ON his latest single, Hero, US-based dancehall artiste Javvy1 hails positive mentors who make a significant difference in the lives of young impressionable teenage males.

“Hero is about believing in yourself and pursuing your dreams despite the odds. This song is very personal to me, because without me having a hero, I may have chosen the wrong path, chosen gangs or violence, ghetto youths need good examples. Hope is always there, we just need people to believe,” said the artiste, whose real name is Reneil Reid.

He grew up in Trinityville in St Thomas, before moving to live in Yallahs with his grandmother on his father’s side. He attended Happy Grove High and then Paul Bogle high schools. He migrated to live in the USA in February 2019.

“My father was my hero. He taught me how to live, how to be a man, he was overseas, I never had a father figure until age nine but he ensured that I had everything, he was my main role model. A hero is important, especially to young males. Every young man needs a mentor who ah go show them the right direction, or else the forces of evil ah go sway them in the wrong direction and cause chaos in the country,” he said.

Statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force as of November 5, 2022, show that 1,329 persons have been killed since the start of the year, an increase of eight per cent over corresponding period last year. Experts attribute the rising tide of violence to gang activity across the island.

Police divisions such as St Elizabeth has seen a surge in murders, registering an increase of 79 per cent with 34 murders, while Manchester Police Division has an increase of 78 per cent with 48 murders. The biggest jump has been in the parish of Trelawny with a whopping increase of 88 per cent with 30 murders since he start of the year.

Javvy1 believes that poverty and peer pressure are the main drivers of violence in Jamaica.

“Young males who grow up without a father figure, dem grow without love because most single mothers have it hard, dem don’t have sufficient resources. That’s why ‘wants’ and needs make the youths dem go stray, poverty and peer pressure force a lot of youths into the arms of gangs and criminality,” he said.

In the meantime, he is pushing his Hero video with its positive message of adult male mentorship.

The video for the single, Hero, was released last week under the Chuckstar Production imprint with storytelling visuals.

Javvy1 is ready to drop more gems as Christmas approaches. One of those tracks is called Dweet Large on the Green Dot rhythm for Chase Mills Records.