5 Questions with Cham

Even though he’s still a bit baby-faced, the dancehall music veteran, who rose to international prominence with the penetrating, true-to-life record Ghetto Story, has long dropped the ‘Baby’.

For many dancehall music listeners, Cham’s Ghetto Story was a herald. It was the type of coming-of-age tale that could only belong to a Jamaican. But we were quick to learn that ‘ghetto’ is a concept that traverses borders. Ghetto Story became a worldwide hit, with four different versions released. Ghetto Story Chapter 2 features R&B vocalist Alicia Keys, and Chapter 3 features Senegalese-American record label owner and philanthropist Akon. The fourth is the version with all three music stars’ voices, melding to share their perspectives of the ghetto ‘livity’ they experienced before achieving international fame as entertainers.

Fourteen years later, Cham is singing a different tune. No longer confined to tenements, shielded by zinc fences, sleeping on a “big piece a foam”, Cham recently released the inspiring track We Survived.

1. Tell us about We Survived. Should fans understand it as a Ghetto Story follow-up?

We Survived was made to uplift and elevate. It’s the type of song that makes you have to reflect – whether or not you are in a better place in life now or still struggling to make ends meet. It makes you want to push on and keep fighting.

2. Any upcoming releases? Is there an album coming, or is the focus on streaming singles?

For right now I’m focused on singles. We Survived, Day One, Fire Aguh Bun, and Chicken Back are all out now. The idea is to keep feeding the fan base and keep them active with singles until we feel the time is right for the album.

3. In this technological era of streaming and downloads, have you been targeting Jamaican listeners, diaspora listeners, or the world?

Our Jamaican culture will always be the inspiration, but music has no boundaries. I’ve always made music for the world, promoting our lifestyle. That’s how the Jamaican brand is marketed.

4. What does Cham do on his off time?

On Cham’s off time, he’s locked in to Liverpool FC and Barcelona games. Ha, ha!

5. Whose music have you been listening to most these days. And why?

I’ve been listening to a lot of music from the new generation of dancehall and reggae and other genres.

Bonus

Do you want to see Sting come back? Give us a reason for whether it’s yes or no.

Sting is a big part of dancehall and reggae culture, so, for sure, I would [want] to see the show keeping again. They need to focus more on delivering a great show than just the clashes. The clash should be the icing on the cake at the end of the night.