NEW JERSEY-BASED DJ BREZZY ONE DON AND SINGER L’EVATE, ELEVATING DANCEHALL MUSIC!

AS teenagers in Trenton, New Jersey, during the 1990s, Kareem Buckley and Carl Stultz rocked to the dancehall beats coming out of their native Jamaica.

Now artists, the longtime friends were in Kingston recently for recording sessions with producers Sheldon ‘Calibud’ Stewart and Young Veterans.

Buckley, known as DJ Breezy One Don, and Stultz, a singer who goes by the moniker L’evate (pronounced elevate), did the songs for the latter’s label, Carl Stultz Music Group.

According to Westmoreland-born L’evate, the objective is to revive the type of sound they grew up on in New Jersey — the sound that attracted the hip hop nation and made dancehall/ reggae a big seller in the United States and Europe.

“I’ll be honest here … the only exciting stuff I hear coming out of Jamaica in the last five years is Chronixx. There’s Dre Island, Kabaka (Pyramid) and Jah9, but Chronixx is who the people are really feeling in the US,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Originally from Trelawny, DJ Breezy One Don was weaned on the music of Super Cat, Ninjaman and Buju Banton. He believes the lack of quality dancehall productions has once again limited its artistes to ethnic markets.

“I wanna bring back that feel-good music, music that even though some of the topics may be on the edge, it appeals to everyone,” he said.

Both artists are in their late 30s, and began recording during the latter 1990s. L’evate’s latest songs are Love Bullet and Reggae Vehicle.

Breezy One Don has not released any songs as yet. Moneymaker and Starving, tracks from the Kingston sessions, will mark his debut.

The two got back into music after education and the military took priority. L’evate holds a degree in political science while Breezy One Don served eight years in the United States Army.

“When I was recording back in the 1990s, it was all excitement, I still had to learn the business ‘cause that’s important,” said L’evate.

His songs, Better Love, Your World and Seek More, all produced by Calibud, are expected to be released this summer.

—By Howard Campbell