Singjay OJ ThaGreat believes entertainers should use their popularity to influence positive change.

“I genuinely don’t think they’re doing enough, both locally and overseas. I must say, exposing something isn’t the same as doing something about it. For example, artistes make sure they set a deep embedded example when it comes towards certain topics like badness, and murderous acts, and about cheating and scamming and selling drugs. But none give a blueprint to setting our minds free. They only sing about how the oppression makes them sad and (how) it’s hard,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The singjay — whose given name is Otis Newton Jr — released Trumpet Sound yesterday as his way of protesting against the issue. It was produced by Intercept Music Group.

The Portmore-based artiste is the son of Tuffy of the twin duo — Ruffy and Tuffy — who appeared as children in the 1978 movie Rockers.

Due to his father’s popularity in the entertainment circle, OJ ThaGreat grew up around acts like Augustus Pablo, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, and Yami Bolo, as well as veteran actor Carl Bradshaw.

He added that they impacted who is he as an artiste today.

“So, growing up around them didn’t inspire me to turn to music, but it sure did inspire my musical talent, style, and knowledge,” he said.

The singjay was a member of the St George’s College Choir that became part of the Jamaica National Fifty Voices, a chorale group that performed for England’s Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Jamaica in 2002. The artiste credits the years he spent in scholastic choirs as essential to his learning vocal control.

“In the choir is where I learned to sing in the soprano range, instructed by Mr Taylor, the music choir coach; they even said I sounded like Michael (Jackson.) But then my voice changed, and I didn’t know how to sing anything else. I was stuck in the high range, so my dad helped me learn how to bring out my natural voice,” he said.

OJ ThaGreat believes he has a promising future.

“You can expect great, lyrical, conscious, uplifting, epic, mind soothing music with an eye opening style and feel. And it’s the entertainment industry on a whole not just the music,” he added.

He is also known for the single Go, produced by Nuff A Dat Records.