Shaka Pow working on ‘Fully Bright’ EP
Published:Thursday | September 28, 2023 | 12:09 AMJada Powell/Gleaner Writer
Medical doctor and recording artiste Dr Garth ‘Shaka Pow’ McDonald is moving further to push the message of literacy.
“We’re currently working on putting together the Fully Bright EP, which will comprise about seven motivational songs geared around education and its importance,” Shaka Pow told The Gleaner. This EP serves as a complement to the entertainer’s ‘Fully Bright’ bags, a project aimed at spreading awareness about the significance of education in light of the growing popularity locally of the ‘Dunce’ bag pack and ‘fully dunce’ slang.
Sharing that the Fully Bright school tour is at the heart of this mission, he’s looking to expand his outreach. “We also look forward to organising gifts as part of the Fully Bright school tour,” Shaka Pow revealed. Since March of this year, he and his team have visited 30 schools. During these visits, they have been a part of graduation ceremonies, prize-giving events, and boys’ and career days, leaving a mark on the students.
“While on these tours, we motivate students on the importance of education, having good principles, and positive outlooks on life,”said Shaka Pow. “We try to go to any school that can welcome and accommodate us because, in every school, there will be no less than one child that will need this message. We would have met our goal in just going in and motivating, and we hope, at minimum, we can save one student from going down the wrong path.”
Within the first quarter of 2024, Shaka Pow says he plans to release a full-length album version of Fully Bright that will feature Afrobeats and one-drop dancehall tracks. He shared that he will be collaborating with the likes of Beenie Man and other renowned artistes to amplify his message. Speaking from both perspectives, as a licensed doctor and a recording artiste, McDonald says he understands that education, reading, being informed, and making informed decisions are the keys to success. “A fool and his money will soon depart,” he noted. “It may be ‘easy’ to gain money the ‘dunce’ way, but it takes smarts to keep it. In any aspect of life, seeking knowledge and wisdom is paramount.”