanto Blacks enter the music scene?
Tanto Blacks is a yute weh enter this competition Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall (a popular local performing artiste competition, much like The Voice) and from there I got the highlight. I was going on until I got a little laid back. So from dem time deh now, getting laid back, I start to study more, for example how to conduct myself in an interview. I couldn’t give a good interview, my surroundings neva clean, ’cause the people dem weh deh roun’ mi neva believe inna di career also, yuh see it. All the woman that was in my life didn’t strongly believe same way, but me believe in me. So inna dem time deh now fada God jus put me pon a level, so I can know how fi carry on with my lifestyle. Yuh know? So right now I’m back in the streets, real rich, strong and the journey for me right now is blessings and more blessings (as if on cue, it starts to rain). See it! See it. See it?
The success weh me get enuh, I had to really believe in myself. God had to remove some people from roun’ mi and send some real people weh believe, and him a go sen some people weh nuh real too fi make mi understand people more. Yuh undastan? So a just dat gwaan after this Magnum Kings and Queens and the layback. God just make mi know myself and believe in myself. So right now my journey is just more power, more blessings. I’m touring a lot right now ’cause as I come I have to go. I have to thank the almighty God.
A lot of the times you make statements like “my lifestyle rich” and I feel many people misunderstand what you mean by rich as a material thing, but would you say it’s more of a vibe?
My lifestyle is this. When I never deh pon nothing, I bawl for rich, and people laugh at me. But I rich from I come out my mother’s womb, until I went to the wealth rich. So when mi a bawl out real rich a it REAL, but the wealth rich neva come beside me. But mi born rich, ’cause from mi wake up mi rich, once mi eat mi rich. I don’t have to have money, I can go eat a mango or something an mi rich. Yuh seet? Is just like when mi buy a new pants and a new boot mi feel like a billionaire mi rich. So I’ve been sayin rich long time but a lot of people never believe in the rich until them see wealth rich a come now, they might be saying ‘oh money him a talk’. But I’m talking REAL RICH before wealth rich. Yah!
If you had to describe the type of music you make, how would you do that? What words would you use?
My music is fun music, happy music. You undastan? When it come to fun, yeah. You would say, my song dem a culture song. It can play inna church, a Christian show can send call me because I don’t have nothing with any slackness or X-rated language. Yuhzimmi, my ting is just fun, fi make people happy. Even if a woman mi a sing bout, it’s not x-rated, it’s just fun. A Christian can listen and smile and laugh. Yeah.
You’re very active on social media and because of how you decide to share your life a lot of people look up to you for daily motivation.
Well social media is a big help for poor people and rich people. I don’t like call people poor. For people who don’t have the wealth, fi people who a try, fi people who have dem business place, for people who want a highlight and so on. Social media is there for them, you don’t have to go to A or B or C to help you. Just go on your social media in your yard and do what you have to, and things will come to you. So I respect Facebook, Ig, all media platforms because those things help to buil’ you up. Yah.
As I mentioned you are a motivation for many people, but who motivates you?
God. God motivates me, I don’t act like people. People used to take me as madman one time, some take me fi madman same way, some take me as gimmicks same way, but I love that. I love the people that hate me or don’t like me. I still talk with them, because them help motivate me and remind me of who I am. Yah.
I’m a man of God. So God will send the people who supposed to stay with me, and he will send couple weh mi a go love more than others. Him also a go send some weh mi feel like a dem a di man, when is not, is him who right yah so weh mi nah look pon all along. So mi haffi give thanks for everybody, could be good or bad. Mi glad fi dem becau’ dem make mi know people. So I not just thankful for the good ones, but also the bad ones, dem make mi know how fi roll inna di streets and how fi deal with people. Even if they disappear or I have to cut them off, I’m glad for them as a lesson.
You seem to be a really big family man.
Yeah I’m a big family man. Get five kids, Tweet Tweet, Likkle Tweet, Twitter, Tweet dem and my last one name Real Rich.
So you feel like they’re also apart of your motivation?
My kids dem make mi rich. I have rich mind and thought long time. But, getting my youth dem in those times, it make mi have a bigger state of mind. My baby mother, one time woulda go buy a small TV put in the house, some people would say a hype mi hype but mi tell her mi nuh want dat inna my house. Mi want flat screen TV, ’cause when my money a come it come in bulk and the money to buy all six TV will come one time. But true when mi talk, dem say mi have big mind and mi nuh have it. mi have it! Because I have it in my mind. Maybe mi nuh touch it yet or see the money for it, but mi have it. Mi have everything, just like how mi have mi houses. Yeah!
As an inspiration for so many people around the world, what advice would you give to others trying to better their life in one way or another?
I give them the advice. All of them know the advice. Believe in yourself. All of us born rich. Believe in rich before it happen and head towards your career, head towards life. Believe in anything you going towards. Nuff people a go to music, then them leave music and gone do another thing because dem nuh serious. The thing that you believe in, stick to it. You know how much offer for work I get, people a say “si nutn nah gwaan fi you, why you nuh come work with me?” And I said, “no, music is coming back my way, because I believe in it.” Some call me idiot, some say mi a fool. Here I am, look at I now.
Photos & Illustration by: Phvrvoh
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