DANCEHALL deejay and actor Spragga Benz is urging Jamaicans to honour their mothers while they are alive and not to wait until they are dying or have passed.

“Don’t scatter roses when I am gone, is a very popular saying by many, many mothers and, I do agree. Your mom deserves the best when she can appreciate it. Don’t wait until she in on her dying bed and cannot even hold a spoon in her hand to show her you appreciate her,” Spragga Benz told the Jamaica Observer.

The entertainer said he lost his mother, Esmie Grant, in 1991 and remembers her with each passing day.

“We never waited for Mother’s Day to give our mom special gifts, because we know our mom put out her last for us, so there is a special place in our hearts for her,” he said.

“We never had to ask mom for lunch money. If we didn’t eat lunch at home, we would be sure knowing she would bring the lunch to school. So, I grew up knowing the importance of a good education having gone to very good schools, including Camperdown High,” he continued.

Spragga Benz said his mother died before he became an established artiste but she had set the foundation for his musical career.

“Even though I never had my big break in music before mom died, nevertheless she may have seen in me my inclination towards music. I recall mom going through and enrolling me in a piano class. Back then, I didn’t realise she was helping to pave the way of what I am today, a recognised entertainer. But, unfortunately I did not attend the classes,” he recalls.

Spragga Benz, whose given name is Carlton Grant, hails from the McIntyre Villa community of east Kingston, more popularly referred to a Dunkirk.

He got his musical break in with Girls Hooray in the early 90s. His other songs include Hand Inna Da Air, No Fun Thing, Things A Gwaan, and Jack It Up.

He starred alongside Ky-Mani Marley (Bob Marley’s son) in Shottas (2002). His latest film, Second Chance, premiered at the Savor Cinema, Florida, in February.