Asa “Ace” Smith, CEO of Overproof Records Ltd, is excited about the label’s latest project, an inspirational song titled Stronger Than Before by emerging Montego Bay-based artiste Sliq One.

“I saw the vision, and executed it exactly the way I wanted. I know there are a lot of negatives in our music right now, but my mission is to produce great music with a positive message, feel-good music to create some level of positive inspiration. We can’t just give in and join in with the negativity, we have to stand for something or we fall for anything,” said Smith.

“My favourite quote from US President Ronald Reagan is ‘all it takes for evil to reign is for good men to do nothing’. This is me fighting back against the cancer of negativity in our music,” he said.

A graduate of Cornwall College, Smith grew up in Montego Bay, St James. He has built up a solid team at Overproof Records with a roster of young artistes and talented beat makers.

“I got involved in music because of Jovexx, an artiste from MoBay as well, who I wanted to bring to the world,” he said.

He wants to elevate producers from being relegated to second-class citizens in the reggae-dancehall industry.

“I am taking a more label-based approach to music. There is the music business and then there is the business of music. Without labels, music would cease, so we have to seize the opportunity to invest and elevate our music to the world,” he said.

In the past, Smith has produced projects such as the Teardrops rhythm featuring Jovexx, Caano, Minx and Chikie Grainz, and the Kickback rhythm featuring Chezidek, Bugle, Jovexx and others. Smith’s most popular single so far is Jovexx’s Pain.