DJ Nicholas - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Andr Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

It is somewhat an irony how Nicholas 'DJ Nicholas' Eccleston made the transformation from Rastafarianism to Christianity. Rastafarians are known to read the Bible but still call upon the name of Haile Selassie. The irony is DJ Nicholas was deeply rooted in the Rastafarian faith and as part of his routine meditation, he stumbled upon Acts 4:12 during his reading.

The verse states that "there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved".

"That moment, I realise seh Selassie can't save me, only God coulda save me. It wasn't just one thing that happened, but that is where it all started for me," DJ Nicholas said.

After coming to that realisation, DJ Nicholas was passing Errol Hall's church in Constant Spring. It was almost as though Pastor Hall' call was aimed directly at him and he could not resist. After that night, DJ Nicholas surrendered and gave up all the dreams he had in the secular world.

Pursuing worldly fame

At the time, he was vigorously pursuing worldly fame under the stage alias Nameless. He had been going around in the inner-city communities and other places, singing what he described as "gun tunes". Bounty Killer was his biggest idol and he roamed Cassava Piece with the then unexposed Mavado. He said he is sure he would have made it to the top if he had stuck with it. That is very believable since he is now one of Jamaica's biggest gospel DJs. In fact, DJ Nicholas said he struggled with whether he should continue with the reggae rhymes in the church.

"I prayed about it and I realised it was just another Mecca to get the word out there. Some people are not going to like it or support it, but it serves its purpose," DJ Nicholas said.

His vision was spot on. Whenever he performs, he always has the ability to have his supporters in a "hand clapping, feet stomping, true, true sanctified" mode.

With his likeable qualities and his love for young people, he has now teamed up with fellow reggae gospel artiste Kassim 'Moses' Grant to put together what is intended to be another major show on the gospel calendar. The first instalment of 'Exodus: Movement of God's People' will take place on Saturday at the Fellowship Tabernacle car park. The show has a tremendous line-up with some of Jamaica's major gospel artistes, including Prodigal Son, Judith Gayle, Ryan Mark and Goddy Goddy.

"It's all about giving young people somewhere to go. After 'Genesis', 'Recharge' and 'Fun in the Son', that's basically it. I think it will be a blessing for young people and wi looking for support," he said.

And though it will be a paid event, DJ Nicholas said he and Moses sent complimentary tickets to inner-city communities to ensure that some of the inner-city supporters will not be hindered by the price tag.

Of course, DJ Nicholas and Moses will perform.