Buggy Nhakente 246

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FAVOURITES
After hearing rave reviews about The St Regis' Reggae Nights, we had to get there asap to hear Buggy Nhakente and his band turn out some tunes. Dancing away the night, toes in the sand, stars in the sky - the Reggae Nights are now one of our favourite things to do in the Gulf and we got an exclusive interview with Buggy!

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1. Who is in your band?

When I do perform with them it is Jamal Browne(drums) Elvis Edwards (bass) Daniel Medford (Keys) Rhesa Garnes (vocals)

2. Tell us a little about yourself...

I am a 6 times Barbados music award winner ... leading reggae artist from Barbados I enjoy reading, writing, motocross riding, cricket and backgammon when I'm not on stage of course.

3. How did you get into music? And what/who inspires you?

My schoolmates encouraged me to pursue music since I used to make up songs about most things at school and about things I saw and experienced in my neighbourhood. They would always ask me " why don't you become a singer?" Life and all it's interesting and amazing experiences inspires me.

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4. Who is your musical hero?

I have musical heroes and not just in reggae music .. They range from Bob Marley to Ray Charles to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye in recent times my heroes have been dominantly from the reggae genre as they continue to defend and maintain the principles which the music has been known for all these years.

5. You were recently in Qatar playing at The St Regis, how was that experience? How were you received?

This was and continues to be a wonderful experience we were and still continue to be very well received, our show continues to grow and generate more momentum.

6. What surprised you the most about living and working in Doha? Do you have any insider tips for cool things to do in Qatar?

My biggest surprise was to find out that a few Barbadians already live and work in Qatar.

7. What was your favourite thing about living in the Gulf?

Listening to experiences from people who're from countries I only see or hear about in the media.

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8. Do you have any tips for newbies to the region?

Observe the society, be very mindful of the laws, keep hydrated, socialize as it's always good to meet people who already have an understanding of how the country operates and by all means totally enjoy the experience.

9. Were there any similarities between Qatar and Barbados?

Yes there's a kind of relaxed mode of people which can be easily recognized in both countries.

10. What songs/musicians should we be listening to this summer at the beach?

Allow us to surprise you.

11. What are your plans for the future? Do you have anything coming up and where can we find you?

I've been working with a new company Raggamuffin ent. I'm currently working on my third album the main focus right now is breaking new markets and making records that can penetrate these markets.

Thank you Buggy for giving an insight into your interesting life and career!

Reggae Nights at The St Regis, Doha returns this September. Stay tuned here for exact details. -

Barbados Reggae Festival 2019 has officially launched, and its promoters are predicting the largest turn out for the festival since its humble beginnings back in 2005. During the brief press briefing at its launch this year, Al Gilkes, Director of FAS7STAR, recounted briefly on the festival first show years ago.

“Sunday 1st of May 2005; it is not a day that is easily forgotten by the more than 15,000 people who packed Farley Hill National Park for that event. Music was [beautiful], and transcended all colours, classes, and creeds in terms of the 15,000 plus people who were assembled at Farley Hill that day. It was truly a unifying experience.” Gilkes said.






Also during the briefing, press and sponsors were treated by short performances by local Reggae singer, Buggy Nhakente, and Jamaican Dancehall artist Spragga Benz who also shared his history with Buju Banton, who’s Long Walk To Freedom Tour was making its next stop here in Barbados for the festival.

““… to see Wayne come out, and be the one who bring Buju Banton to the forefront as an artist and introduce him to the public. And then Buju being the one that actually came and take me and inspired me to become an artist as well. That’s a trinity right there that a lot of people don’t even recognize. So this show to me, and to all of them is very special [and] something that we are looking forward to.”

Caribbean Entertainment Hub will be bringing you coverage of Barbados Reggae Festival 2019 which comprises:

Buju Banton’s ‘Long Walk To Freedom’ to be held at Kensington Oval on Saturday April the 27th .Wayne Wonder and Spragga Benz is scheduled to perform; a massive crowd is expected for this show.
Magnum Xpolsion ‘Reggae Beach Party’ at Pirates Cove the following day, featuring Sizzla and Busy Signal, both out of Jamaica.
The Mount Gay ‘Vintage Reggae Show and Dance’ also at Kensington Oval on the 30th April, featuring the likes of George Nooks, Admiral Tibet, Barrington Levy, Judy Boucher and Mikey Spice. - Caribbean Entertainment Hub

SAY THE NAME Ryan Chase and the response comes back at you: Ryan who? Say the name Buggy Nhakente and immediately it is recognised as belonging to one of Barbados’ leading reggae artistes. Deejays do not have “to be prodded” to play his music anymore and for a Bajan reggae artiste that is an accomplishment. “For the genre of music that I do as a Barbadian artiste and the amount of airplay that I understand that I get . . . it has to be tremendous. Deejays are not going to blast [my music] everyday, but when they do, they do. It is in constant rotation,” was how the 36-year-old full-time dreadlocked reggae artiste put it during a recent interview with the WEEKEND NATION. Reggae is a way of life for the Parish Land, Christ Church born. It has taken him from the narrow confines of his homeland right across the Caribbean on many tours. He has gone as far the Middle East – Doha, Qatar to be exact, where he is scheduled to return at the end of this month. Before returning to the Middle East, Buggy will be in concert at the Reggae Lounge with his band Fully Loaded tonight. Buggy believes that reggae music gives expression to what is happening around him. But he is not cut in the mould of raw lyrical militancy. “Sometimes it [music] changes [the society] for the bad, but for me I would like my music to change [it] for the good, so I would not sing ‘kill people’ lyrics and ‘die this’. But if something needs to be said . . . and I need to say it in song, I will say it. “If that makes me an activist or a revolutionary [well] . . . . Take Nelson Mandela for instance, they use to say that he is a terrorist . . . but because of the work he did and what he represented at that time, 27 years later he was a hero because the world changed.” The well-travelled singer is quite aware that some reggae artistes have attracted hostile reaction from special interest group because of their anti-gay and hate crime lyrics. He has therefore taken a very pragmatic approach to his career. “When you travel and see the world and when you look at things on a different scale . . . you don’t know who is coming to your show, you are making songs that you don’t know who is listening to [you] . . . I would hope that people respect each other opinions, societies and rights as they want others to respect theirs”. The passion for the rootsy side of Jamaican music was always with the former employee of Barbados Light and Power. It was while at The St Michael School that a comment from a school colleague spurred him to think about getting involved in entertainment after hearing singing a song he had written about a field trip. But it was after graduating from the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic in mechanical engineering that he seriously considered an entertainment career. His first recording, on cassette Good Loving was with producer KB Sharpe. The relationship evolve as KB Sharpe was more into hip-hop and Buggy was committed to reggae. Each went his way. There was no break-up. The next move for Buggy was to run with a group called Foundation Youts who took the reggae music across Barbados. While moving across the island, Buggy was, “developing myself as an artist because my style of chanting started to become a more sing/chanting and “more into being a rastaman”. “I guess people were beginning to see me more as a rebel and revolutionary and all of this time I was still Lil Buggy. We targetted the radio . . and it was going good for a while but after it fell apart because everybody did not have the same vision.” It was time for Buggy to shape his future. He kept his loyalty to reggae. He never accepted that it should be a seasonal thing here. “I was like: ‘if Jamaicans doing it all year round, we have to be doing it all year round too.” Buggy eventually hooked back up KB to record Wave. His next song was Nubian Girl which “opened up Barbadians for me”. Buggy felt thew momentum and had to make a decision about his career. He said Fully Loaded came about as a result of the evolution of himself as an artist. “Between 2002 and 2005 I got an opportunity to do my first set of touring and sing outside of Barbados: the cross-fusion of reggae what people call chanting . When I came back to Barbados my producer and I sat down and he said it was becoming samey samey . . . If you want people to keep listening to you have to reinvent it . . . I went home and thought about the character [Buggy]. . . and what people thought when they heard the Buggy. A lot of people would ask ‘where is the horse’ jokingly. I played on that for a little bit and then I decided to make it ‘fully loaded’. That is where  Buggy Fully Loaded came from.” After working with Fully Loaded Buggy got an opportunity to pursue reggae music at a different level and that is when he headed to Jamaica - the roots of reggae on the invitation of reggae artistes Zizzla and Tony Rebel. One of the criticisms Buggy faces here is that he wants to sound like a Jamaican. He however said the Jamaicans do not think that he wants to sound like them. “They just think you are trying to do it way it is suppose to be done.” He has learnt a lot from his sojourns to the “land of wood and water”. “Adapting was not too difficult. I could say my style of writing had change. I understood what I could use and what was impossible to use. What I could sing about in terms of topics and what comes out of you and makes the most impact it makes on people . . . “All I had to do was to learn the language of reggae while I was singing reggae . .. it is not jumping on a reggae bandwagon. It is a music with message. It is a connection to a way of expression. The way reggae uses me is to express . . . it makes people sit down and listen for truth.” One of the big moments while in Jamaica was to perform at Rebel Salute of which he said he was received “very good”. As Buggy prepares for his show tonight, in tribute to the late Bob Marley whose birthday was yesterday, he is building up with repertoire for further recordings. “The last album release was in 2012 Just a Man, it is still going pretty good, I have not been able to settle and get into the studio to record another album given the hectic travelled schedule. I have been continously recording so that I can have my third solo album pretty soon,” he said Asked if he would leave the entertainment scene, Buggy said he was committed to his vision as a reggae singer. “I was always was one who wanted a mechanical shop because I always enjoyed doing machinist type of work. I use to work with Barbados Light and Power. I packed up my bags to leave to come here [be an entertainer]. So to pack up my bags to go back is like . . . . . ” said Buggy without any doubt about his mission - Nations News