SONGWRITER Steve Lindo said he penned seven songs on the Lalibela rhythm for Tony Rebel’s Flames Production, including Ghetto People Song.

The ex-soldier, a cousin of Tony Rebel, said Ghetto People Song was conceived during a rainy day at the corner of Little Kew and Lyndhurst roads, while he was on a mission to pick up Tony Rebel’s kids at Wolmer’s High School for Girls.

“The place flood out and the AC never did ah work. We wind down the window ’cause the car start make a funny sound, and it give me an idea; and there was a homeless old lady across the road and mi feel the pain so Jah mek mi feel these things and mi just start write the song. And Manna Panna say: ‘Weh yu a do? Write song after the vibration of the car? Yu nuh easy! So from deh so, Ghetto People Song write,” he shared.

In addition to Lindo, Ghetto People Song (1996) was co-written with Everton Blender and Tony Rebel.

Lindo said that all the songs were originally inspired from the first song written for the project, Oh Jah by Sugar Black and Lebanculah.

“I wrote Oh Jah for Sugar Black and Lebanculah. That was the first song written for the riddim; it inspired all the other songs on the riddim. So when Ras Shiloh come from foreign and me and him a roll and him come sing Are You Satisfied, it lick up Tony Rebel head and him say mi fi write songs for the whole ah Flames [Production], and him seh mi fi write a song for Blender, and mi tell him seh mi already have Blender song. Ah me and Shanty Plus write it, me and him par; him know all of the song dem so me and Shanty siddown pon di the stairs at Penthouse (when it deh pon Slipe Road where Shocking Vibes used to be). Me and him teach Blender the song and the three of we walk go inna the studio go record it,” Lindo told Jamaica Observer.

Lindo said Rebel took out a verse out of the original song, as he was the producer, and added some words, and thereafter song was born. Lindo said he never officially filed a copyright for the songs he had written, including Ghetto People Song.

“Me deal with all these songs through poor man’s copyright,” he said.

Ghetto People Song has been given a boost by French Montana and Harry Fraud’s Higher which was released on Friday on the American rapper-producer duo’s new joint album, titled Montega.

Tony Rebel’s Lalibela rhythm, released on his Flames label, had also featured his hit song If Jah (Is Standing By My Side), Ras Shiloh’s breakout Are You Satisfied, Aaron Silk’s The Right Path, Manna Fanna’s Black People Unite, Uton Green’s No Looking Back, Shanty Plus’s Moving East, among others.