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March 10, 2006
Bescenta - A Rare Combination of Intensity
Ambition never ends with the first hit song. The pursuit of excellence is the driving force behind reggae artiste Bescenta, who is a rare combination of intensity, quiet confidence and humility.
Born Bryden Bescenta Craig Wilkins on April 12, 1975, he grew up in the Salisbury Plain area, close to Stony Hill in St. Andrew. He attended Almond Hill All Age, then Oberlin High, before graduating from St. Andrew Technical High School (S.T.A.T.H.S) in Kingston. Immediately after high school, he learned the electrician trade, and to support himself, even did odd jobs like painting houses.
"I can even wire a house, and install lights if it come to the test. I am a pretty good electrician," he said. "However, it has always been about the music, while I was in high school, I was hunting for the truth in music, but when I got out in the real world, I knew I had to make a living, so I didn't watch the type of work I was doing, as long as when weekend come, mi ting put together," he said.
However, eventually, the influence of music began to exert itself in his life, and he began to record his first songs with Peter 'Sweetness' Nembhard on Auntie Boom Records. He joined up with a group called Cornerstone and in 2001, Bescenta met with producer 'Computer' Paul Henton, and they formed a successful partnership, recording 'World Is in Trouble'.
Now, the 'World Is in Trouble' is a song carved in reggae oak: solid. With Bescenta's rich vocals and lyrical stylings, the song became an anthem for residents of the island's tough inner city areas, and its end-of-days theme became a stirring call for action and change to arrest the killings and violence that lead to over 1,600 deaths last year.
The song enjoyed a lot of airplay during the Summer of 2004 during the annual Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Popular Song contest, and eventually finished second overall.
"It was not about winning, the money or the forward, it was the message of love and non-violence that I was trying to convey to the people, and I really wanted them to hear me, so I went with a current, an energy, and it worked," he said.
However, he was not pleased with the pace of his career, and when he was approached by Ray 'X-ray' Stephens from Vertex Records, he parted ways with Computer Paul in late 2000.
"I appreciate what Computer Paul did for me, I entered his establishment with my own current, and then I added that to his current, and we made some great music together. He had to do what he had to do, and I had to do what I had to do, focus on my career," he said.
Bescenta's star has begun to shine brilliantly with his new focused and efficient management structure led by his manager, X-ray and engineer, Ricky Genius.