By Claudia Gardner–

Reggae/dancehall icon Sizzla Kalonji has been blazing some hot trails, wherever he performs, and the flame may not cool anytime soon. Sizzla says his next project for 2015 will be the launch of another album titled 876, which will take the number of albums created by him to 71.

“That’s a beautiful album,” he said. “I will be singing for the beautiful ladies and singing about Rastafari and singing about leaving mi marijuana alone. And try my best to educate the people of the world and keep it natural as possible … It’s gonna be released the 17th of April, hopefully.”

According to Sizzla, “A lot of people say I’ve been burning a lot of fire so I am very well trying to sing a lot of beautiful songs.”

He will, however, continue to burn that fire, as he has called on Jamaican artistes to put measures in place to prevent themselves from being exploited by unscrupulous producers and publishing companies.

Sizzla was strident as he spoke to The Gleaner about the issue in an interview backstage, following his performance at Rebel Salute at the Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St Ann, recently.

“Nuff a dem big music company and publishing company yah, and producers and promoters try teef wi publishing when wi sing and deejay and do wi likkle video. When dem (artist) did a rise, di people dem boo dem, an run dem, an dem go home go practise and come back betta. Now dem get betta, oonu a set up business and contract fi teef dem likkle money, it naw go work!” Sizzla declared.

Songwriter Credits

“Some a oonu producers … when oonu get mi song, oonu go register it, bout oonu write it. Well, me a tell ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), PRS (Performing Right Society), JACAP (Jamaica Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers), PMI (Phoenix Music International) – everyone a oonu, no man no write fi mi song dem! A mi alone write dem, afta mi sit dung an meditate, see di black people say dem a suffa, caw mi think bout black people. An oonu naw help wi. Oonu run lef wi as oonu si Babylon a come,” he said.

The artist also criticised the Government, which he said was trying to sneak the legalisation of the homosexual lifestyle through the back door.

“One of the biggest thing dem government people yah a try is legalise homosexual and lesbianism secretly, inna di dark … a whole heap a things di government a gwaan wid; di whole country dem a sell out,” he said.

Sizzla, who is also the president of the Haile Selassie Nyabinghi Theocracy Reign Order, also said Jamaica’s politicians had failed to recognise Rastafari or sanction the use of marijuana in their religious worship, but were now rushing to make money from the herb.

“The government does not want to recognise the head of the (Rastafari) nation which is His Imperial Majesty, and the Rastafari family who use the marijuana as the holy sacrament and for medicinal purposes, but now they want to use it to make money, but dem no want free it up fi teck care a wi health and wi chant unto di Almighty so we need to be freed!” he said.