In almost 40 years as a singer/songwriter, Jahmark Tafari has rarely strayed from the roots and culture message of Rastafari. Yet, he has never been averse to experimenting with different sounds to get that elusive hit single.
Happiness, a song he released last April with his band, The Soulshakers, may be the song that gives the veteran artist that big break. Remixed with a hip-hop toast from American rapper Targyt, it went number one last week on RapAttackLives.com, a leading college chart that tracks the underground hip-hop scene.
Jahmark and the nine-piece Soulshakers are based in Southern California which is a fertile region for roots-reggae. He moved there in the early 1990s and has built a loyal following there with multiple appearances at clubs and festivals.
The success of Happiness is a Godsend for Jahmark who is from Kingston, Jamaica’s capital. It is from the album of the same title which was also released one year ago.
“The original reggae mix of Happiness was released on the album which contains 15 original songs. I know these days it’s not the norm to do a multi-song album but I have to do what feels good to my heart and soul; it just feels more gratifying to I,” he said. “Overall, all the songs on the album have been well-received, there is something for everyone but it seems like Happiness is one of the more highly-favored because it appeals to a variety of people and a wide range of age groups.”
One of the people it appealed to was Nes “Nasty Nes” Rodriquez, who has manned RapAttackLives.com since 2002. Similar to Billboard Magazine’s Heatseekers chart, it monitors independently-produced songs and albums on the verge of making the mainstream.
According to Jahmark, it was Rodriquez’ idea to add a rapper. He agreed, and enlisted Targyt, the son of his Jamaican “bredrin” from Brooklyn, New York, with whom he worked previously.
Though Happiness is not close to a gold or platinum seller, Jahmark Tafari is basking in the triumph of its remix.
“For a pure roots-reggae song to make it this far up the scale on a strictly hip-hop platform is nothing to take lightly because it means big things still a gwaan for the music, the music that I love, the music that form the soundtrack of I life, the music of I ‘n I heart and soul,” he said.
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