5 Questions with Beres Hammond

He's one of the most beloved and widely respected entertainers Jamaica has ever produced. Beres Hammond has been making instant classics and 'mashing up' stage shows and concerts at home and across the world for nearly 40 years. With a new album, Never Ending, set to be released next Friday (October 12), we recently caught up with the crooner. Here are five questions with Beres Hammond.

If you weren't a singer, what would you have been?

That's a very interesting question. I would be a revolutionary. Not one with a gun, but someone fighting for equal rights and justice. Everyone has the right to be free and to live a good life. The world has so much wealth, it can happen. I would give a voice to the voiceless. There is so much injustice in the world. People can do so much more for others.

Which of the awards you have received is your most treasured?

Whenever someone who doesn't have much gives you something, it means a lot. They don't have much to give, but they still want to give you something. I really appreciate that. At the same time, when the Government says they want to give you the Order of Jamaica, how can you say no to that? That is one of the highest awards they give, and it's from Jamaica, and I am for anything that's about Jamaica.

You're never seen without a hat or cap. How many do you own, and why do you love them so much?

Maybe around 300. I used to wear berets, but now I mostly wear caps. My father used to wear them a lot and it was like a 'big man' thing, so I wanted to be like that. He used to wear them with suits. I just wear the caps.

What makes you the happiest?

Getting on stage and performing for my 'family', and when I get off people say, 'Thank you' - that brings beauty to my soul. When they say, 'Your song has made a difference in my life'. I cherish those things. People will tell you some beautiful stories of how they came together because of one of my songs. It sounds so beautiful, like it's not me, but I'm happy that it's me.

What are you doing when you're not making music?

Making music (laughs). I chill and relax by watching some 48 Hours (a cop show) and MSNBC. I really love to understand what is happening in politics, especially American politics, because that affects the world. When I get tired of that, I watch some animals on the Discovery Channel. Now and then, I will watch a movie, but it has to be a gangster thing like The Godfather. I'm interested in the stories of how these people live their lives; how they came to wealth and how they die.