DENNIS Brown was days from his 40th birthday (February 1) in 1997 when he sat down at his St Andrew home for an interview with the Jamaica Observer’s Howard Campbell. The Crown Prince of Reggae spoke about various matters including lack of airplay for his songs in Jamaica and rumours of his addiction to hard drugs.

Brown died in July 1999 at age 42.

On the producers

“Niney (Winston Holness) is a great producer, have a lotta influence on mi. He would take verses from the Bible an’ put it in a song like Here I Come. Wi had a big brother, likkle brother thing. Joe Gibbs was more like a ‘financer’ but people like Derrick Harriott had good ideas; Matador (Lloyd Daley) was a good man.”

On payola

“Is a whole payola thing a gwaan inna Jamaica. Is like if yuh don’t grease the man dem palm dem don’t play yuh music, which is slack. I have three songs release since Christmas an’ I barely hear dem because of the payola attitude. I nah pay a man fi play my music…wi haffi start expose these people.”

On being a drug addict

“Is blood run through my veins so when I hear dem kinda talk I mus’ feel a way. I don’t know why people do it but I declare dem persona non grata. I nuh have nuh time fi bad-minded people.”

On upcoming artistes

“Mi love Luciano, Wayne Wonder an’ a youth name Anthony B, nuff people yuh nuh. Yuh have a nex’ youth name (Ras) Shiloh, Everton Blender, Tony Rebel…dem a do some good works.”