DJ Nature Won plays all genres of Jamaican music

The global rise of Afro Beats has made West Africa one of music’s hottest regions. Reggae and Jamaican culture is also popular in that part of the world, especially Ghana, where DJ Nature Won is from.

From Logos Town Takoradi in western Ghana, he is his country’s leading sound system selector, playing all genres of Jamaican music on his Nature Won Sound Intl. From mento to ska, rock steady and roots-reggae, to old school and contemporary dancehall.

He also shares healthy servings of lovers rock, dub and reggaeton to suit his diverse audience.

“I broadly run a universal playlist according to the bookings calling sheet,” said DJ Nature Won, who is also a Disc Jockey on Dofopa 105.1 FM, a radio station based in Accra, the Ghanaian capital.

The 42 year-old, whose real name is King Kutah Francis, discovered reggae as a boy at his Uncle Steve’s bar in Takoradi. As reward for an errand, he was allowed to play any cassette from his uncle’s vast reggae collection.

His first ‘selection’ was a classic. The rebel tones of ‘Legalize It’ by Peter Tosh filled the bar and King Kutah Francis was instantly hooked.

“The customers at the bar were happy, so he (Uncle Steve) shook my hand and gave me money to go and buy anything I wanted. From that very day, he told me to come and clean the DJ booth after school every day, so I would select a cassette and play it after cleaning,” DJ Nature Won recalled.

Those informal sessions caught the attention of a patron who owned a sound system named Lucky Sounds. He was impressed by the youngster’s selection skills that he gave him his first official job as a selector at age 12.

Back then, DJ Nature Won’s specialty was roots-reggae, but his repertoire and playing geography has grown. Now based in Accra, which has Ghana’s most active reggae scene, he also plays festivals, clubs and parties throughout West Africa, in The Gambia, Togo, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire.

DJ Nature Won’s popularity coincides with that of Ghana’s reggae artistes including Stonebwoy, Rocky Dawuni and Shatta Wale, who have collaborated with Jamaican acts like Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Jahmiel. He longs to show his worth before a Jamaican audience.

“Of course, that’s one of my biggest dreams. Jamaica is the trendsetter of this culture and I have to visit my people of Jamaica, play and entertain them,” said DJ Nature Won.

(Photo contributed by DJ Nature Won)