GARNET Smith Jnr was in his mother’s womb when his father, singer Garnett Silk, died tragically on December 10, 1994.

The 17-year-old singer vows to keep Silk’s musical legacy alive in his own style.

“I am still gonna do songs for the ladies. Nothing rude,” he said with a cheeky smile. Garnet Jr released his latest song, Condolences, two weeks ago. A video for the single is expected to be out soon.

“You know there are people who discourage you and are always wishing you bad. It’s (the song) not about death, it’s about putting to death the impact of those actions on your life,” he said.

Garnet Jnr has also recorded a song with Black Judah entitled Tired of Running and is busy working on other singles.

With his father one of the leaders of the 1990s roots-reggae revival, Garnet Jnr says it is natural he would embrace music as a career.

“I was always in a musical background. And when I started listening to his (Silk’s) songs, I didn’t get them at first but then I started liking the lyrics and the message,” he said.

He said he started getting serious about music at age 13 while attending Manchester High School where he hung out with like-minded students.

“We fed off each other’s musical energies and I think it helped to better me as an artiste,” he said.

Young Silk recorded his first song, Jah Is My Guide, at age 13 but it was never released.

He is aware of the intense competition to carve a niche in the music business, especially with a father as revered as Garnet Silk.

“I’ve been doing music for a while, even though I am young, I’m growing as an artiste. The voice of the youth is very important and I am coming with a relevant message,” he said.