Over the years, there have been known rivalries within the dancehall and reggae music spaces, sometime the situation has escalated to all-out feuds. There have even been instances in which artistes refuse to be a part of an event or a rhythm if certain artistes are included.

Veteran artiste King Shark is one entertainer who is concerned. He has spoken publicly about the existence of disunity within the music ranks.

“The call for unity is necessary because the music business is filled with too much greed and materialism. Most of the artistes nowadays just want to make money to buy big cars and jewellery and show off. Therefore, they compete against each other in some very negative ways. There’s no love, no unity; it’s like one big jungle. They’re fighting against each other most of the times,” King Shark shared in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.

He offered a solution.

“The younger artistes need to become more conscious; they need to learn about where we’re coming from as a people who were once enslaved, a people who lived under colonial rule for many decades after slavery. They take the freedom and the liberty that they have for granted because they don’t know their history. I would love for them to wise up and use their talent to make good music and help to uplift Jamaica and make it a safe place to live,” said King Shark.

He continued: “I grew up in Greenwich Town, Kingston 13, during the 1970s. Back in those days, music was everywhere in the community and Greenwich Town was the place to be. I grew up watching Alton Ellis, John Holt, Ken Boothe, the Melodians, Derrick Morgan, Big Youth, Sugar Minott, Tapper Zoukie, Max Romeo, Philip Frazer, and so many other great artistes performing on sound systems. As a little youth this experience made a significant impact on me; hence, my decision to get into music.”

He also said that the unity amongst entertainers was back in the day was good for the entertainment community.

“Back in those days there was a lot of love and unity in the music business. The artistes in those days didn’t waste time making music that glorified immorality. They sang songs about love and righteousness. The music in that era promoted a higher level of consciousness among the people. In those days artistes didn’t fight each other and show off about material things, so the industry thrived positively,” he shared.

King Shark is currently promoting his third full-length project titled Holy Father. The 11-track album features songs such as Got To Get Going, Blackman (Remix 3) featuring Cedric Myton, Tonight is the Night, Blackman (Remix 4) featuring Bescenta, Thanks Be Unto Him featuring Prince Pankhi and Queen Lydia, and the title track Holy Father.

The album was released on May 13 via Montego Records.

King Shark, whose given name is Alphonso Henclewood, released his début album, Crucial, in 2014. His sophomore album, Walk in the Light, was released five years later.