Warn Dem 5 Star Warn Dem

Often times there is talk of just how much Jamaican music has decayed in quality over the last few decades. But there is rarely talk of young acts, like Five Star, who remains a pillar upholding a great legacy, and daring to take it further. He is an example of just how drastic the resistance of our music can be to the diluting effects of the industry. With an unparalleled lyrical knack and a flow to galvanize it, he not only stands out but also carves his own space within the realm of emerging Jamaican music. What made Five Star a perfect candidate was not just his catalogue, which includes: “Warn Dem” and “Third Eye Open,” but through the strength of his intellect and the nature of the insights he shares in his music. We live in a time where music has become more accessible and as a result ephemeral.
The finished product of a creative process is separate from the process itself and it’s not often that fans can appreciate the path to success. A musician has to have a relationship with his craft in order to grow through the challenges of his career long enough to have increased his capacity for all its rewards to be had.

You’re definitely one of those persons who has taken the time with the music to be reaping the rewards of hard work and focused efforts. We’ve been looking out for fresh music and you gave us your first single, “Warn Dem.” Talk a little bit about that and why you often take a while to put out music, why do you think other people tend to want to rush your process and how do you feel about that?

Well, why we take time with the music, is because as you mentioned, music is not really durable right now for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is because it’s so accessible. Another reason in a lot of cases, not all, but a lot, is that the fabric of the music isn’t as substantial as it used to be. Meaning not enough energy, time, effort and emotions are put into it, based on the fact that it’s almost so easy to profit off it. So people jus’ a look fi get a riddim and sing or DJ, not even just Jamaica, but all over the world. Especially if they don’t have access to the resources, where they can take the time out to ensure the quality of the music, but at the same time can do it quickly enough for it to be efficient. So a lot of the times why people don’t follow that process is based on those tings. So it depends on the economics and what they perceive music to be. If it’s just a ‘sing pon a riddim’ ting and that’s it, then that is how they will approach it. I and I now, just the respect that I have for the craft, and knowing that every song or a particular song, full of layers. Sonically, emotion-wise, is layers of different frequencies. Music is the fullness of expression, so me personally I have to make sure say, I want all of the aspects of the song, from the flow to melody, to arrangement of the instruments, to the way it’s produced, in order to accurately express what I want you to get from I and I song. Yuh know dem way deh? Yea so dat a why, and doing all of that, tek time.

It definitely takes time. The other side of music that people don’t usually appreciate, is the relationship aspect. For those who do it genuinely, and it’s not to say you shouldn’t expect payment from what you do because you value it, but for those who do it for their souls. They do it for themselves, so that is probably their first reason because it’s therapy, it helps them to deconstruct themselves and learn more about who they are.

Ahh, so that is the energy which connects the artiste to the listener. Music really help I to ovastand the oneness and the self. Because I know that the self is within. So, the self that is within the I, that is making the music supposed to be able to connect with the same sentiments of the person who is listening to the music. So all of the things have to revolve around that. So is like a central theme, the universal struggles. That is why everybody relate so heavy to music, because it is your heartbeat.

Certain emotions can always be expressed in a song. Even if you don’t know how to play them yourself as a person, you can hear them when they come to you. For artistes and musicians, when they’re thinking about music, they’re thinking about a full production musically. So they’re thinking about, as you said earlier; the flow, the melody, the lyrics, all those things. All of them are layers by themselves, being able to appreciate it in its entirety and be in service to the whole craft is the duty of the artiste.
But at the same time, the artiste as a person, there are certain things that you listen for more than the ordinary, or probably have some preference. So out of all these qualities which would you say you have a preference for?

Well, first I resonate with that point you made. Where we have to look at the different parts separately and then put them together in the right way. Because the whole is greater than the sum of the parts but the greater each part, the greater the whole will be. So we have to think about the fullness of the ting. I think I’m always trying to improve every aspect of the sonic experience, but naturally from a yute growing up, lyrics a my forte. Had a way with words ever since I was a young one, so my musical style always reflect that. I feel like I can give you a unique array of different aspects of music in a lot of ways. But of course the lyrics, the flow, the punchline, my ability to be able to split up the riddim into very small mathematical sequences and be able to fit the words in the best way possible. That’s really been my forte from the jump. So I and I been doing that a long time before even I ovastand that I could do it to that level. So now the other aspects are things that I’ve been trying to elevate overtime. Both consciously and subconsciously, just listening to different music, trying out different things, living different experiences and emotions that allow me to be able to hear certain melodies.

That brings me to the next point now. Say, for example, those gaming cards we used to collect as kids, even though we had full decks, there were cards that were favourites, but sometimes it alternates depending on the experiences you have with opponents or other players. The thing about music is the further you go and the more you listen to other music, you start to think about your music and how you approach it, starts to change perhaps. Your relationship with the different aspects and layers of the music start change. So how you feel about melody, might start to change or you might start to feel like you want to hear more of this or try more of that.”
How would you describe the growth of your relationship with these elements?

Well, you ketch it. Because it grows over time with listening. Is livity enuh. So what I mean by that is doing the work, going to places, listening to different music, being a fan of music, hearing all the different sounds of life around you. Because when you grow and go through experiences, it brings different emotions you weren’t used to, and then if you are adept at music and becoming more adept, you will now be able to harness these new emotions and translate them into melodies or words, sound and power. So is really about experience in general, not just doing more shows, not just being in the studio more and linking with more musicians, all of that is integral and important. But, just trodding and living your experience add to the makeup of your conscious and subconscious, and that is what gets expressed in the music. It’s tied together and I feel like not all artistes have that appreciation for it. That’s why I admire the people that insist on live instrumentation to give the music the feeling it used to have. Not to say that digital music is not good, it’s just different. Still, there’s no way around it, music is a lifestyle thing. I find myself in the presence of many musicians, young people and it’s not like they’re musicians in the sense of ambition or profession, even though that is a part of it. For the most part, these people have music in their bones, they wake their drums, they laugh through it, they cry through it; that’s their channel. Definitely a lifestyle ting. It’s in everybody too, because even the ones who don’t pree music that deep, but consume and listen to it, when they feel a certain way, they want to hear a particular song. So it directly correlates with the emotion, and not just emotion; all kinds of frequency that is manifesting within an individual. For example, my brother played the violin for about six or seven years. He’s not a musician by profession, and he doesn’t play as often as he used to, but even now sometimes when he finds himself in a distressed state emotionally, he will pick up the violin and play for hours.

What are you working on now? Anything new or in conception?

“Well, the potential of the mental infinite. What I mean by that is more while, concepts and ideas they come in bulk. Whether it be musical concepts or concepts about the arrangement. But sometimes with all these different ideas that flow, you have to have a filter that weed out the ones which are feasible. Then you take what is feasible and say, “What is the best way to structure this to make it even more feasible?” Also, it’s a team, myself and Travis (who is seated to his left) really exchange and vet these ideas. With that being said, I and I working on a project, right now we just putting everything together. I would say it’s an introductory culmination of music just fi di I dem really get familiar with me on a consistent basis. It will really be presenting different aspects of my capabilities. Naturally, it’s being done with a particular frequency based on principles that we’re trying to express. The music will have to have qualities that elevate the ones listening to the music. So we are talking about certain principles that we are trying to express to the masses of people, in some cases, especially the yutes. So we really trying to put the ting dem together with that as the substance and the foundation. We getting the songs them together as we speak; voicing and production. A few of dem seal, we not really sure of an exact date right now but we looking at later this year.