A year ago ‘Dutty Berry’ may have easily been mistaken for a malfunctioning blackberry, but today, ‘Dutty Berry’ is a rising internet sensation, known for his unmistakable wit and creativity. Joni Wedderburn has a crazy sit down with The Dutty.
As the entire country rallied behind songbird Tessanne Chin during her stellar run on The Voice, we were equally entertained by a hilarious web show fiercely supporting ‘Chinita Goodaz’ and recapping the enchanting ‘Tess and the Tessless’ love triangle, all while putting our hashtaging skills to shame. A year ago ‘Dutty Berry’ may have easily been mistaken for a malfunctioning blackberry, but today, ‘Dutty Berry’ is a rising internet sensation, known for his unmistakable wit and creativity.
The genesis of The Dutty Berry Show was a late night, slightly tipsy rant on Facebook by then UWI student Russhaine about his plan to start his own web series. Encouraged by his friends, he created vox pop and parody-styled videos investigating such deep, mindboggling issues as ‘Fluffy versus Slim’. Adamant in his resolve to be different from everyone else, he shared his opinions with his own unique spin and explored topics in a way that all Jamaicans could relate to. With the release of his Voice reviews, the buzz around his videos steadily grew and his fan base swelled but excluded two key people.
“Initially, my parents had no idea I vlogged because I hid it from them,” laughs Russhaine. “To them, I’ve always been a nerd, a little Jimmy Neutron, they had no idea I could tell jokes.
I thought if I told them about my videos they would have found it absurd and I couldn’t deal with them being critical,” he revealed. With close to 25,000 ‘berridos’ following his every move on Facebook, it’s hard to imagine that Russhaine kept mostly to himself as a child, bingeing on cartoons and science books. After his parents split up when he was 3 years old, moving became a regular occurrence: from Rollington Town to Franklin Town to what he describes as ‘every community on
Washington Boulevard.’
By the time he got to high school, his love for the sciences had matured into a full-fledged quest to become a pediatrician: a dream wholly supported by both his parents. But something happened when Russhaine hit the 9th grade (drum roll please)… he suddenly became interested in the arts (gasp!).
Unwilling to disappoint his mum and dad, he continued to pursue the scientific route while longing for the chance to show his artistic side. It wasn’t until his first week at UWI that it became pretty clear that medicine wasn’t for him.
“While I was pursuing Pure and Applied Sciences, I went to a a lab and everyone seemed to be so into what they were doing but I felt like the black sheep in the room,” Russhaine pointed out. “That day, I accidentally knocked over a Bunsen burner and broke a test tube. I walked out, went straight to the dean and asked to be transferred. It was too late to get into CARIMAC so I opted for Language and Communication instead,” he recounted.
Jamaica may have lost an opportunity to get another Dr. Berry – we already have two anyway: a Kingston-based dermatologist and the famous tech physician – but we gained a talented, one-of-a-kind entertainer. With the sensational success of his show, Russhaine’s signature look – his large, nerd certified glasses and reverse cap – have made him an instantly recognizably figure anywhere he goes in the island.
“I have to be a lot friendlier, I can’t be the shy person anymore because when people meet me they want to meet the character,” Russhaine remarked. “I never used to smile before because I never liked my gap teeth but the whole thing has given me confidence now and this is the most I’ve ever smiled,” he explains as he describes how much his life has changed. Collaborating on videos with his idol, Tessanne, holding court at the Shaggy & Friends concert, carrying out hosting duties from the red carpet at Pepsi’s Youth View Awards and flexing his comedic muscles at the LIME Comedy Café, are now just part of work for Russhaine. With everything that has happened in the last six months, he was at first stumped when we asked what his proudest moment has been.
“Definitely being a guest on Entertainment Report and On Stage,” he shared thoughtfully. “To have these huge hosts consider me to be somebody who was worth looking into, that was big deal for me. It was the clearest signal that maybe I was heading in the right direction,” he disclosed, obviously glowing with pride. So what’s Dutty Berry got in store for his ‘berridos’? In a word, plenty! He wants to take his vlogging to a whole new level, attracting not just a local but a wide, international following. With his platform, he would like to promote young Jamaican talent and set up a mentorship programme for troubled youngsters because he knows first-hand what it’s like
to be a teenager and struggling. He sees radio and TV in his future and wants to fulfill a lifelong goal of writing a book.
So stay tuned, you certainly haven’t had a last laugh with ‘Dutty Berry’!
Share this post:
A year ago ‘Dutty Berry’ may have easily been mistaken for a malfunctioning blackberry, but today, ‘Dutty Berry’ is a rising internet sensation, known for his unmistakable wit and creativity. Joni Wedderburn has a crazy sit down with The Dutty.
As the entire country rallied behind songbird Tessanne Chin during her stellar run on The Voice, we were equally entertained by a hilarious web show fiercely supporting ‘Chinita Goodaz’ and recapping the enchanting ‘Tess and the Tessless’ love triangle, all while putting our hashtaging skills to shame. A year ago ‘Dutty Berry’ may have easily been mistaken for a malfunctioning blackberry, but today, ‘Dutty Berry’ is a rising internet sensation, known for his unmistakable wit and creativity.
The genesis of The Dutty Berry Show was a late night, slightly tipsy rant on Facebook by then UWI student Russhaine about his plan to start his own web series. Encouraged by his friends, he created vox pop and parody-styled videos investigating such deep, mindboggling issues as ‘Fluffy versus Slim’. Adamant in his resolve to be different from everyone else, he shared his opinions with his own unique spin and explored topics in a way that all Jamaicans could relate to. With the release of his Voice reviews, the buzz around his videos steadily grew and his fan base swelled but excluded two key people.
“Initially, my parents had no idea I vlogged because I hid it from them,” laughs Russhaine. “To them, I’ve always been a nerd, a little Jimmy Neutron, they had no idea I could tell jokes.
I thought if I told them about my videos they would have found it absurd and I couldn’t deal with them being critical,” he revealed. With close to 25,000 ‘berridos’ following his every move on Facebook, it’s hard to imagine that Russhaine kept mostly to himself as a child, bingeing on cartoons and science books. After his parents split up when he was 3 years old, moving became a regular occurrence: from Rollington Town to Franklin Town to what he describes as ‘every community on
Washington Boulevard.’
By the time he got to high school, his love for the sciences had matured into a full-fledged quest to become a pediatrician: a dream wholly supported by both his parents. But something happened when Russhaine hit the 9th grade (drum roll please)… he suddenly became interested in the arts (gasp!).
Unwilling to disappoint his mum and dad, he continued to pursue the scientific route while longing for the chance to show his artistic side. It wasn’t until his first week at UWI that it became pretty clear that medicine wasn’t for him.
“While I was pursuing Pure and Applied Sciences, I went to a a lab and everyone seemed to be so into what they were doing but I felt like the black sheep in the room,” Russhaine pointed out. “That day, I accidentally knocked over a Bunsen burner and broke a test tube. I walked out, went straight to the dean and asked to be transferred. It was too late to get into CARIMAC so I opted for Language and Communication instead,” he recounted.
Jamaica may have lost an opportunity to get another Dr. Berry – we already have two anyway: a Kingston-based dermatologist and the famous tech physician – but we gained a talented, one-of-a-kind entertainer. With the sensational success of his show, Russhaine’s signature look – his large, nerd certified glasses and reverse cap – have made him an instantly recognizably figure anywhere he goes in the island.
“I have to be a lot friendlier, I can’t be the shy person anymore because when people meet me they want to meet the character,” Russhaine remarked. “I never used to smile before because I never liked my gap teeth but the whole thing has given me confidence now and this is the most I’ve ever smiled,” he explains as he describes how much his life has changed. Collaborating on videos with his idol, Tessanne, holding court at the Shaggy & Friends concert, carrying out hosting duties from the red carpet at Pepsi’s Youth View Awards and flexing his comedic muscles at the LIME Comedy Café, are now just part of work for Russhaine. With everything that has happened in the last six months, he was at first stumped when we asked what his proudest moment has been.
“Definitely being a guest on Entertainment Report and On Stage,” he shared thoughtfully. “To have these huge hosts consider me to be somebody who was worth looking into, that was big deal for me. It was the clearest signal that maybe I was heading in the right direction,” he disclosed, obviously glowing with pride. So what’s Dutty Berry got in store for his ‘berridos’? In a word, plenty! He wants to take his vlogging to a whole new level, attracting not just a local but a wide, international following. With his platform, he would like to promote young Jamaican talent and set up a mentorship programme for troubled youngsters because he knows first-hand what it’s like
to be a teenager and struggling. He sees radio and TV in his future and wants to fulfill a lifelong goal of writing a book.
So stay tuned, you certainly haven’t had a last laugh with ‘Dutty Berry’!
Share this post: