© Alexander Richter | Sevens Clash
After being swept up late last year in the same murder case that Vybz Kartel is currently languishing in prison for dancehall fashion designer Calvin ‘Moonie’ Haye is back on the streets rebuilding his business.
Check out the studio visit and article at Sevens Clash
While designer Earl ‘Biggy’ Turner was busy rolling out a trailer-load of linen for Shabba, and Carlene ‘Dancehall Queen’ Smith was setting the standard for women with her dancehall Leeloo style, a young Moonie was patiently learning the trade in his native Portmore.
We recently caught up with Moonie, the official Gaza fashion designer and a legend in the making, in his studio in Kingston. Click through for photos, article and interview. Mad ting!
Warn Dem
Previously: The Ballad of Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee by Alexander Richter for Sevens Clash
One more time for the Sevens Clash piece on the man known as Uncle Demon
With lyrics that he describes as gothic and a distinctive voice that sounds like a sharper, more melodic version of pre-motorcycle-crash Tiger (imagine Bizzy Bone singing Wanga Gut), Lee’s music trods territory previously unexplored in the genre. Psycho, currently in heavy rotation, makes casual reference to a harem of homicidal demon girls who he has at his disposal, for example.
Continues HERE
Tommy Lee, affectionately known as Uncle Demon, is easily the most talked about dancehall artist on the streets in Jamaica today.
Born Leroy Russell and hailing from the Sparta side of the notoriously rough community Flankers, the 24-year-old Lee was already a hometown hero with a loyal fan base by the time Vybz Kartel a.k.a. World Boss brought him into the Gaza crew in 2010. Releasing a steady stream of hits since, Lee’s career has taken off. Kartel, meanwhile, is stuck in prison with two murder charges hanging over his head. A known studio rat, Kartel has a back catalogue of songs unlikely to be exhausted, regardless of the length of his incarceration. But the power vacuum that his absence has created has led to occasional flashes of internecine warfare within the crew. Still, things today are looking good for Gaza. Portmore Empire, which Kartel disbanded earlier this year, has been reborn as PG13, and Lee seems poised to carry the torch into the foreseeable future.
Having just finished shooting infamous Sting promoter Isaiah Laing at Supreme Promotions in Kingston, we got a call saying Lee was on his way and that we should stay put because he was down to meet with us. Almost immediately his white Camry pulled into the parking lot. The heavy tint concealed the identity of the occupants, but the infectious chant of Lee’s 2010 street anthem, Warn Dem, which was rattling out of the trunk, left little doubt as to who was in the car.
As we made our way down the steps to greet him, Alexander (looking like Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now with multiple cameras swinging from his neck) instantly caught his attention. Lee pointed at his 1965 Polaroid Land Camera from across the parking lot saying, “Lemme see dat spaceship camera deh.” It turns out Uncle Demon is a camera enthusiast. After quick introductions we talked shop for a few minutes. Lee played around with all of the cameras but seemed particularly interested in the GoPro, which he envisioned capturing the audience from the stage as he performed. We discussed possible ideas for the shoot and then jumped right into it.
First piece from Sevens Clash!
Click through to read the full article and see many, many more photos of Uncle Demon.
