Reasoning with Norris Man

Norris Man walks into a room and you feel his energy. The type of energy that A&R reps call "it." The "it" that packages chiseled looks, talent, youthful exuberance, and fervent spirituality. His energy acts as a magnet, drawing people towards him, hanging on his every word as if he were the wise sage just down from the mountain. Although his face displays a youthful innocence, the combination of curiosity, life experience and hardship smolders underneath the surface. Born in the Kingston ghetto of Trenchtown as Christopher Campbell, Norris Man has had a hard journey, but has persevered. For the 27-year old, the "it" has been a long time coming.

Realizing at a young age that he enjoyed singing, Norris Man started out by frequenting sound systems like Stacks International, Bionic Steve, and 007 in his home town of Kingston. Eventually he started to record, but came across many obstacles: so-called allies who would withhold his earnings, scarce radio play of his songs, and even a physical attack.

In 1995 he met up with the producers of his 1997 hit single, "Persistence" and his 2000 full-length album release of the same name [VP Records]. He sings powerful songs in the "sing-jay" style a la Sizzla and Buju Banton. However, the one criticism that surfaced surrounding the album was his need to give his tunes a slightly harder edge.

He has just finished a new album entitled "Better Your Soul," produced by Colin McGregor, which will be released in the spring of 2001.

Norris Man gave an excellent performance in San Francisco at Slim’s Nightclub on November 19th, 2000. His disposition on stage struck me as a cross between Anthony B and Bob Marley. Not only are Norris Man’s locks reminiscent of Bob Marley’s "Rastaman Vibration" period, but his spiritual fervor and clearly articulated lyrics also follow in the Marley tradition. His rapid-fire dancehall sequences were comparable to Anthony B’s.

Our interview took place before his performance. In his thick patois, Norris Man discussed his career and musical influences in addition to hot topics such as race, gender and faith. Although we didn’t always see eye to eye, I went away with a little deeper understanding of his beliefs. What follows is a transcript of our conversation (Norris Man’s words were translated from patois for clarity):

Laura Gardner: What was it like growing up in Jamaica singing at a young age?

Norris Man: Blessed love. Rastafari. Give thanks. Well, it was like I wouldn’t say a dream, but something that you vision and when it really comes to pass, it’s wonderful. Back in those days, I wasn’t working for this yet. I had the hope but it was not yet seen. The only encouragement I had in those times were the youths around me in my ghetto area, Trenchtown, where I was born. You have sound systems in the area that would play on weekends–Friday and Saturday nights–and I would go around and toast on the riddims. True, I was very small at that time. They usually put me up on this Guinness box and I would chant a few songs, you know?

My first talent that I really gathered was to sing and when I started singing, the DJ vibes went in and it was always a mixture and they said, "you have a nice flavor and a nice style." So, from that, they always saw me as an original artist: my melodies, my style and my creativity. In those days, to be considered professional, you would have to be known as a DJ riding the Studio One riddims because those riddims have timing and you have to have timing. I came up on those riddims, practicing them as a likkle youth.

When I reached the age of say 22-23, I started voicing songs. The first 45 I voiced was for a label called the Arabic label, and I voiced my second song for G.G. Records. Buju Banton has a studio called Cellblock 3-2-1 where we worked with his brethren. I voiced my fourth song there and that is when I met Richard Bell from Star Trail Records and Anthony B. I met my producer in 1995 who would later release my album "Persistence." We worked from there and in 1997 I launched my hit song in Jamaica, "Persistence." That is where it all began and it leads me to this day where I now am in California doing shows!

LG: I’ve heard that you’ve gone through plenty of tribulation on your road to get here. What have you learned from the hardships, and now the blessings?

NM: When I went out on the road for my first tour, they told me I’d get work but I wouldn’t get any pay. I was just going out there to gather experience and get some fans’ attention. Well, sometimes you have to think of things two-way, you know?

First I knew it was going to be hard because of my welfare and my bills. I have kids I had to support. And it would be very hard to be out of my country for one month. So what I did whenever I had time after [a performance] was I went out on the street and I would do dubplates and specials for DJs. I would achieve a little pocket money that way. And I would save my per diem and be more economical. That’s how I really started out.

My second round on the road, I had gained some more recognition where people needed me to do shows, so they would pay their money up front. I am glad to know that I got the experience to travel all around the world. The work that we do takes us to many places.

LG: Yes, I heard that you just returned from Gambia in Africa.

NM: Yes, we first landed in Senegal. Then we drove around for 15 hours and reached the part where you had to take a ferry, where we then entered over into Gambia. It was a wonderful experience getting to know the motherland where I’n’I descendents are from. It’s good to go back to the land where I’n’I was created.

LG: Did you feel a kinship with the people there?

NM: Yes, well, the first thing you can feel from the people is that their meditation is like us. They act like us. They are very smart and clever like us. So we know that we have something in common there.

One thing I see with them that many of us don’t have is something called love. Whenever we come, we can’t get any time for ourselves. Someone wants to carry a bag. Someone wants to get you some food. You get so much assistance. The supporters of the music were plenty, massive. When we went to the stadium, people were jumping fences and rushing in. It was really an experience, even though it was a danger ‘cause they were lifting up cars and everyone wanted to come inside. I see that the people of I’n’I kind are really showing love. But I see the good and I also see the bad.

The bad thing I saw that upset me (and I think I should really utter out words and words of thunder and lightening) was when I went to Gambia, I saw that they give the people newspaper to wrap their bread and their food. I’m saying no, we don’t see what the United Nations is doing. There are parts of Africa where the English came and the Americans came and they built big resorts and hotels and they’re investing and they accommodate their people, yet still they see not the plight of the youths–their sufferation. They don’t see that.

I’ll always say that America is the mother of all countries. It is a country that everyone looks upon and has a dream to come. Yet still, they help not the poor–they invest in military, nuclear power and all these things. So much food in America wasting. Are we going to sit aside and see someone else suffer and die? We don’t understand what the United Nations is and what it represents.

LG: I was reading somewhere that there’s enough food in the world to feed everyone three times over three times a day. But it’s the distribution that’s faulty.

NM: And you can see that clearly. Now imagine, you go into a store in America and you want to buy an apple. You see seven different apples from which to choose from. And it’s always full. Nothing sells off. So, we know that.

They can more than assist the Ethiopians, the children in Ghana, the children in Nigeria, the children in Ethiopia, Gambia, Senegal, Malawi. Something needs to be done. We as black people, superstars and members of religious denominations and philosophies, we in high places and who can afford it, pack a little bag. Let’s do something–send an envelope, get something to them. So many clothes wasting. So many living big, yet someone around the corner cannot even find a night dinner.

LG: That’s leading into another question I had. What can you do as an artist with exposure to ease poverty and improve people’s quality of life?

NM: To tell you the truth, where an individual is concerned, it’s very hard. But we use the songs that we make and the music that we sing. We’re trying to open a new entity at our shows where during Black History Month, we try to emphasize Africa, and express the feelings and experiences of Africans–their condition. For right now, we are really doing teamwork with artists from Jamaica. We are planning to go to Africa and do shows. Whatever money we accumulate, we will try to use it to build a little community centered in Gambia, so that our name and our work can live on. If we’re going to make Africa be the Africa, we’ve got to organize and centralize and that is the word of His Imperial Majesty.