Five Questions With Ding Dong
Published:Friday | October 1, 2021 | 12:09 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
ABC Fast or Slow, Badda Dance, Bounce, Bad Man Forward, Chaka Chaka, Go Away, Oh My Swing, Part The Crowd, Pree Dem, Santa Sunlight, Swing Song, Sweep, Sashi Cool, Summa Swing, Syvah, and the list goes on.
These are the names of some of the dance moves created by Ravers Clavers founder, Ding Dong, the dancer who smoothly changed gears and is also a deejay of worth, taking his high-energy entertainment across the globe.
The hype man, who was christened Kemar Christopher Dwaine Ottey by his parents, has performed in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean and appeared on Rebel Salute 2018, the first dancer-turned-dancehall artiste ever billed for the show in its then 24-year history.
The year 2009 was a big one for Ding Dong, the recording artiste. It saw the release of Holiday, a collaboration with Jamaican singer Chevaughn, which would become an anthem, racing to the top of several charts. Hustler, Shampoo, Wul Up, Syvah, Genna Bounce, Gas, Lowe Mi, Fling, Rock The Floor alongside label mate Dancehall Princess Shenseea, Flairy, Lebeh Lebeh and Hands Free, with R&B star Mya are a few of his hits. He also appeared on Shaggy’s 2020 Christmas in the Islands album on a song with Ne-Yo and Shaggy.
Endowed with a charming persona, corporate has taken note of Ding Dong. Grace Foods’ brand campaign ‘Flava with a Beat’ gave brand ambassador Ding Dong a major role as the voice behind the campaign jingle. He has advertised for Magnum Tonic Wine, GraceKennedy and Western Sports.
“It is a blessing, especially for me representing the dancehall community and as a male from the garrison. It shows that it is not where you are from, but how you carry yourself,” Ding Dong told The Gleaner.
Known for keeping his private life under wraps, Ding Dong shocked fans in June 2019 when a picture of his wedding appeared on social media.
He currently calls Romeich Entertainment home and his manager, Romeich Major, was the best man at his wedding.
In-between shooting his latest music video, he took a break to answer this week’s Five Questions With.
What has the year 2021 been like so far?
Well, so far, 2021 a one rough year. It have it good and it bad with it, but we deh yah with it same way. We have life, and we [are] grateful and thankful. Also, being an ambassador for Magnum have its vibes and ting yuh know. There is always something to do. We work on nuff projects since 2021 still and [a] couple [of] music videos too.
Is your song ‘L.I.E.’ based on truth? What was the inspiration for the track?
My inspiration for that song is just life, things we see people go through. We have certain experiences, too, where we a tell the truth and fi some reason Mummy T think seh a just lie we a tell. And we see it happen to we other friend dem and other people out deh inna di world. It [is] a topic that anybody or everybody can relate to.
A fan of yours recently said, “Ding never drop the catch when it comes to entertainment and creativity”. What is your secret?
Well, like di colonel fi KFC mi cyaan leggo di secret, yuh understand weh mi mean? I can’t give you the secret. Just live life and enjoy Ding Dong Ravers.
Two years into marriage. Would you recommend it to your friends?
All right, listen to me. I’m not going to recommend marriage to nobody because yuh see when marriage feeling come towards you, it come towards you with love. And when you reach the stage of loving somebody that much, yuh nah go need permission or no form a guidance or nothing at all to go and do that. You just do it willingly. So I don’t think I have to recommend it to anybody. When it reach that stage of love with somebody, nobody cyaah tell yuh nothing. Yuh just dweet or do what yuh haffi do. Yuh si di style.
When the world opens up fully, what would be your stage show of choice for a big Ding Dong and Ravers performance?
The first stage show I want to go [to] is Magnum Xplosion because of the explosiveness [of] those Magnum stage shows. It’s just the atmosphere, the people, the fans… it’s like no other. Magnum Xplosion Ding Dong Ravers nuh mek mi guh off like bomb.