Style & Vibes Podcast Ep. 3 : Interview with Konshens

iTunes (Apple Podcast) | Google Play | Stitcher

Executive Produced by Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown of Breadfruit Media

In the episode we get up close and personal with Dancehall artist, and ladies favorite Konshens! Coming off the release of his latest album It Feel Good, we talk about how he got started in music and whether or not the music industry and artist have evolved enough.

On his new album It Feels Good

Konshens: We did waan di album title to be patois. And di whole concept a di album is people can understand half of what we seh, but dem just love di energy because it feel good. 

Mikelah: I think what people like about the Dancehall culture is, especially the way that we speak, is that’s kind of part of the vibe, is almost the allure. So I think it’s interesting that you didn’t change it. It kind of reminds me of the Beenie Man song, “Yuh mean one foot? No, mi mean two feet.” It was like he’s clarifying it. That’s kind of what I thought of when I first heard the name. 

Konshens: I think we shouldn’t even worry about clarifying it. Jus leff it out deh and mek dem—mek people affi wonda, “What did he say?” They’ll pick bits out of it. It’s always fun to hear what their own translation of what we said is. That’s always fun. 

Mikelah: So on the album, you kind of did a reach of different genres, and I know that that’s on purpose, but talk to me about why it’s important for, as fans, we kind of let the artist kind of grow in different spaces? 

Konshens: I don’t think it’s your responsibility though. I don’t think it’s the responsibility of the fan. I think it’s always a risk that the artist, if he wants to, should take. You can’t force people to like your music, but if they like it, they cannot force themselves not to. So for me, it’s just a risk that I like taking it because I think I’m being true to myself as a music fan, which is of all the different genres. I’ve been influenced by all of the different genres. So me nah go gwaan like a just Dancehall and Reggae alone mi listen 24/7. I actually produce the music that I listen to as well. 

On his brother Delus influencing him to do music

Konshens: When mi older bredda weh pass away recently said, “Yow, come wi do music nuh?” And mi seh, “A’right.” That was the moment. We have always been fans of music. We have always been spending money on music and not making money from music. We write songs and we go studio, and just buy studio time and just record, with no aim and no direction. We just did it because we love it. So I think it’s just his—he had an idea and she, “Yow, come wi do music as wi profession.” And I’m like, “Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.” That’s how we started. So there is no big moment. I’m sorry, the story is not that interesting. There was no big magic moment that I said yes, this is it for me. Yeah, that was just it. 

On Artists he listens to 

Konshens: What I listen—I listen to everything. Tek da definition deh and apply it to weh mi just seh to yuh a while ago. So if yuh waan talk bout LeAnn Rimes and dem people deh from in a di country sector, and Dolly Parton, or yuh waan name some more country people…? Some Evanescence, some Creed, some Linkin Park. You can go over into R&B. Babyface and Toni Braxton. And then yuh can g’ova to the Reggae world and seh Beres Hammond, Richie Spice, Capleton, Sizzla Kalonji, Buju. And g’ova to di Dancehall world and jus name everybody dat has been doing music for the past 40 years. There’s probably a song or a moment from each one a dem weh mi jus really admire.

On what’s missing in Dancehall parties

Konshens: Yeah. I think that’s the only—yuh know people like to complain about what is missing and why we need to go back to di old days, mi a nuh one a dem person deh. I believe very much in advancement and changes and growth, and young people time now. Mi believe in a dat, but I tink dat for Dancehall lovers, I tink dat is supp’n dat I would bring back, a ting name early juggling, and the variety a music dat yuh get. Right now yuh go di party dem and yuh get di same songs over and over, like a mixtape. Dat weh yuh jus seh a while ago, souls—not soul, souls music. Den wi have soca segment, all sort a—weh yuh seh, praise and worship, all sort ah tings yuh get in a di Dancehall. A waan challenge the selectors and DJs in Jamaica fi jus get da creative element deh. And to be honest, it a likkle more challenging fi dem because a di time constraints and di time restrictions weh dem have now. I think it really just—dem fi jus embrace di challenge and tek on a more creative approach. We are sheep enuh. When wi stan’ up in a di audience, we a sheep. So a DJ and a selecta need fi understand di amount a power weh dem have and just use it properly. 

On his personal style

Konshens: My style is any given day, any how mi feel. Sometimes mi dress all di way up when it nuh really necessary and dress all di way down when mi shoulda dress up. It’s just up to how mi feel pan di particular day. I wouldn’t say I have one sense of style, like I’m a suit person or I’m a—check me out, I’m a blazer guy or a T-shirt. It’s just anything for me, anything goes. It affi clean. You know our style a’ready man, a Jamaican ting. Wi affi clean regardless. A doan tink there’s any odda ting dat is a must have for me. Mi jus go wid anyway how mi feel on di day.

Mikelah: So how do you shop? Online, in store, a little of both? 

Konshens: Mi recently start shop online aggressively, and because I have less time on my hands and mi nuh like sen’ people guh shop fi me. So online shopping has been helping me, but I like place New York now, yuh know seh mi deal wid SoHo wicked and Aventura Mall down a Miami. Sporadic, when yuh do dem wild shopping deh, yuh end up spend more that what yuh did plan fi spend. The lifestyle deh a nuh supp’n weh mi waan tek up and leff. (laughs) 

On Social Media

Konshens: I think we reach in a state now where is all about social media. People are so in touch with the actual artist, the actual person. You’re naturally building your legacy, whether you want to not, by your actions because you live under the microscope even more. I tink fi where music is concerned, I want—I’m not focused on every song need to be a hit, mi more focused on yow dis song need fi get dem people ya out a dis mood ya or put them into this mood. Each listener should be able to connect. If mi a do a song weh name “Beautiful” an’ mi a sing bout beautiful women, it’s not for—it’s for beautiful women and not just social media beautiful or wateva di world says is beautiful, but every ‘oman, it supposed to highlight dat in a your mind, seh yow I’m beautiful. Yuh get weh mi a seh? Suh a jus really dem tings deh mi deh pan right now, just to do songs, to connect to particular people. 

His favorite place to perform

Konshens: Jamaica. 

Mikelah: Always.

Konshens: Yeah. Jamaica is all about a vibe and an energy. Most artists that tour Europe and tour Africa and tour globally, dem will come back and tell yuh seh yes di people dem waan yuh sing out yuh song and a man love him third verse and him waan hear it, and di bridge and di supp’n dem and dis and dat. And den him seh a’right, Europe people love a band, Africa love when yuh go wid yuh DJ ca’ dem love di ting weh dem call bashment. Memba when wi used to seh bashment? It is a big word weh dem work wid fi real, bashment. And dat is true and Jamaica is dat, but is also—it’s more of a vibe, like people nuh necessarily waan yuh sing out yuh song a Jamaica unless di vibe is there. Yuh get weh mi a seh? Is more watching di audience and getting di energy from di audience an’ di feedback. Since lately mi see it tun one big cell phone ting doh, everybody jus have di cell phone a pint an’ nuhbody nuh really into the show, but that’s still your task to connect wid di audience like dat. Thats Jamaica and the Caribbean. UK and di Tri-State and dem place deh, a still Jamaica yuh deh, a di same ting. Same ting weh one whole heap a Caribbean people pack up every weh. 

On music fusion of Dancehall and Hip-Hop

Konshens: I love it. Yeah. I love it. Mi love it, mi love it, mi love it because it is like you have to be aware that there were artists before us and then we came as the new ting, and den yuh ago have artists weh come afta and dem a come wid di new ting. I see this big struggle, this big argument a gwaan in a hip-hop world with di Traphall now, like old school Hip-Hop heads really hate the trappas*, the new trap artist. I think the labeling wrong, the labeling of the genres. I don’t think the trap artists, they’re not trying to say that they’re rappers or they’re hip hop artists or whatever, but the hip hop artists are really just offended. I tink dem fi jus create a genre. I think we need to create some genres and seh alright, like how dem seh Trap, they have mumble rap, it just should be classified as hip hop. So in Hip-Hop, you don’t feel offended because another way you can look at it is these are kids that, some of them were trying to be rappers and they didn’t get that support from their own black people. When di white pickney dem ‘ear di trap music and di lifestyle dat trap kids live, these kids, like dem get rich in like a month an’ dem can feed dem family and dem do crazy stuff wid dem money or whatever, but you cya tell a man weh fi do wid him money. So I tink yuh affi look pan it and seh dis ting a feed people, like dis a create jobs fi people. Dem youth deh coulda be somebody weh a rob yuh. Dem coulda be a part a di unemployed percentage or wateva. So I tink dem jus need fi just label dem own ting. And that’s how I look at music, advancement is supp’n weh yuh affi welcome. 

Mikelah: It’s not to say that those sounds disappear, they just change and they evolve. 

Konshens: No. They change. There was a time where each time a new sound came about, they give it a name. Ska, di mento, di different—until it evolve into mento, den dem get Dancehall music outta it and seh a’right Dancehall. I think we should have been had a new genre already in Jamaica, even worse in America, they should have been had different genres, because some different type a ting wi a do. The sounds are different and the fans are totally different too.