Dancehall reggae artiste Black-Er is hoping that his latest song, ‘Wake Up JA’, will get a similar support as that of Lovindeer’s ‘Wild Gilbert’.

Gilbert, a category five hurricane, swept through Jamaica on September 12, 1988. It devastated the island, leaving behind 42 deaths and damages estimated at US$ 2.9 billion dollars, mainly to infrastructure, including houses, the agricultural sector, and and tourism.

The recent 5.45 magnitude earthquake, though described as massive, left mainly psyschological distraight and minor infrastructural damage.

Black-Er, as in the case of Lovindeer, hastened to the studio and recorded ‘Wake Up JA’.

“I feel this (song) is an inspiration from God, because it was never planned. And, everything went perfectly. I wanted to do a song which would be so powerful that it would lead Jamaicans to God, because I have been seriously thinking about the senseless killings of our children and elders and this really burn my heart.”

“Then came the earthquake, and I said to myself, this is a warning that we have lost sight of God. So, It is time he reminds us who is God. This quake is just to bring us back to reality. Shaka Pow and I were during our morning exercise just after the earthquake when we agreed that it was a matter of urgency to get the song on the road.”

“The lyrics were written within hours because I knew what I wanted to represent, as comical as it might sound. People were calling out for Jesus, praying for deliverance, and reading their Bibles.”

“The song was recorded at Music UK Recording studio. The producer Richard Roache, Digital 1 production. I posted the song which had 50,000 listeners within 24 hours. It wasn’t surprising as the engineer had said this song was what Jamaicans needed at this time.”

Plans are in place to release a video in a matter of weeks, he said. Black-Er is promising a level of comic relief from the video. “One will definitely agree, the ‘Wild Gilbert’ music video is hilarious. However, I can bet, you will be cracking up with ‘Wake Up JA’.”

Black-Er, born Donovan Blackwood in the heart of downtown Kingston, attended Kingston College where he began to thrill his schoolmates with comical lyrics. He gives credit to Rory from Stone Love sound system who allowed him to deejay across Jamaica. His biggest breakthrough came with ‘Bun Him’, a collaboration with Macka Diamond. Other songs include’Tek Off Supm’ and ‘TikTok Chaka Chaka’.

(Photo contributed by Blacker)