When up-and-coming reggae singer Prophecy penned the single Chance - an anti-violence piece - and sent it off to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) shortly after the untimely death of South African reggae singer Lucky Dube, he had no idea that he had set in motion what would become his chance of a lifetime.

Perhaps one might say that the man called Prophecy is pre-destined for big, and even mega breaks, since it was in 2005 that he was crowned winner of the Irie FM Big Break and that propelled his career along a path of success.

Prophecy on location in Durban, South Africa

Prophecy had been working with musician/producer Delroy 'Worm' Nevins, bass player for the now defunct Blaze Band, who had embraced the challenge to let the singer prophesy to the world. Among their international sojourns was a visit to South Africa in 2002 where they linked up with an executive from the SABC during a performance as part of an AIDS awareness campaign.

This experience created a bond between the singer and South Africa and with the death of Lucky Dube, Prophecy says he felt compelled to pay a tribute in song. So he and his manager/producer got together and ingeniously crafted the single, Chance - A Tribute to Lucky Dube.

"The folks at SABC loved the song immediately and the fact that somebody outside of Jamaica was paying tribute to their hero intrigued them," said Nevins.

What happened next, as Prophecy recalled, was "just Jah blessings". Before the duo could catch their collective breaths, a team from the SABC had arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, ready to shoot the video for the single and a documentary on Lucky Dube.

"The people even brought Lucky Dube's son, Thokozani, the one who was with him when he was gunned down, so he could be part of the documentary," Nevins revealed.

"They wanted to film in Jamaica because Prophecy lives here, and also because of the great honour South Africans feel was bestowed upon Dube as the first South African to grace the stage of Sunsplash in 1991 and the fact that his final performance in Jamaica was at the Opening Ceremony of this year's Cricket World Cup," added Nevins.

It was obvious that the crew was here to work on a project that was dear to them and spared no expense in ensuring that the end product would be exceptional. All the equipment that would be needed from the Jamaica end was secured prior to the crew's arrival in the island, so they were ready to launch into production on the weekend of December 8.

The entire set buzzed with activity and was so expertly managed that according to one source, "Bwoy, Prophecy knee dem buckle when him come on the set and see all the lights, three camera in him face, shoot directors, writers, producers and just the high level of professionalism.

The set-up was like a real Hollywood movie."
After two days of intense shooting in Downtown Kingston, Beat Street at Techniques Record (Orange Street), Matthews Lane and Hellshire, the team from SABC, along with Prophecy and Nevins headed off to South Africa to complete the video in Soweto and negotiate the terms of a contract with the artiste. The result was that Prophecy secured an exclusive deal with the South African Broadcasting Corporation to market and distribute his newest single and upcoming album.

And what exactly does this mean for the artiste?

According to George Golding, artiste manager/entertainment consultant and the person who negotiated the contract on behalf of Jah Birth and Prophecy, just think BBC and one can get a fair idea of what the SABC is all about. The corporation is one of South Africa's largest and most powerful broadcasters and owns 18 radio stations and four television stations.

Golding also noted that the single debuted on all 18 of SABC's radio stations simultaneously. "Can you imagine the listenership that Prophecy had on that day?" Golding asked. "It must have numbered in the millions. And again we have the classic case of a reggae artiste who is not a household name here in Jamaica, but who is on the verge of becoming a mega star in South Africa.

What we must be glad for is that this is happening to a reggae singer who is Jamaican, and not a reggae singer from Europe or some other continent who has no connection with reggae other than he has heard the music and can reproduce it. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I bear any ill will towards such artistes, it's just that they seem to get these opportunities more readily than us."

While in South Africa, Prophecy also performed the single live, and what made it even more memorable for him was the fact that he was accompanied on stage by the very musicians who comprised Lucky Dube's backing band.

"It was a spiritual moment," the artiste acknowledged.

According to a news release from Prophecy's management, Jah Birth New, they have entered an agreement with the SABC under which the South African broadcaster has acquired the full and exclusive rights to Prophecy's single, Chance - A Tribute To Lucky Dube, for a limited period in South Africa and the rest of the world. The agreement also extends to the single's video.

The release also explained that the documentary, which features Prophecy, follows Lucky Dube's eldest son, Thokozani, as he embarks on a journey tracing his father's path back to the roots of reggae music.

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