Growing up, up-and-coming reggae artiste Ras-I has a front row seat to observe and learn from some of the most influential reggae artistes of the time.

His mother, Lorna Wainright, was studio manager at the iconic Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston which is owned and operated by the Marley family. So everyday after school, during the holidays, and sometimes even on weekends, a young Ras-I would find himself surrounded by the greats. He readily recalled sitting in on studio sessions featuring the likes of Gregory Isaacs, Dean Fraser, Stephen Marley, Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, Capleton, and Sizzla. But the one recording session that perhaps had the most influence was the recording of the Chant Down Babylon album, which saw a number of hip hop acts covering the anthems of reggae king Bob Marley.

“Mi born and grow a Tuff Gong so there were so many major recordings that is was privy to. I was there when Lauryn Hill recorded Turn Your Lights Down Low for the Chant Down Babylon album. I saw all the work from the beginning straight through to the big concert they had at James Bond Beach. At first being at the studio was all about the buttons, but after a while, just being around the greats like a Chinna Smith, Glen Browne, Errol Brown… at first, they were just my uncles, but after a while watching them make music, it began to sink in,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

That invaluable introduction and schooling in the the art of Jamaican music planted a seed in the youngster and it was clear that music would definitely be in his future.

His album Kingman, released earlier this year, showcases the fruits of his early musical education at Tuff Gong Studios, and the recently released single from the project, Somewhere Wonderful, has begun to take on a life of its own thanks to the hundreds of Instagram reels utilising the smooth vocals, infectious beat and compelling storyline as its soundtrack.

“This caught me by surprise,” the artiste born Immanuel Kerr noted.

“We never had it in mind never thought about it and then one day a friend called me as say, ‘yuh nuh see what a gwaan? they’re using the track for reels on the Internet’. It feels so good. The fact that we did not push the music in that direction and it has happened like this in such an organic way is all the better. It is taking the music right where we want it to go… to the heart of the people… its headed in the right direction,” he continued.

As for the overall sound on the Kingman album, Ras-I shared that he shifted focus opting to up the tempo for this one.

“Many people are surprised by my sound on this one. It’s a sort of rebranding, if you can call it that. I am usually a more conscious reggae artiste. But over the past two years many persons have been so down with the pandemic that I really just wanted to lift people’s spirits with the music,” said Ras-I.