Dancehall-reggae singjay Chekx is a unique independent artiste in his own lane who is fusing dancehall with Afropop and reggae with fantastic results.
This year’s pandemic forced Chekx to put his energetic, public performances on hold, but it didn’t keep him down. In April, he released a single, ‘Prayer’ that sought to inspire people facing obstacles in their personal lives.
“My mother in law and I had some differences. I had a studio, was doing some work and it created some friction, because she wanted free jingles from the artistes I was working with. It got so bad, I decided to leave and then I started to write this Prayer song. It was really a reminder to myself not to give up, despite the fight, never show hate, show your haters love, pray to God and keep pushing,” he said.
Released on the E7E Music LLC, the song has over 30,000 views on YouTube and is available on all digital platforms.
“The feedback has been tremendous, ‘Prayer’ has generated a lot of interest, especially in Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria. The message resonates with African people, no war, use prayer, stay your distance, no bitterness, keep pushing, keep praying, don’t allow anyone steal your dream or your joy,” he said.
Given the great feedback from Africa, he has experimented with Afropop for his follow up single, ‘Beautiful’, a bonafide club banger with international crossover pedigree.
He is a big believer in fusing international music genres to create new sounds.
“We are fusing genres, we’re using music to break borders and culture barriers, so we can bring people together with good vibes and good frequency. My music represents peace and unity,” he mused.
Born Joel Smith, he spent his earlier years growing up in Bryan’s Land District, Spaulding, where he attended Spaulding Primary, then later went on to Spaulding High School, and later St. Michael’s College & Knox Community College. He later relocated to New York at the age of 26.
As a child, Chekx wanted to become a Meteorologist but got started in the music industry by doing graphics, websites and programming for artists and other people affiliated in the music industry.
He also has been featured on Rasta Steve’s album called “Like A Yardie” on a track entitled “Cellular”. Other songs include his hardcore dancehall collaboration with Ghanaian artiste Budukusu entitled “Give Thanks”.
“I am trying to put together a body of work so that I can gain more exposure. We need eyes and ears, my sounds are different, my flow and message is unique, everything is in it’s own lane,” he said.
