KINGSTON, Jamaica — Canada-based dancehall artiste Captain C is alarmed at the rising tide of mass shootings in Jamaica triggered by gang violence.

“The level of violence in Jamaica is frightening to me, especially with eight people being killed at one time,” the artiste whose real name is Noel Hoyes, said.

“I’m from the ghetto and I have seen it all. I’ve lost two friends to gun violence and countless people in the community even in Canada to gun violence. The kids are killing each other at an alarming rate, so that was the inspiration and it was one of the easiest songs to write because it’s right in front of you and that was so sad.”

The song was released in February 2024 via the Rolling Boss Records label. Visuals for the song have racked up over 14,000 views since its release two weeks ago.

“The feedback has been very good. The song itself got a lot of endorsement from well-known reggae artistes and the song has been added to rotation to several radio stations in Jamaica. But the violence must stop, the eight murders in my little Jamaica was very shocking the other day, that’s mass murder,” he said.

Mass murders on a large scale are rare in Jamaica. Two weeks ago, eight people were shot dead and nine others injured at a birthday party on Cherry Tree Lane in Four Paths, Clarendon.

Despite Captain C’s concerns, murders in Jamaica are actually down 15.8 per cent. There were 762 murders between January 1 to August 24 this year when compared to 905 murders committed for the corresponding period last year.

Captain C grew up in the community of Jones Town in Kingston where he attended Trench Town Comprehensive and then later did evening classes at St Andrew Technical High School. He had musical roots as his father was the lead singer of a group called The Mighty Revolution that inspired him to get into music. He also played on two sound systems, Chemistry and Brigadier Sound, performing under the name Captain C, his community nickname.

He recorded his first song, Vacancy, in Jamaica but the song was never released. When he migrated to Canada, he recorded his first song, Rolling.

He continued to hone his craft. His latest release, Real Deal, is one of his most popular songs to date and will lead out his EP.

“The EP will be released next year, and I will be embarking on a tour across Canada and Europe to promote this work,” he said.