Agent Sasco’s impressive evolution isn’t by accident
‘The more I grew, is the more I got confident about being me’
Published:Sunday | February 13, 2022 | 12:07 AMSade Gardner - Staff Reporter
These days, describing Agent Sasco as just a dancehall artiste is quite a disservice.
He has had one of the most impressive evolutions in the reggae and dancehall space, from his music career and philanthropic lifestyle to his university studies, multiple business ventures, and corporate partnerships.
For the public, it started with a change in his brand name from Assassin in 2006, but it started for him long before that.
“From the beginning, one of the things I was keen about was making sure that at the end of pursuing my music career, I’d recognise myself physically and figuratively,” Sasco told The Sunday Gleaner. “I’ve seen transformations in artistes that I’ve admired as a youngster growing up, artistes at the pinnacle of the world industry, so if you look, I have no piercings, no tattoos, nothing like that. I’ve never smoked anything in my life because I made that sort of pact with myself that I was always going to be me and be true to me.”
He gave his teenage self some grace. After all, he started his music career at 17.
“I was still trying to figure myself out, and the more I grew is the more I got confident about being me and not being a version of myself for anything or anyone else,” he said. “People might want me to do a particular type of material, and if it’s not in alignment with my core values and my soul, then I’m not doing it. But early on, maybe not so much. I guess when you figure yourself out, you know that this is what I’m going to be doing and just be 100 per cent authentic and have integrity in what I’m doing.”
Sasco spoke after re-signing a brand ambassador contract with the Recycling Partners of Jamaica on Tuesday, a partnership that allows him to be more involved in resolving environmental issues. Over the years, he has immersed himself in similar projects to, essentially, sculpt a better society. Take, for instance, his long-standing work with the Ministry of Security’s ‘We Transform’ programme, which allowed him and the Digicel Foundation to open a recording studio for wards at the Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Centre back in December. Yet, Sasco doesn’t claim the “corporate figure” label.
“I see myself as someone who has interests and beliefs and values and hopes and dreams, and I’m just trying to realise what I would imagine my potential is and to pursue my passions and my interests,” he said. “As it turns out, a lot of that aligns with what several entities want to do, and so we’re able to partner with them and have an impact in that way, so for me, it just makes sense to pursue the things that you really like and care about, and when you do that, natural linkages happen.”
Corporate entities aren’t the only ones who are taking notice of his clean brand. In reasoning with young men from the Heart Academy recently, entrepreneur Romeich Major mentioned Sasco when speaking about today’s age where negativity often outshines positivity.
“Yuh have an artiste like Assassin (Agent Sasco) who is so clean,” Major started. “Him reputation clean, him image clean, and he’s one of the best dancehall artistes we ever have. Mek him have one likkle mix-up to him name and you see how bigger him would be. It’s sad.”
While this may be a reality, Sasco is in a space of contentment. As for what’s next, he allows his passions to determine that.
“I have a thing that I say: everybody can’t carry the same thing to market. Something might be working for someone else. That’s cool, that’s for them. Just focus on what’s important to you and what you’re passionate about, and let the chips fall where they may. Over time, you get to trust that a little more because you remember that time when it happened that way. You remember that time when you thought this would be the right thing to do but then recognised that the fulfilment never came with it, all of that. We don’t have the time to really delve into all of what went on into me becoming so certain of how I wanted to be and how I wanted to work.”
He stopped to add, “I’m still learning who I am because that doesn’t stop.”