My fellow one-on-one readers, I want to first and foremost wish you a happy and prosperous new year and also thank you for staying true to www.outaroad.com. The first release for this year is about an artiste that has surpassed all expectations upon him and decided that he was going to break the mould. From St. Elizabeth in Jamaica he produced some of the songs that are on everyone’s lips. I am talking about none other than Protoje and you know your girl Shani has the scoop.

Location: UWI Mona, Mary Seacole Hall
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell AKA Shani
Interviewee: Protoje

Real Name: Oje Ollivirre

Age: 29

OutAroad: How long have you been in the music business?
Protoje: Seven years

OutAroad: How hard was it for you to start?
Protoje: It took a lot of time and effort but I knew that it was what I wanted to do so me did haffi make it happen.

OutAroad: What are some of the challenges that you faced?
Protoje: Maintaining patience because at times you want to jus buss and it’s gonna take a longer time than that.

OutAroad: Who is your role model in the business?
Protoje: My mother Lorna Bennett was a singer in the music business. As a matter of fact she is now my manager.

ONE ON ONE OUTAROAD

My faithful peeps, One-On-One is taking a new approach OutAroad (no pun intended) and your girl Shani is expanding my portfolio and including in it one-on-one moments with persons of influence within our community. For the first issue in this a new dawning, you will get a one-on-one opportunity with the owner and fashion designer for the clothing line DRENZ, which has been buzzing since last summer. Hailing from Portmore, Check it out.

Setting: Under the Gazebo at UWI Juicy Patties
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell AKA Shani
Interviewee: Drenz

Real Name: Richard Campbell

Age: 29+

OutAroad: What’s the story behind Drenz, the name?
Richie: It actually started with a group of us in a crew, 9 of us. We were searching for a name to call ourselves and we originally came up with the name Adrenaline. We planned a party and decided that we wanted to create our own line of clothing for the crew and to promote the party. Whenever we went out, people would always tell us that they loved the clothing and ask where they could get them from. Over time we shortened the name from Adrenaline to just DRENZ.

OutAroad: What type of clothing does Drenz comprise of?
Richie: Right now it’s all men outawear; jackets, vests

OutAroad: From Last year’s Christmas season into this year, there has been a buzz with your line of clothing. How do you feel about it?
Richie: I am extremely humbled by the effect but it is minute to where I wanna be. We can definitely push for more and for the effect to be more widespread.

OutAroad: How difficult was it for you to start this clothing line?
Richie: It was real hard believe me and I have to thank Shaky for all his support over the years. My mother use to throw out the clothes. I was in my final year in business at UTECH and I remember I used the money to buy cloth to make clothes. So I went from accounting to fashion designer and with that came a lot of financial difficulty. In addition to that I am from a very humble background so that made it even worse.

ONE ON ONE OUTAROAD

Greetings my fellow one on one peeps, I know that you are just thirsting to know
who's next on the list. Today I bring you one on one with a new artiste. She hails from Jamaica but currently doing her thing abroad. Her name is Cilon and One-on-one just had to get in touch with her.

Setting: One the phone, outside UWI Students’ Union
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell AKA Shani
Interviewee: Cilon

Real Name: Claudia Clarke

Age: 25

OutAroad: Where are you from?
Cilon: GAZA!!!!! Lol portmore, Waterford to be exact… I think that's Mexico.

OutAroad: Why Cilon?
Cilon: Me and a friend were up one night and we came up with the name and it stayed with me ever since.

OutAroad: How long have you been in the music business?
Cilon: Seriously, 2 years even though I have been recording since 1999 in Jamaica and I wanted to sing since 1998. I even started a group with some friends.

OutAroad: How has the journey been for you so far? And being a female in the business?
Cilon: Challenging… I just put out my first single "Hot Gurls Anthem" ft. Sotto Bless. I believe that there is definitely a difference in the reception of men versus women. In order to succeed, some women have to perform favours for producers but I believe that you have to respect yourself in order for someone to respect you. Your talent should speak for itself.

ONE - ON - ONE OUTAROAD

From as early as 2004, this artiste has been producing so many conscious songs that we have all grown to love. His name is now a household name for songs that deal with reality as well as positive songs that will help to uplift one’s spirit. It’s your girl Shani of course with your latest one - on - one. In the last issue Danielle said that she likes I-Octane and one - on - one caught up with him. Here’s the scoop.

Setting: The lounge at King Jammy’s Recording Studio
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell aka Shani
Interviewee: I-Octane

Birth name: Byiome Muir
Age: Early Twenties (lol), mi nuh pass twenty-five though

OutAroad: How long have you been in the music business?
I-Octane: Been in the music business for bout six-months now (lol), 5-6 years, from when I was in high school.

OutAroad: How hard was it for you to start?
I-Octane: It was real hard. Coming from the country (Clarendon), I had to get myself familiarized with the industry. So I spent probably a year just vibing and hanging out at studios just writing because they have to feel your vibe before you start voicing.

OutAroad: What are some of the songs that you are most popular for?
I-Octane: “Vampire”, “Gun Rise”, “Poverty”, “Different Page”… all of them… lol

OutAroad: You have a strong “Role Model” status in the industry, how hard is it for you to keep this up?
I- Octane: I try to live as close as possible to my word so its not hard at all. Mi nuh put mi basket weh mi cant reach it. I just try to live as Real, as plain and as simple as possible. Its because its my daily living why people love mi, a suh mi live.

ONE ON ONE OUTAROAD

Greetings my fellow one on one peeps from here, there and everywhere. You know its your girl Shani in the building again. Today I bring you one on one with a fairly new artiste. Patexxx is the name and music is the game. One on one went all the way to King Jammies studio where we got up close and personal with Patexxx. Here is how it all went down.

Setting: Outside King Jammies Studio
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell AKA Shani
Interviewee: Patexxx

Real Name: Rohan Rankine

Age: I was born on October 18, 1983

OutAroad: Where are you from?
Patexxx: York District, St. Thomas

OutAroad: How important is a name?
Patexxx: It's a package. It haffi b sumn weh catchy, stylish, have its own soun, come wid a phrase… everyting affi deh deh. You kno like when Mavado did jus come out, you kno a him because you hear "Anywaaaaaayie"

OutAroad: (Lol) Cool, Why Patexxx?
Patexxx: Yuh kno seh a one a mi fren dem did give me dat name. When me use to go high school, dem use to call mi "Sizzla" but mi couldn't use dat name because it was there already. One day we deh a wi likkle hang out spot an she seh " A Patexxx yuh name", and jus like dat, it stick. Plus she deceased now so I jus keep the name in honor of her.

OutAroad: Oh cool, sorry to hear that. How long have you been in the music business?
Patexxx: Seriously, 2007/2008 cause a desso mi first start knock desk and ting

OutAroad: Name some of the songs that you are most popular for.
Patexxx: (Singing everyone) "Summer-time", "Party", "Memories" (which was my first recording) and "Party-time"

ONE - ON - ONE OUTAROAD

This artiste is humble in every sense of the word and has brought to the business not only songs for us to listen and meditate but also songs that will put a smile on our faces. Coming from Arnette Gardens, he has proven that ghetto youth can make it too. Yes, your girl Shani got the scoop and with no further ado, here it is.

Setting: A mixing studio in the Arcades of Half Way Tree
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell aka Shani
Interviewee: Nesbeth

Birth name: Greg Nesbeth
Age: No mi nah disclose mi age… mi nuh ole doh.

OutAroad: What was it like for you growing up?
Nesbeth: It was very challenging. Mi a ghetto youth enuh, no lunch money everyday tings enuh, basically from nothing to something. But from mi have life mi have everything. So it's from everything mentally to things physically.

OutAroad: What's your relationship status?
Nesbeth: Well from yuh nuh married you single enuh…lol but mi committed.

OutAroad: What are some of the songs that you are most popular for?
Nesbeth: "Board house", "Guns out", "So let it be/ I love her", "Drive by"… among others

OutAroad: What has Nesbeth been up to lately?
Nesbeth: Just music times music. Always putting in the work. You never know what life will have to offer.

OutAroad: With that said, what is in the pipeline for you?
Nesbeth: The Best of the Best. I will be leaving on Wednesday for this huge festival, "Calgary International Reggae Festival" in Canada. I am one of only four Jamaicans to be performing there. With me will be Beres, Inner circle and Joseph Hill's son. I see this as not only an opportunity to represent Reggae Music but also to represent Jamaica in a positive light enuh. I still have some tours to Africa and Europe that are pending and I have a US tour to look forward to in October.

OutARoad: What's your real name?
Razor B: Roger Cassup

OutARoad: How old are you?
Razor B: We are as old as we feel..I feel 25

OutARoad: What got you started in the business?
Razor B: I have always had a passion for music, growing up I heard that my dad was also musically inclined..it is in my blood. I used to dj in class at St.Jago for money.
I think a few different songs have served to get my name out there, my music has touched people in different ways. My new song, Hot girls in the Ring seems to have touched old and young alike..everyone's dancing!

OutARoad: With that said, how long have you been in the business?
Razor B: I started to take Djing seriously about 3 years ago.

OutARoad: If you were not Razor B and was just Roger Cassup, what would you be doing?
Razor B: I would still be running my business, Razor B Entertainment with a greater focus on Promotions and Catering. I have owned and operated my own restaurant for over 6 years now.

ONE-ON-ONE OUTAROAD

OutAroad: What's your birth name?
Danielle: Danielle Isaacs

OutAroad: How old are you?
Danielle: 25-year-old

OutAroad: You have been away from the scene for a while; tell us why?
Danielle: I decided to withdrawn myself to give some attention to my personal life. I was too engulfed in my career; it has always been a challenge to balance both.

OutAroad: How's your personal life now? What is your status?
Danielle: I'm totally celibate. Abstaining from sex for almost a year and it feels good. There are so many other ways to have fun that we sometimes don't explore (giggles). I'm open to dating but at the same time, I'm a virgin again.

OutAroad: If you were to date a deejay who would it be and why?
Danielle: LOL Maybe I-Octane for how humble he is, Agent Sasco... his intelligence is sooo attractive and of course the bad boy from the Gully side, Mavado (cuz a rude boy dem mi like).

ONE - ON - ONE OUTAROAD

We knew this artiste in the earlier days as Einstein, but now he has had a new approach to life and as such decided to change his name. He is now Stein. When one-on-one heard about the change, the scoop had to be done to see what was going on with this artiste and what sparked the change.

Setting: Remember that tree at utech, yup we still there
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell aka Shani
Interviewee: Stein

OutAroad: What is your real name?
Stein: Jermaine Shaw

OutAroad: How old are you Jermaine?
Stein: 24

OutAroad: How long have you been in the music industry?
Stein: 6 years now

OutAroad: Really? What are some of the songs that you are most known for?
Stein: "Rise the Machine", "Rifle dem", "Tek weh", "Get Gyal Easy", "Bad Man Nuh War Ova Gyal" among others.

OutAroad: Weh you say… you profile large! Lol Do you think that Gangsta songs have a negative impact on Jamaica?
Stein: No enuh, mi nuh think so

OutAroad: What kind of impact do you think your songs have on Jamaica?
Stein: My songs are self-defense as well as gangsta. So I know they don’t have a negative impact, at least no more negative than the system. If you are gonna call my songs negative then a whole odda stuff ago negative.

One-On-One OutAroad
Once again we are gathered here to be one-on-one with our artistes. I am your girl Shani and this column is all about Richie Loop today. Although not a stranger to the music industry, Richie Loop is a new performing artiste who has seemingly over taken Jamaica overnight with his hit single MY CUPP. My Cupp has been a blasting the radio waves and has been enjoying success on both local and international charts. OutARoad had to get up close and personal with him to see how he feels about his current success as well as his plans for the future.
Setting: In the studio of Scikron Entertainment/Big Yard Music Label

OutARoad: What's your real name?
Richie Loop: Richard Raquish Webb

OutARoad: How old are you?
Richie Loop: 23 years old.

OutARoad: What got you started in the business?
Richie Loop: I started out a dancer, however after watching some friends making beats, I decided to try, so eventually I started producing and writing..and today I am an artist/producer.

OutARoad: Which song do you think gave you that big break and had RICHIE LOOP on every body's lips?
Richie Loop: Well I had two singles on the Scikron Entertainment out called ‘She wants it good’ on the Brainstorm Riddim, and 'Gal Whine' on the 'Sweat Shop Riddim,' however it was my first single 'My Cupp' that garnered me local and international spotlight.

ONE-ON-ONE OUT A ROAD

This artiste had a major buzz surrounding him when he dropped his single "Bank Inna Mi Pocket” produced by his manager Romeich. OutAroad One-on-One team just had to catch up with Versatile to see whether or not "if him really have a bank inna him pocket".

Setting: Sitting on the back of a van, under a street light on Good Wood Terrace
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell AKA Shani
Interviewee: Versatile

Birth name: Sheldon Taylor
Age: 23 Years old

OutAroad: What sparked your interest in the music business?
Versatile: Entertainment on a whole, Naturally I'm a musician

OutAroad: What influenced you to make a song like "Bank Inna Mi Pocket"?
Versatile: Definitely everybody wants to have money so this is just my way of changing the approach.

OutAroad: Oh ok…so do you have a bank in your pocket?
Versatile: lol not yet but I’m working on it… nah gi out nuh loan tho.

OutAroad: lol Where are you from?
Versatile: Portland

OutAroad: With that said do you think in order for an artiste to flourish in the music industry, they have to be stationed in or around Kingston?
Versatile: Most definitely, because this is the entertainment capital and the central hub…musicians, if you want to make it, Kingston is definitely the placed to get started.

ONE ON ONE OUT-A-ROAD

In the last column you guys got a glimpse of what life is like with Wayne Marshall before the release of his new video (My Heart). In this column we will continue the line of greatness with G-Whizz.

Setting: Under a Streetlight in front of Fams House Studio
Interviewer: Shanique Campbell AKA Shani
Interviewee: G-Whizz

OutARoad: What is the name on your birth certificate?
G-Whizz: Garland Rowe but while growing up I got the nickname Usher

OutARoad: How old are you?
G-Whizz: I wish to not give my age but I was born on January 28, 19--(unu figure it out)

OutARoad: …ok then…how long have you been in the business?
G-Whizz: Professionally, six and a half years but in music its not so easy to get a buss cause there is a million weh a try get a buss and a million weh buss already. So its very hard but my break was in 2009.

OutARoad: Does the political turmoil that we are in now affects you musically in any way?
G-Whizz: Mi nuh really hav no problem enuh, mi jus neutral. Me wi perform at a function weh Portia Host and then perform at Bruce function to. For me, Music has no barriers.

OutARoad: Am glad you said that… and in that light, how widespread do you think that your music is?
G-Whizz: you can never really and truly tell how widespread it is enuh but kno that “Life soon sort out” was at the number one spot in England for seven weeks, then for five weeks in Canada, it went to the number one spot in the Bahamas and it was number one on all the charts in Jamaica so I know that the spread is global.

One-On-One OutAroad

Once again we are gathered here to be one-on-one with our artistes. Am your girl Shani and this column is all about Wayne Marshall today. Wayne is a well-known artiste in the business and one that has continued to give us good music over the years. Now that he is married, OutARoad had to get up close and personal with him to see what the latest scoop is.

Setting: Somewhere on King’s House Road, around an oak table
Interviewer: Shani

OutARoad: What's your real name?
Wayne Marshall: Wayne Mitchell

OutARoad: How old are you?
Wayne Marshall: 30 yrs

OutARoad: What got you started in the business?
Wayne Marshall: I jus always did love music enuh. I loved to hear the real big man dem weh mek yuh affi stop and listen, like Bob Marley and all dem other big men. I started writing poems then came the exploration of the voice. I used to hang out by King Jammies (they lived three gates down the road), with Baby G who shared the same love as me. They would make the riddims while I would try to impress King Jammies; although dat never work. Back then as a youth wi used to have access to Bounty Killer's latest tune along with nuff other artistes. By the next day wi know dem word for word…then off to school to perform these songs for friends, not knowing that I was indirectly working on my stage presence.

Den it was on Ward 21 Badda Badda and Joint riddims, which for me was the ground breaking riddims for my career. It was during that time I made the link Bounty Killer. Then I was linked with Ward 21 and did a collaboration with Bounty then later on with Elle.

Surprisingly enough my present single, "My Heart" was voiced at Jammies. (Back where I started).

ONE-ON-ONE OUT-A ROAD

Part 2 with the Bloods

I know that you guys have been waiting patiently for part two of this fresh new column with the Bloods. The other part of this team is Andrew Blood. Indeed this is a team because neither of them goes through on a decision without the other one knowing first.

SETTING: STILL UNDER THAT TREE AT UTECH

Interviewer: Shani

Interviewee: Andrew Bloods

OutARoad: How old are you?
Andrew: 24

OutARoad: I know you guys are brothers but are you twins?
Andrew: No, but we were born in the same year of mom's who both bared the same first name (Jennifer).

OutARoad: lol …Ok then, what are the songs that you are most popular for?
Andrew: "It's My Time", "Money Print" and "Hustle Hard".

OutARoad: How long have you been in this music business?
Andrew: Professionally, 4 years.

ONE ON ONE OUT A ROAD

In an effort to keep our standards high and remain as the top online magazine hailing from the Caribbean, OutARoad.com is introducing a new feature. In this feature we will get up close and personal with the artistes and find out details about their musical career that you would not have been privy to before. This new column, ONE-ON-ONE OutARoad, promises to b exciting and informative every step of the way.

In our first Issue, is a two part feature…one with Wada Blood and part two with Andrew Blood. These phenomenal, energetic Rastafarians have been in the business for quite some time and have produced music that we have grown to love here in Jamaica and all over the world and they continue to influence the way Jamaicans view music while promoting consciousness.

SETTING: UTECH, UNDER A TREE

Interviewer: Shani
Artiste: Wada Blood

OutARoad: What is your real name?
Wada Blood: Delroy Reid

OutARoad: How old are you? (For all the young bachelorettes out there)
Wada Blood: 24

OutARoad: How long have you been in the business?
Wada Blood: I'm a young legend, long time.

OutARoad: Which songs are you most known for?
Wada Blood: "Hustle Til I Die", "Hustler For Life" and "Irie"

OutARoad: What has been driving you in the business all this time?
Wada Blood: The love for the music, it's my passion.