Professor Nuts thankful for inspiring Spice, Vybz Kartel, Govana and more

Veteran deejay Professor Nuts has been getting his flowers lately. Over the past two years, ‘Queen of the Stage,’ Spice, has constantly hailed him as one of her primary inspirations, and Twin of Twins’ Tu-Lox has referenced him as one to model when it comes to live performances.

Nuts, who pioneered a style of deejaying which integrated engaging storytelling with witty and humorous lyrics, is well aware of his influence and sees it all around today.

I INSPIRE THEM

“The flavour that I come across with from the early ‘80s coming up, it’s like that is what is coming out of them now,” Nuts told The Gleaner. “All the artistes dem, Govana, even Kartel. Kartel a one of mi favourite artistes dem and he’s the one weh tell the world – and I apprecilove and respect him for that – that this man is the one who inspire him ‘to become’ by just listening how mi deejay and try to flow that way, and it works for him.”

Beyond millennial stars, he also spots his influence in artistes like General Degree and Mad Cobra, though “Cobra’s pattern was more of a Ninjaman thing, but when him drop him voice and go boom, you hear it.”

While he said some artistes have “taking his lyrics”, the Tan So Back deejay is not one to demand credit or stir up contention.

“It’s a lot of artistes I inspire and I thank God for that. The greatest thing is, I inspire them and I will never fight them. I will never disrespect none of my co-workers them, because everybody is trying to live. Super Cat is one of my favourite deejays and he took one of my lyrics on the song Cry Fi Di Youth, which he said was one of the main lyrics weh mek dem send for him a foreign. It’s not a problem, and I respect him for that because if mi lyrics never nice, him wouldn’t tek it.”

PROF NUTS STILL ENJOYS PERFORMING

Nuts was speaking after receiving a round of applause and encore requests from patrons at Bamboo Splash Lawn’s ‘Acoustics Live’ in Kingston in April. It was clear that even decades later, he still enjoys performing his material, a factor, he said, that allows the audience to also enjoy themselves.

“People also like when you talk to them. But if yuh a go go up deh and talk ‘bout ‘wave yuh rag’, ‘put up yuh lighter’, like you a demand them, no. You don’t demand a crowd, you command a crowd.”

Given name Carl Wellington, Nuts entered the music scene deejaying on the St Catherine-based Love Child sound system in the ‘80s. Later that decade, his popularity grew beyond the sound to big stages like Reggae Sunsplash, where his comical and highly visual style were praised and embraced. His onstage mastery has accompanied a solid catalogue with songs like Inna Di Bus, Funny Guy, Mama Have Her Own and Bad Boy Jimmy.

He is currently working on new music with Shaggy and Agent Sasco, as well as British label Forever For Life.

sade.gardner@gleanerjm.com