This is the first in a 10-part series looking at Jamaicans excelling in the South Florida entertainment/lifestyle scene.

AS the production crew gets ready to shoot scenes for the music video to Inner Circle and Chronixx Tenement Yard in Miami, Abebe Lewis is close to the action, making sure everything is in place.

Lewis, 35, is the son of Inner Circle bassist Ian Lewis and nephew of the band’s guitarist Roger Lewis. He is the marketing consultant for Inner Circle’s label, Soundbwoy Entertainment, and the group’s Circle House Studios, located in north Miami.

Though he was born in Kingston, Lewis was raised in South Florida. He has helped oversee the second coming of Inner Circle, which his father and uncle formed as teenagers in 1968.

Inner Circle still tours, performing their hit songs from the 1970s (which include Tired Fi Lick Weed in a Bush and Tenement Yard) and the 1990s (Bad Boys, Sweat). In recent years, they have collaborated with emerging acts like Khago and Chronixx at Circle House, a state-of-the-art complex where top pop acts like P Diddy and Pharell have recorded.

Lewis says there is mutual respect between himself, his father and uncle.

“It’s been very much beneficial because I go to them for guidance and knowledge, and they respect me enough to come to me for the same. It’s like the old meets the young, and the young meets the old, so we bridge the gap,” he told the Observer.

While he has worked with American pop artistes such as Ne-Yo, Flo-Rida and Nas, Abebe Lewis’ priority is keeping the inner Circle brand fresh. That entails ‘blasting out’ their latest activities which include shows, tours and recordings.

The band has a enviable history. The original members (which also included guitarist Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore and keyboardist Ibo Cooper) played on the 1972 bandwagon that helped make Michael Manley prime minister that year.

The following year, they played on the 1973 Festival Song winner, Cherry Oh Baby by Eric Donaldson. Lewis is aware of the band’s legacy, and says it makes keeping them in the news that much easier.

“It’s real simple, you just gotta be creative. It’s so much rich history, with them being some of the founding fathers,” he said.

Lewis was not born when Miller and Inner Circle were riding Jamaican charts with songs like Tenement Yard. He was one-year-old at the time of Miller’s tragic death but knows about their history just being around their contemporaries who hang out at Circle House.

He was old enough to appreciate their remarkable comeback in 1993 with Bad Boys and Sweat which saw them making a return to international charts. The songs also earned them a Grammy award for Best Reggae Album in 1994.

Lewis believes the South Florida reggae scene is as competitive as bigger markets in New York City and Los Angeles.

“It is very much vibrant, especially with Miami being one of the most populated Jamaican communities,” he said.