MANY entertainers often migrate to other countries for various reasons, but they rarely ever speak about the challenges associated with it.

Up-and-coming dancehall artiste Beegodon Rebel says, while his decision to leave Jamaica in 2009 for the United States has its benefits, there is a downside.

“Financially, here [America] is much better to fund the music, but when you’re away from home you’re away from the culture, and you need that feeling from the roots where it started,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The Portmore, St Catherine native has been promoting Society, which he says has resonated with fans in Jamaica and the diaspora.

“I’ve been getting a lot of feedback from near and far. People love my music because I sing songs that people can relate to… And I sing dem from my heart ‘cause I been through a lot, so I put it in[to] songs to let the world hear my cry in a message, instead of doing violence,” the New York-based deejay said.

Released on April 9, Society was produced by Rebel Up Music, while the beat was made by Peang Entertainment.

Despite the hardships, Beegodon Rebel remains committed to his craft, the love for which was birthed in Jamaica.

“The goal is always to stay the same and achieving higher and being better at anything I do to let my family be happy and proud of me,” he said.

The deejay (given name: Ricardo Desouza) is a former student of Pembroke Hall High School in St Andrew.

He is known for other tracks like I.R.W.T (In Rebels We Trust), Ghetto Cry, Toxic Break, Laps, and So Much To Say.

— Kediesha Perry