Written by: Hubert Lawrence
All through his athletics career, Maurice Smith harbored a passion for music. Naturally, when his track and field days ended, Smith embraced that passion with the same energy that gained him the silver medal in the decathlon at the 2007 World Championships.
Now he is Deca, reggae singer.
“Once I was done with the sporting arena, it was like, you know, I couldn’t wait to start to do the music”, he told Hubert Lawrence in January. He has just released a 5 song EP, entitled DEEP THOUGHTS which he describes as a quarantine EP.
His love for music started when he was a boy in the hills of St Catherine. “I used to tape music off the radio and if I get just one little piece of commercial on the tape, I rewind and make sure I start back taping once the music start. These used to be my cassettes I didn’t even know at the time”, recalled the native of Allman Hill. “I used to be so impressed with different artistes, their delivery and the lyrics that I used to want to learn songs from start to finish, so I taped their songs so that I could rewind and play back, and rewind, so that has been a passion all my life that I wanted to do”, he continued.
People are listening to him now. “The first song I recorded was “Jamrock Hotta” and that record was inspired by some videos that I saw on YouTube just about the crime and violence. It was during that Montego Bay state of emergency, and you know, me watch some pictures on YouTube and me a seh, yow, dem things a gwaan a Jamaica, the contract killing and the smoking weed with the embalming fluid, these things, bold, and a send threat to the police”, submitted the Florida
based singer.
“Come right back two years later with George Floyd, I release a tune called Revolution. That was really my contribution to the Black Lives Matter movement. The words that I expressed in that song was my contribution. I didn’t really want to be in the streets protesting but I still wanted my voice to be heard”, DECA underlined.
A recent visit to Jamaica made it clear that Revolution is being heard. “Just to be home in the community, people walking by the house singing the song, in the taxis, they’re driving past the house, just friends coming to greet me at the house, everyone was singing the song and they even call it a different thing. The song is called Revolution but everyone refers to it as ‘Realms of Zion’. I even started to consider maybe I should name it ‘Realms of Zion'”, regaled the 40 year-old former Calabar High School track and field star.
I used to be so impressed with different artistes, their delivery and the lyrics that I used to want to learn songs from start to finish,
DECA
To read more, please purchase a copy of Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine Vol 10 #10 in a store near you.
Follow the Buzzz on Instagram and Facebook
Hubert Lawrence is a public relations practitioner who has interviewed Gwen Guthrie, Chris Gayle and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Share this post:
Written by: Hubert Lawrence
All through his athletics career, Maurice Smith harbored a passion for music. Naturally, when his track and field days ended, Smith embraced that passion with the same energy that gained him the silver medal in the decathlon at the 2007 World Championships.
Now he is Deca, reggae singer.
“Once I was done with the sporting arena, it was like, you know, I couldn’t wait to start to do the music”, he told Hubert Lawrence in January. He has just released a 5 song EP, entitled DEEP THOUGHTS which he describes as a quarantine EP.
His love for music started when he was a boy in the hills of St Catherine. “I used to tape music off the radio and if I get just one little piece of commercial on the tape, I rewind and make sure I start back taping once the music start. These used to be my cassettes I didn’t even know at the time”, recalled the native of Allman Hill. “I used to be so impressed with different artistes, their delivery and the lyrics that I used to want to learn songs from start to finish, so I taped their songs so that I could rewind and play back, and rewind, so that has been a passion all my life that I wanted to do”, he continued.
People are listening to him now. “The first song I recorded was “Jamrock Hotta” and that record was inspired by some videos that I saw on YouTube just about the crime and violence. It was during that Montego Bay state of emergency, and you know, me watch some pictures on YouTube and me a seh, yow, dem things a gwaan a Jamaica, the contract killing and the smoking weed with the embalming fluid, these things, bold, and a send threat to the police”, submitted the Florida
based singer.
“Come right back two years later with George Floyd, I release a tune called Revolution. That was really my contribution to the Black Lives Matter movement. The words that I expressed in that song was my contribution. I didn’t really want to be in the streets protesting but I still wanted my voice to be heard”, DECA underlined.
A recent visit to Jamaica made it clear that Revolution is being heard. “Just to be home in the community, people walking by the house singing the song, in the taxis, they’re driving past the house, just friends coming to greet me at the house, everyone was singing the song and they even call it a different thing. The song is called Revolution but everyone refers to it as ‘Realms of Zion’. I even started to consider maybe I should name it ‘Realms of Zion'”, regaled the 40 year-old former Calabar High School track and field star.
To read more, please purchase a copy of Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine Vol 10 #10 in a store near you.
Follow the Buzzz on Instagram and Facebook
Hubert Lawrence is a public relations practitioner who has interviewed Gwen Guthrie, Chris Gayle and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Share this post: