SUGAR Minott may be gone, but as far as his son Lincoln Jr is concerned, his legacy will be living on forever.

“My dad’s dream was for his children to carry on the musical legacy… and that’s what we will be doing,” he told the Observer. The siblings are now in the studio recording some of their dad’s tunes. Lincoln says it will be a tribute recording in honour of their father.

While Sugar Minott was known for roots rock Reggae and his marijuana-loving songs, Lincoln is definite about the kind of songs he wants to do.

“It will be straight reality and message music,” said the singer who gave his life to Christ in 1995. A member of the Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Church, he is determined to make a difference on the music scene with his inspirational songs.

“My father was baptised a long time ago and somewhere along the line he let go,” Lincoln shared.

He said when he got saved he encouraged his father to “take up the mantle again”, but somehow that never materialised.

Still, he has some hope that his dad’s soul may have been saved, and according to him his father “prayed a prayer of repentance” on his death bed.

“I leave it up to the Almighty. I don’t know if he was saved or not, but it gives me a kind of peace knowing he did that,” young Lincoln told the Observer.

Born Lincoln Minott Jr in Kingston, he attended Kingston College — his father’s alma mater.

It was not surprising when the music bug bit him as a third former in high school. After singing at school concerts and around his friends they encouraged him to “pursue the dream” as they told him he could really sing.

Young Lincoln, soon switched from secular songs to gospel after he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.

He joined the Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Church where he was a part of the youth choir.

Today, he is still a gospel crusader and is even more determined to make a difference. He can be found performing on the church circuit, singing at weddings and other functions.

Lincoln is still trying to cope with the sudden loss of his dad, but says he wishes more artistes would take better care of themselves.

“I don’t know why the culture of Reggae involves marijuana, drinking and the whole drug lifestyle. It has taken a lot of legends from us through heart attack and other drug-related deaths. It’s sad that a lot of Reggae icons could still be here if they had just maintained a healthier lifestyle,” he said.

Looking ahead, Lincoln says he will be working alongside his brothers and sisters in keeping the musical legacy alive, but he also has another dream of his dad to fulfil and that is to build a shelter to assist the poor. “That’s the vision my dad had — he lived for the poor.”