Sad One, an up-and-coming deejay, is hoping to keep the rich tradition going of outstanding musical talent emerging from St Thomas.

They may be hard acts to follow, but the White Horses native is aiming to walk the paths of dancehall royalty Popcaan and Skillibeng, in particular.

Already, Sad One, christened Jahiem Gayle, has demonstrated his intention by collaborating last year with Skillibeng on a number titled Killer Instinct/Headside, which has racked up more than 600,000 views on YouTube to date.

The 19-year-old, who started out rapping, has rebranded himself as a hardcore and gangster-styled writer and lyricist.

Among his idols are Skillibeng, Popcaan, Tommy Lee, Vybz Kartel and Masicka.

“Vybz Kartel is like a big inspiration for me, because I like his singing style, his lyrical styling and his consistency in the business,” said Sad One.

At a time when proper society is speaking out against dancehall artistes who promote gun violence and discrimination against women with their lyrics, Sad One thinks, unfortunatley, the trend is art imitating life.

“I think it is important to tell these stories, but what I would say to those listening to artistes who use hardcore lyrics is not to take them seriously,” said the former St Thomas Technical student.

Sad One, who also attended Yallahs High School, says his future goal is to establish himself as a top Jamaican performer with international appeal.

“I see myself in five years penetrating the international market and doing a couple of albums and hopefully getting signed to an international label,” he shared.

Apart from Killer Instinct/Headside (with Skillibeng), Sad One has to his writing and performing credit Undaground, Graveyard, Bad and Wild, Bazooka, Bruk Out, Don’t Trust, Murderous and Tell Yuh Something.

The video for Undaground was recently released.

The deejay credits St Thomas-based Deanodeann Records and Xpanda Muzic for recording his music, but says his father Kevin, cousin DJ Buba and friend T Baago have been instrumental in the financial and production side of the business.

Sad One’s songs are available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and all other major digital platforms.

— Sean Williams