Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Becca D connecting with her roots

Published:Wednesday | November 10, 2021 | 12:07 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
Becca D comes from a musical family. Her grandfather was born and raised in Annotto Bay, and her mother is a former member of a band.
Becca D comes from a musical family. Her grandfather was born and raised in Annotto Bay, and her mother is a former member of a band.
Becca D (left), and Protoje.
Becca D (left), and Protoje.
Becca D (right), also met up with Koffee during one of her visits to the island.
Becca D (right), also met up with Koffee during one of her visits to the island.
Becca D (right), and Govana in Spanish Town.
Becca D (right), and Govana in Spanish Town.
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Rebecca Dudley’s down-to-earth exuberance as she speaks about Jamaican music is contagious.

The DJ and television and radio presenter for MTV UK and Apple Music, more popularly known as ‘Becca D’, shared that the intense passion and love she has for reggae and dancehall is no coincidence, that it runs through her veins. She comes from a musical family. Her grandfather was born and raised in Annotto Bay, and her mother, a former member of a band, she said, made sure the music stayed alive in their home, whether by playing the music or cooking authentic Jamaican dishes.

“Unlike my dad, who is not in touch with his German side, my mom is in touch with her Jamaican roots; she says I am closest in terms of personality to my grandad, her father, who passed away before I was born. I find that every Jamaican I’ve encountered is so proud of their culture and nationality, and I’ve always felt a strong connection too. I may not look or sound like I am from there, so people are always going to question my knowledge and dedication,” she said. “I find that because of it, I always have to prove myself in this field – and honestly, I don’t think of it as a bad thing. If anything, it pushes me to be better and work much harder. At the end of the day, everyone is going to have an opinion, but [it] doesn’t matter what a person likes, it matters what I know and how I was brought up, and I know what’s in my blood.”

The reggae-dancehall scene is alive in the United Kingdom, and Becca D is making certain she is at the centre of it all. She launched the brand DEADLY in 2017, which kick-started with her interviewing Jamaican artistes in London. Over time, it has afforded her more opportunities for features during her visits to the island.

“First of all, I am a massive reggae and dancehall head. I felt like there was a gap in the market when it came to the original content presented via platforms in the UK, such as GRM Daily, which at the time of its start was a specialist programme focused on grime and rap music and weren’t big then. Those are super mainstream, and they have blown up tremendously,” Becca D told The Gleaner.

THE INTRODUCTION OF DEADLY

“I was like, why don’t we have anything like this for reggae and dancehall? Fast-forward to when I introduced DEADLY, it so happened that Chronixx, Jesse Royal and Christopher Martin were all here at the time. I thought if I got these artistes to cover popular songs in the mainstream UK, it would open more doors for people to get to know them. It made sense as a way to give hardcore reggae fans an insight [into] the artistes and the music,” she continued.

The cover of Bob Marley’s Natty Dread done by Chronixx received close to one million views, but with copyright restrictions, it did not work out as she anticipated, so she decided to focus her energy on interviewing the artistes. She expanded her reach with Quick ‘N’ DEADLY and 5-Second Pull Up, lively mini sessions which puts the entertainers on the spot to answer questions in the shortest time. Clarks Original currently sponsors the production where she has featured several popular and emerging acts, including Spice, Kranium, Tosh Alexander, Sean Paul, Lila Iké, and Protoje.

“I thought it was important to show the artistes in a slightly different light. A lot of the times with reggae and dancehall, it is very serious and based entirely around the music, and I thought it would be super important to show the fun side and the artiste – these times we all need a laugh,” Becca D said.

She added, “Oftentimes, I would hear people say reggae all sounds the same, and immediately I will school them by saying, listen this or watch that, and come to this gig – I believe this has converted many persons. I am seeing it happen slowly, but I have big hopes and dreams for it. Eventually, it will mature into a production company, recording label, events, clothing brand and receive other collaborations. With Clarks, it is a whole other elevation because the brand has so much history culturally with Jamaica.”

BOOKED AS A DISC JOCKEY

Recently, she was booked as a disc jockey for City Splash Festival, a live-show event that saw over 10,000 patrons converging at the Beckenham Place Park in London.

“Right now, the UK’s entertainment scene is back to about 80 per cent active and being at the festival made me feel like I was back in Jamaica because we usually don’t have performances on such a wide scale or with that mix of music. It really went well,” she shared.

In 2012, at 21 years old, Becca D was signed up as one of the new faces of MTV UK fronting daily news – nine years later, she is their leading presenter. She has played the role of host to over five shows across MTV, and she has a regular spot on Apple Music’s international station Beats 1. How does she do it while producing DEADLY? She answered, “It is crazy, I don’t know how [I do it], I don’t manage it very well. I work a lot of nights and most weekends, so I am always super busy, but I rather that than not doing it. If I was to choose one job, I couldn’t.”

“DEADLY, like everything else, is a big part of who I am, and that’s just the work side. I must say that I have grown in the nine years, so much has changed, and with my brand, there is so much more that I can do or plan to do as I widen the audience, all while spreading love for reggae and dancehall culture,” Becca D continued.

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com