Thomas
Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
WHEN DEEJAY Wayne 'Jubbie' Thomas recorded Repatriation with Bread of Wailing Souls in 1998, he found that he played two roles on one record.
"The first verse was deejaying, but the second was poetry," he said from the African Museum studio on Red Hills Road.
"It sounded nice, me like it and decided me want to do it," he said.
'It' is poetry, but it would take six years and lots of hard work before the poet in the deejay really blossomed. When it did, though, it did not take long to bear a bumper crop.
His first strictly poetry recording was in January this year, when he did Twilight Zone. It was not actually just any date in January, but the very first day.
NEW YEARS EVE
"New Year's Eve catch we in the studio. Gregory Isaacs (who runs African Museum) record and then me record," Thomas said.
Isaacs was very pleased with the product and advised that he keep 'dubbing it'. With one condition.
"Right away him sey dem lyrics whe yu a push a no Jubbie lyrics," Thomas said. Already a name change was on his mind and this pushed the issue. 'Jubbie' the deejay took a back seat and 'Joseph Current' the poet came to the fore.
And the recordings came. Tenement Yard was followed by Mr. Gun A Man, then AIDS Is A Killer, done in tandem with Isaacs.
He has finished an album for African Museum and is also doing another one for Builders Production.
As if that is not enough, Friday Lover was Current's entry into this year's national popular song contest, making it to the semi-final round of 36.
"Right now me woulda waan see de poetry pon a more international level. Mi woulden min' a radio station play straight poetry," he said.
He is also promoting unity among poets, "so we can work together," Current said.
If his plans and production rate seem unusual for a relatively young poet, they are but he is not any young poet. As deejay, 'Jubbie' (short for Juvenile) Wayne Thomas started deejaying from 'lick fence' days, going professional in the 1980s. He started working on Master Blaster sound, owned by Sydney Wolfe, the same sound on which Beenie Man started out, as well as General Trees. He also deejayed on another 'Firehouse' (Waterhouse) sound system, Sharp Point.
His first tune on the road came in 1989, with the combination Dollars Naa Run with deejay Gregory Peck on the Friendship Label, owned by a lady from California.
But from the early 90s, poetry was on his mind. "If yu listen that album there are still one and two poetry pieces," he said. "Yu better able to relate with people with poetry than deejaying. When yu deejay, as yu start the people rail and dem no really hear what yu sey. The poetry calmer and take them down and when me ready to get more high-energy in poetry mi can still tek it up," he said.
That high energy may have something to do with the last name of his poetic title. "Me born in February, so me is a Joseph. The 'Current' can mean the now, the present, plus the energy, the electricity coming out of you," he said.
Joseph is also taking the long term approach.
"Yu jus' haffi go out dey an no watch de money yu naa mek. Yu need money, cause yu a spen money, but yu haffi buil' a foundation," Joseph Current said.
"It naa go happen overnight - an if it happen overnight yu cyaan mek it get to yu head same way."
