All it takes is one sentence from singjay Tanto Blacks to have you toppling over with laughter. But this jovial deejay is very serious when he comes to marketing himself. He believes proper marketing keeps him relevant. And last summer saw him on several New York gigs. He shared his strategy with Splash.

“I wasn’t booked for a lot of shows, but I went and look for them, because I saw the need to market myself. I begged some of the artistes like Elephant Man and Sizzla a bly on their events and they obliged and I got a few minutes and the white people dem like the vibe and energy,” he said.

“Like the rest of other shows that I wasn’t booked for I just begged the artistes them a bly. Me at the event and I heard the MC say he is going to call on one of the richest artiste and because me know me rich, me run on but a never me… Him did a refer to Shaggy,” he said in-between laughter.

Tanto Blacks is currently one of the in-demand dancehall acts. His single Real Rich brought him a lot of attention. He’s expecting a similar response to his latest Wait and Lifestyle Rich.

Despite his lyrics on the flashy lifestyle, Tanto Blacks said in Spanish Town, St Catherine was quite the opposite.

“Life showed me my worst days there, but now I am living the best,” he said.

The lanky entertainer said he now uses his own experiences to encourage youths to believe in themselves and go after their dreams.

“It was during my teenage years that I realised that in order to achieve my goals I needed to be literate, so I got myself registered at JAMAL ,” he recalled.

JAMAL (now defunct) is Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy and was a state-sponsored literacy programme.

His determination for success sent him on a three-year quest of the televised contest Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall auditions, where he exited in 2010. Later that year he recorded Anything Yuh Want, which was produced by resident judge Orville ‘Scatta’ Burrell.

The deejay said he is currently working on new tracks which will be released with top production entities in short order.

“I just like to see all the people dem around me smile and feel good! That’s rich!” he said.