Magnum’s Top Performa competition winner, Dwight “King Calie” Gutzmer is calling on the veteran entertainers of the region to embrace the younger generation and share their knowledge and experience. Gutzmer recently launched the music video for his first single, “Dweet” – which was part of his prize winnings from last year’s Top Performa grand finale.
The former footballer and developing entertainer was interviewed recently on OvertimeTT TV and shared his perspectives on recent topics which have sparked discussions in Jamaica and on social media platforms globally. The 64th Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album was recently won by Virginia-based band, SOJA (Soldiers in Jah Army) sparking criticism and controversy throughout the genre and its homeland in Jamaica.
“Ah not throwing no corn for no foul, this is from my limited perspective how I feel about it ” he said about the Grammy situation. “If we are in a space where an artiste who has promise and songs that are killing it in Europe with thousands and thousands of streams, but that artiste is not being validated on the island, what it says to me is that the people who really love the genre and want to see it move forward are not on the island. So for something big like ah Grammy to come to the island when those people who want reggae to progress are of greater numbers, the likelihood of us getting the Grammy is slim to none and even when you look at the nominees, half of them are not really doing authentic reggae, so to give them a Grammy over these guys who are doing authentic Reggae, it seems unfair to me…”
King Calie also weighed in on the recent spat between Jamaican dancehall acts, Moses “Beenie Man” Davis and Adijah “Vybz Kartel” Palmer, after Beenie criticized the younger acts in dancehall music for not staying true to the genre and Kartel responded from prison defending their experimentation. Calie said:
“The veterans need to realise that their job at this stage is to guide and support the young ones and uphold the foundation of the style and sound that made them great and brought them success. Instead of trying to remain relevant by copying and fighting the younger ones, they need to embrace them and encourage and support them. There will always be a new generation coming up eager to experiment and create their own sound, but if we are able to merge the old and the new then what we create will be unstoppable and the veterans can still live on and even find more success through working with the younger acts.
“Instead of trying to replicate the current sound,” Calie advised, “the veterans need to salute the works of the next generation, sign up a contract and push them to the next level and then they can still collaborate with them anytime to maintain their relevance, while allowing them to flourish and grow and perfect THEIR sound. If they try to steal the current sound and do it better than the young acts, they will not only alienate their own fan base, but also crush the momentum and the spirits of the younger acts…”
The young entertainer shared similar views regarding the apparent friction between the veteran and rising female dancehall acts like Chinsea “Shenseea” Lee, Grace “Spice” Hamilton, “Jada Kingdom” Murphy and Pastor Marion Hall aka “Lady Saw” and even voiced in on Siccature Alcock aka “Jah Cure” and his recent conviction for attempted manslaughter in the Netherlands.
“This goes right back to the same debate about artistes not understanding how to transition into their veteran stage. Those who built the foundation are now living in the Penthouse and that’s the only part they visit and all they can see sometimes, so they often neglect the rest of the building and anyone who isn’t on their level… Lady Saw clearly wants to work with the younger acts and recapture some of her early fame, while leaving her stamp on the genre, but she needs to realise that she has already left her mark and the younger ladies are just building upon the foundation that she set…”
“As far as Jah Cure is concerned, I sympathize with him because I too, struggle with controlling my anger and I have heard many stories of promoters who trick and disrespect our artistes in foreign lands. By no means am I excusing his actions because he clearly broke the law and almost fatally injured another person and has to stand the consequences of his actions, but as a human I can relate and I wish that Jamaica as a people would stand behind our artistes more – even and sometimes especially when bad things happen… He has been convicted in the wrong but he is still one of us, so rather than just say him ah jailbird or some other derogatory comment like those I have seen being made online, why not wish him a rehabilitative experience and hope that he learns the lessons needed to control his behavior when he is free again, yuhseeme?”
The brainchild of producer, promoter and artiste manager (Shenseea and Ding Dong), Rudolph Brown aka Romeich Major, the Top Performa competition was sponsored by Magnum Tonic Win and chose 12 contestants from over 1200 entries. After months of performance showcases, working on their stage-craft, songwriting and performance techniques, King Calie emerged victorious and claimed the grand prize of 1,000,000 and a studio recording and music video courtesy Romeich Entertainment.
