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Grace JerkFest was presented by TD Ready Commitment and went virtual this year due to COVID-19. The food, music and fun times was live streamed on www.jerkfestival.ca on August 8th and August 9th from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. each night. There was no cost, everyone was invited and saw jerk cooking demonstrations, Canadian dancers, singers, steelpan artists as well as the international headliners: Beenie Man, Jah Cure, Lila Ike and Alison Hinds.
We had the opportunity to speak with Jah Cure before this year’s Grace JerkFest.
You may know him as Jah Cure. Perhaps you know him by his given name, Siccaturie Alcock. But as the saying goes, “What’s in a name?” Most importantly, you must know his message. His music is at once his spirit, his all-consuming passion, and his personal declaration of a belief in a universal consciousness based on love and positivity.
Born in Hanover, Jamaica on October 11th, 1978, the global force that is Jah Cure has been a long time in the making. From as little as three years old, this child of slight build would captivate those around him with his innate musical virtuosity. As he and his love for the art grew, the young man whose voice would make any songbird green with envy would sneak out of his bedroom window late at night to visit local dancehalls and stage shows. It was here that he became immersed in the stylings of the undisputed greats: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffith, Garnett Silk, Yami Bolo, Jacob Miller and Black Uhuru. A young Siccaturie knew that he would dedicate himself to achieving membership of this superlative group.
Initially using the name ‘Little Melody’, Siccaturie’s voice started to leave an indelible impression in the streets and he soon became the talk of Jamaica. At the age of fifteen, he moved to Kingston. The name Jah Cure was bestowed upon him by the world-renowned Capleton and the David House Crew. This was primarily due to the vast amount of herb he smoked in the quest for spiritual enlightenment – a daily custom of his Rastafarian religion and commitment to natural living. Using the plants of the land for medicinal purposes, the singer looked young and healthy. He was ‘well-preserved’ or ‘cured’. Jamaican music icon, Beres Hammond, subsequently took Cure under his wing and became his mentor and producer.
However, Cure’s journey would be unexpectedly interrupted when in 1998 he was stopped and arrested late one night in Montego Bay. He was charged with four crimes, all of which he vehemently denies to this day. A non-jury trial was convened (one in which a single judge decides both questions of law and fact) and unfortunately, despite a total lack of visual confirmation of his involvement in said crimes, Cure was given a 15 year sentence.Not letting this setback disrupt his dream, Cure recorded and released many #1 singles from jail. The songs “Jamaica” and “Longing For” were both local and global successes. Cure’s first album, FREE JAH’S CURE, was recorded and released in 2001. On this project, Cure conveys his gratitude for life. He believes his incarceration was Jah’s way of teaching him humility, kindness, forgiveness and love for his fellow man. Consequently, he has relinquished any resentment for those who judged him unjustly. In 2003, Beres Hammond produced Cure’s second album, GHETTO LIFE, which featured the acclaimed single Divide and Rule.
On his first day of freedom, Cure publicly stated that his only remaining life goal would be to use his music as a means of spreading love, peace and healing. Since 2007, Jah Cure has topped the charts with several # 1 singles – Call on Me, featuring Phyllisia, followed by You’ll Never Find, and Unconditional Love, which quickly became the #1 reggae single worldwide. The song Like I See It, featuring Rick Ross, and the remix with dancehall king Mavado, undeniably rocked the international reggae scene. Released in 2013, the album WORLD CRY featured collaborations with the talents of Tupac, Keri Hilson, Mavado, MDMA, Rick Ross, Jazmine Sullivan, Shyne and several others. It can confidently be described as an auditory explosion that crossed and entwined the genres of reggae, hip hop, R&B, Latin and pop.
During our conversation, Jah Cure talked about:
– Some of his background including growing up in jungle in Jamaica
– The influence his grandmother has had on his life
– How music found him and singing the song that won his first singing competition when he was a young boy
– His first real music gig
– Moving to Kingston, Jamaica changing his life
– Some of reggae’s legends including Capelton, Beres Hammond, Buju Banton influencing his life
– Making his time in prison into a positive experience including recording music while he was in prison
– Joe Bogdanovich’s positive impact on his career
– His memories on the day he was released from prison
– Some of the musical moments that he is most proud of
– What does being a father mean to him
– Performing at Grace Jerk Fest
– How is he handling 2020
You can find out more information about Jah Cure via:
Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Email
You can find out more about Grace Jerkfest 2020 via:
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Please feel free to email us at dr.vibe@thedrvibeshow.com
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God bless, peace, be well and keep the faith,
Dr. Vibe
dr.vibe@thedrvibeshow.com
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