Aspiring reggae singer/producer Dr Love has high hopes for his Hard Times reggae rhythm project.

“The riddim was built in Guyana and I voiced two Guyanese artistes on it including Guyanese artiste Timeka Marshall. I reached out to Mr Vegas, who I hadn’t spoken to in eight years, about collaborating on it and he gave me a song called Entanglement. I reached out to Tony Rebel and Everton Blender and they voiced for me, so I am really proud of the project,” said Dr Love, whose real name is Christopher Crooks.

Dr Love, who is also a vlogger, said he came to the realisation that the future prospects in that arena were limited and he needed to invest in something more sustainable.

“I am glad I have changed, I am glad that I have grown. I am also glad that there was social media that could open up a platform for me to be a vlogger. Now, I have changed from that negative to positive and I am hoping to get the support from the public as a producer,” he said.

The Hard Times rhythm project will be released on the MCCS Music label in December. The title track, Hard Times is collab between Ginjah and himself.

“I had never spoken to Ginjah before but I reached out to him via Facebook to give me a strength and he responded that he would do it. I wrote Hard Times when I was broke, and went into my son’s piggy bank for $20, and then someone called me for a job and I haven’t looked back since; it was a real life situation. The response to the song has been very good,” said Dr Love.

Other artistes on the project include Exco Levi, Timeka Marshall, Everton Blender, Pinchers, Delly Ranks, Tony Rebel, Anthony B, Abby Dallas, Mr Vegas, and Da’Ville.

Dr Love spent his early years in Luidas Vale, St Catherine. After migrating to Florida in 1996, he worked in construction and later concert promotion.

He first recorded a single, Now Am Strong, with Da’Ville which was released in 2009. He released his first EP, Real Friends, in 2017. He last released a single and video called Baby Girl in 2019.

Now, he is turning his full attention towards the Hard Times rhythm project.

“This production was ordained to happen because none of these artistes have never declined an invitation to record or asked me for money, they were just happy to be a part of the project,” Dr Love added.