Wherever he performs as lead singer for Inner Circle, Skatta Lopa adapts to the demands of diverse audiences.

For Reggae A Di Remedy, his first solo song in some time, he returns to his dancehall roots.

Co-produced by Shandari Entertainment and Gapbonn Production, it was released late February.

“Performing in the hotels an’ in the clubs, the platform was to sing all genres of music. Yuh sing reggae, yuh sing dancehall, yuh sing roots, yuh sing ska, soca. It prepares you to take on any form, so dis is di roots-rock style of reggae,” said the veteran vocalist.

Holding the mic for Inner Circle has taken Skatta Lopa around the world for almost two decades. The Grammy-winning band, best known for the anthems Bad Boys and Sweat, is on the road as much as four months a year. Still, he maintains a steady solo recording regimen, cutting songs for producers including Bobby Digital and Anthony Redrose.

On Reggae A Di Remedy, Skatta Lopa expresses his love for Jamaican music.

“The vibe is always to let the world know that reggae is alive an’ well, an’ to keep its prominence at the forefront of music,” he said.

Skatta Lopa (real name Trevor Bonnick) is from Whitehall Avenue in St Andrew, arguably the hottest dancehall real estate during the late 1980s. That community produced Daddy Lizard, Flourgon, Red Dragon, and Sanchez, followed in the early 1990s by a gruff-voiced deejay named Buju Banton.

Like them, Skatta Lopa’s career started in the early 1980s on local sound systems, but things took off when he met Danny Browne, leader and guitarist for The Bloodfire Posse, who were seeking a replacement for Paul Blake, the band’s original lead singer.

Between gigs and recording sessions with The Bloodfire Posse, Skatta Lopa did the hotel rounds with the Boris Gardiner Happening in Kingston, and on the north coast with various bands.

Reggae A Di Remedyy is the lead song from his EP, scheduled for release late this year.

— Howard Campbell