J Written’s mission of consciousness
Published:Saturday | February 18, 2023 | 12:32 AMAaliyah Cunningham/Gleaner Writer
Hoping to reveal the truth about the inner city through his music, reggae artiste J Written pours from his experiences growing up on Spanish Town Road and Trench Town to show that there is love on every corner of the ghetto.
“My motto is live, laugh and love. It is, as they say, do unto others that you would want for yourself. The kind of music I create is music of consciousness and when I say that I don’t mean righteousness, because consciousness is the state of being aware so we just make people know what is happening and show people that is not just gunshot fire in the ghetto, but there is love in the community, there is love on the roadside, at the domino table and the corner shop. The things they see are the things they make a problem of, we deh here fi spread the reality and the truth,” he told The Gleaner.
The youngster said he has seen many hardships in the various communities that he has spent his time, but he has also seen plenty to smile about. He began taking an interest in music at age 14, but it was not up until eight years ago that he began singing.
“I was mostly doing the production side of things you know, behind the scenes thing. But my friends would always tell me that I can sing and I sound good so then I began voicing songs, as well, so we give thanks for the journey. I can’t say when exactly I started because we have loved since we were young,” he shared.
Since the beginning of his singing career, he has released tunes such as Black Panther, Nothing Like Love and Raggamuffin. He is also billed to perform on Lovers and Friends at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove In St Ann tonight and shared his joy at being a part of the line-up.
“I think it is a brilliant show to be honest with you. It’s amazing to be on it as some lickle yutes who get a platform. I mean the show is not only about Valentine’s Day. It is called Lovers and Friends, so it all about love for your significant other, love for your brethren, love for your community, and I represent that to the fullest, so it works perfectly well with my energy, so the world should expect greatness,” he said.
International acts Mya, Rotimi, and Bobby Valentino are also set to perform alongside Sizzla, Ghost, Alaine, and Chris Martin.
As for the rest of the year, he is looking forward to more international shows.
“We are focusing on going on the road this year. I can’t say where because we are finalising some things, but we have got a lot of offers from people wanting us to come perform at their shows overseas and we give thanks for that. We plan to do everything that we are doing now on a greater level, like the career is on steroids. We give thanks for everything and even the challenges that we go through,” J Written revealed.
While he continues to find his footing in the music business, J Written, whose real name is Jason Wright, believes the most important thing is to remain authentic.
“The industry has taught me that the world accepts you when you are true to yourself because you cannot expect people to be looking out for you or listening to your music and you are not singing about what you know and what is true. They will know you as a liar. A man cyaan just sing bout something and it not true words. You just have to be true to yourself. You also have to be open because you can’t be doing music for the world and be secluded. Even the woman who sells bag juice outside of the studio is a great part of the energy of what happens inside the studio so we give thanks for the energy,” he declared.