After Wednesday’s mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, Canada-based dancehall artiste Captain C has sounded the alarm at the rising tide of mass shootings in his homeland, Jamaica.

“There are mass shootings all the while in North America, the latest being in Georgia where four were killed. It just reminded me of the new level of violence in Jamaica which is frightening to me, especially with eight people being killed at one time, and news of 10 people shot here, four killed there, it’s too much,” the artiste, whose real name is Noel Hoyes, said.

Three weeks ago, eight people were shot dead and nine others injured at a birthday party on Cherry Tree Lane in Four Paths, Clarendon. One week later, eight individuals were shot, one fatally, at a wake in St Catherine.

“These mass shootings are very scary, I would not want that to become a regular thing in Jamaica, because we are a social people. Are you telling me that funerals, nine nights, and bingo parties are not safe spaces any more,” he questioned.

Despite Captain C’s concerns, murders in Jamaica are reportedly down 15.8 per cent.

There were 783 murders between January 1 to August 31 this year, compared to 930 for the corresponding period last year.

Captain C is promoting his latest anti-violence song, Real Deal.

“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,” he said.

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 charged.

Captain C grew up in the community of Jones Town. He attended Trench Town Comprehensive High School and then later did evening classes at St Andrew Technical High School.

His musical roots extend to his father, who was the lead singer of a group called The Mighty Revolution.

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 the first song he recorded was Rolling.

He has 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 told the Jamaica Observer.