Jahshii established himself as an artist through breakout hits like Cream Of The Crop, Shift Change, Born Fighter, Keep Up and a slew of others. But the Grant’s Pen born, Jamaican native unlike his musical peers, emerged as a star in his own rite through exceptional skill in the performing arts. It was Jashshii’s stagecraft that differentiated him as an up and coming artist and won him the love of the Jamaican people. Jahshii had tested his mettle against the best in the city, by way of a weekly talent stage show by his now mentor Popcaan. Jahshii’s strong voice and personality are tempered only by his humble, self reflective and jovial characteristics. These shine through in the sonic identity of his brand but also the general aesthetic that people have come to associate him with. Jahshii wears his heart, strong as a lion on his sleeves.
But before the 22 year old captured the hearts of many Jamaicans islandwide, he had flashes of the bright lights in his future in music. A four year old Jahshii, legally Mluleke Tafari Clarke, recorded his first single dubbing himself by the name we have all come to know and respect. Between that first flash of musical brilliance at four, and his current place in his journey to stardom; the young artist struggled like most youths to decide their future.
Driven by a love of football and natural athletic abilities, the young Jahshii was torn between his music and his bright future as a footballer who performed and represented well during his high school seasons. Ultimately, it was his time as a musical gladiator dominating the unruly clash stage that transformed his indecision into certainty. Additionally, he had gained a cult following that exceeded his and all expectations.
Now Jahshii is seasoned on his journey, in demand and more aware of his nuanced relationship with his growing audience than ever. The result of which, was a string of more mature and intimate hits like Energy, Promise, Prosperity, and even Stronger. As the young artist matures and connects on deeper levels with his audience, something key is observable in his journey; he cares. Jahshii is passionate, and genuinely concerned for his link through music, to his fans.
He places a great deal of focus now on creating musical experiences that will connect him further with the people who support him. He has even on occasion used his platform to speak on behalf of the people during performances and address systematic issues like education and violence against women. This young artist is not just excellent at his musical craft, he is also socially aware and concerned as a result. This plays out in some of the darker themes his music tackles, though often somehow optimistic in its ending.
Now this new focus has been turned to the crafting of a body of work. Something especially older dancehall artists rarely ever attempt, much less achieve in their career. Jahshii, has been hard at work making a collection of songs to serve as a proper sonic narrative of his introduction. This new body of work is an EP titled Nawmal A Lie. It is a five track collection that sounds like a distilled musical version of a surreal journal entry by someone living their dream.
The introductory track Happy Living is testament to this dreamlike quality of Jahshii experience in the wake of his establishment and continued growth as a musical force in Jamaica’s sea of talented artists. A truly formidable task. The EP continues much in this same mood, as it delves deeper into the darker side of street life with songs like Havok. Meesh and Big chop are likely to become the cinematic score for the lives of many hard working Jamaicans in this time. Star serves as a fitting end and aptly descriptive song to describe his current place in dancehall music. Jahshii is the latest in a long line of Jamaican Reggae Dancehall stars.
