Wayne J’s father believes he is ready for the world
Published:Wednesday | October 30, 2019 | 12:05 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Identifying his son’s potential to become a celebrated name in Jamaica’s popular genres 13 years ago, Wayne Smith Sr introduced Wayne ‘Wayne J’ Smith Jr to the music industry at the tender age of three. Seven years later, he burst on to the scene with songs such as Stay Inna School, Hard Work and Rub A Dub, that are a fusion of old-school dub and dancehall.
As father to a child growing up in the volatile community of Waterhouse, Wayne Sr has acted as somewhat of a protective shield for Wayne J, “though me have to make sure educate him about the differences in what he sees and hears,” Wayne Sr told The Gleaner.
Despite the flare-up of violence over the years, he said there was never a time he considered taking his son overseas to see if he could make better of his education or career.
He said: “You can’t run away from your roots. With everything, people can expect an evolution and Wayne won’t stay a little youth forever, he is becoming a man … growth and change are constant. I can’t protect him from that.”
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Wayne J’s father is also determined to be by his side through all of the changes. Wayne Sr’s tough stance that his son, now 16 years old, was born to be a star is because of the changes he has witnessed.
“The maturity is not just of the voice; that is expected and I, along with his manager Dennis Hamilton and the rest of our family, have been working on training his voice to manage the transition from a young boy to a teenager. But he is more mature in terms of how he acts towards the music, more serious about rehearsals,” he said.
“One time we used to have to call him to practise all three times before he settled down, now he has the proper attitude towards work– both school and music. I believe he is ready to take on the world with his new sound and latest EP, The Renaissance, expected to drop by the end of the month.”
He has come to accept the time it takes to build a foundation locally that his son can still cross over and remain grounded in his roots. As for whether he believes every song from the EP will be received well, he said he is not rushing the process so that it reaches a wide audience.
Wayne Sr contributes to the songwriting and says he continues to provide every cent he can towards his son’s career, because “I have seen too many youths of the garrison community, even some who walked alongside Wayne J in music videos when he was younger, lose them life over nonsense; our music is a mission and I know no matter the topic he will be a positive force in the fight against good and evil.”