« Kevin Lyttle is on the Hunt |
Main
| Beyonce wants to marry - "I know how blessed I am" »
December 19, 2006
Gritty hit reflects Baby Cham's rough childhood - His-Story
 The lyrics to Ghetto Story, a haunting tale of growing up poor in the vividly violent streets of a Jamaican ghetto, were written from a surprising place: the grassy knoll of a lake deep in the suburbs of Southwest Miami-Dade, where ducks waddle by and the water laps softly against the grass.
It is a sweet irony not lost on Dameon ''Baby Cham'' Beckett, the popular Jamaican dancehall star whose searingly gritty song leapt from smash hit on the island a year ago to international acclaim with the help of remixes from R&B princess Alicia Keys and rapper Akon. The song and the remix with Keys earned Cham two nominations at last week's BET music awards.
This is my story. Real ghetto story. I remember those days when hell was my home. When me and mama bed was a big piece of foam. And mi never like bathe and mi hair never comb. When mama go a work me go street go roam.
It is indeed his story: Of growing up poor in the Kingston enclave of Sherlock Crescent. Of not having a father around. Of watching his mother work every day to support five kids. Of seeing his best friend murdered when he was 12. Of dodging bullets and waging war on behalf of the politicians who controlled the neighborhood.
''The story is real. Seventy percent of it is my personal life. The things I grew up seeing around me,'' he says.
Cham, as he prefers to be called these days, has been plotting his escape from that neighborhood since the fateful murder of that childhood friend.
He decided to become a pilot.
''I researched everything about the profession. How much it paid, how long it would take to learn. I wanted to fly [my mother] out of Sherlock,'' he said.
But his mother was already supporting two children in college. His pilot dreams would only add to the financial burden.
And so he did what young men do. He went to a local dance and fell in love.
''I saw how the crowd reacted to Super Cat, to John Wayne and I loved it. They were getting so much attention.''
By age 16 he'd earned the respect of producer Dave Kelly, who had told him years before to return to his studio when he had a high school diploma in hand. So he did: ''It was the best thing he could have done for me,'' Cham said.
The two have been inseparable since producing several hits by Kelly's Madhouse Label including: Gallang Ya Gal, Hands off My Property, Middle Fingers and Vitamin S. The label's studio is based in South Dade.
Then along came Ghetto Story in November 2005.
Source: The Miami Herald
Posted by yardFlex at December 19, 2006 11:03 AM
Comments
|
Posted by: BADMAN
on December 19, 2006 12:22 PM
|
WOW..... Can you hear me !!!!!
|
Posted by: Trish
on December 19, 2006 12:33 PM
|
Cham look sweet e.
Ghetto Story sell off
|
Posted by: EDDIE MAFIA
on December 19, 2006 02:00 PM
|
babmind bounty killer can't stop you again
|
Posted by: Dwayne
on December 19, 2006 02:01 PM
|
gwaan do ur thing yaah youth and mek the place pullup. aim fi the highest
|
Posted by: browngal
on December 19, 2006 03:37 PM
|
Cham me woulda like fi ride yuh like a horse jockey..........ghetto story sell off baby boy.
|
Posted by: maverly man
on December 19, 2006 03:51 PM
|
wow wow. sherlock the world lock. a cham wi say. mak mi mak mi mad
|
Posted by: MORICA T THOMPSON
on December 19, 2006 04:28 PM
|
CHAM U REALLY DID IT AGAIN.OUT OF SHERLOCK CRESCENT BIBI.
|
Posted by: Wade Cameron
on December 19, 2006 08:34 PM
|
A true winner dwaag. Big up yuself.
|
Posted by: spunta
on December 20, 2006 05:44 AM
|
Cham u a de real bass nothing but hit come out a u mouth u a de real M.A.N
|
Posted by: DiJahBritish
on December 20, 2006 06:54 AM
|
I can honstely say i'm really and truly proud of Cham, he's come a long way, been thru alot and didnt let the negativity get him down. I wish him all the best cause its his time now and i kno he'll make the best of it.
|
Posted by: Kadian
on December 20, 2006 08:16 AM
|
Cham u just sexy so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!damn love u lips dem, u thing sellllllllllllllll offfffffffffffffffff
|
Posted by: Nadine
on December 20, 2006 09:07 AM
|
I LOVE CHAM, love your style, respect that he's not in any mix up and blend up, you know. Keep doing your thing and know say REAL JAMAICANS love you and are Sooooooooooo proud of you. Keep doing your thing, NUFF LOVE. God Bless.
|
Posted by: Joi
on December 21, 2006 11:34 AM
|
CHAM I saw you at the Chicago African / Caribbean Festival and you did ya thing. Your set was tight......... and I got some great pictures too. Keep doing ya thing and I hope to see you and other great REGGAE and DANCEHALL artist in Chi-town. Jamaican people are all around the world and we need to keep our culture ALIVE. MENTO-SKA-ROCKSTEADY-LOVERSROCK-DUB-REGGAE-DANCEHALL, & MORE FOREVA. Plus our Jerk food, what this can only be in Jamaica. Lata!
|
Posted by: St Kitts
on December 21, 2006 01:12 PM
|
EDDIE MAFIA a wah d Bl**dcloth u a call up Killer name for, evrything really a Bounty dread. tru killer nah sell out and gwaan like gal like some a dese f**king so called rudebwoy DJ's, leave d Killer name. Respect to Baby Cham, tune descent an him a talented DJ, and me no know fi sure a wah went dung wid u and Killer cuz nuff rumour did a spread but all me know Baby Cham a good artist and Bounty Killer a great Artist so mek d two a u go on and eat u all food.
Bounty Killer me DJ fi Life cuz me no care wah nobody say NOBODY sing harsh reality tune and represent ghetto people like Bounty Killer NOBODY, and sameway him sing nuff gun tune and not jus fi d gun tune sake but listen and overs Killer gun tune dem compared to other Artist, Killer gun tune dem make more sense fi how he put dem over.
Big up Baby Cham, but dont diss Bounty Killer, and d ungratefull youth Kartel, me still a listen u and rate u music cuz u talented, but as ghetto man , man dont move so on we people dem dont care wah, u a run up u mouth bout Killer do dis and dat but u a mek uself look like a pu**y cuz u say u know him do dis and dat wah we as ghetto man dont rate but u did still a par wid him like u a f**king wh**re a log on fi try get some bills. Watch it Kartel a no what u do cuz u is u own man is how u do it and u mek uself look soft.....anyways this bout Baby Cham so mek me say jus go on Cham do u ting.
|
Posted by: safay
on December 21, 2006 07:04 PM
|
St Knitts bounty killa iz tha poor people govenor baby Cham iz tha ghetto people govenor there iz alot of difference ok ...........ok n pluz baby cham iz doin big thingz now n tha killa iz just layin back makin money n Baby Cham keep doin wta u do sing nice look fine alwayz b sexi~nuff love~done know
|
Posted by: kay
on December 21, 2006 08:03 PM
|
cham GOD bliss u & ypur famly
|
Posted by: St Kitts
on December 22, 2006 02:04 AM
|
Mek me know unno say Baby Cham a well rated artist, me member all back in d 90's when him and killer did a par, Cham only say had to walk on a stage and place mash up, a long time Cham shining, me no know is jus a lil while say u didn't a hear him name call as regular as it use to fi a while few years back, so as a long time fan sameway it good to see Cham getting him share.
Jus fi all artist fi jus gwaan get dem share and try best to keep it on a musical level whether a clash/war or wah cuz a sameway inna life u a go have differences, and music a wah LIFE so a d artist fi realize say life over death and nuff people especially youths look up to d i dem, so show d talents as always as dun over d yrs "Musically," cuz right now fi how some tings a happen and fi wah "people say" artist a say, and from wah artist a actually say sameway, it a mek it look like it can escalate but from listening these artist we know say is man wid nuff sense, so we hope say despite it all, a pere lyrics a do it.
From when me a listen Yellowman and Tiger dem when me did lil boy, till when Shabba a me Artist, till when Buju come and me jus had fi put Buju in a class by himself, den comes dis warrior pon mike namely Bounty Killer wid unmactched ruff cut/ghetto people lyrics and sameway haffi rate Beenie, den me wonder who a go b d next fi come wid dem kinda powers, nuff artist did dey who fi rate, but a when Vybz Kartel come cross Kartel lyrics and style jus mystic so a him me rate till me a say if me didn't c Bounty from early days me woulda rate Kartel over him, but fi how Bounty jus lyrically untouchable from so long maybe if him and Kartel did come out d same time it woulda b an era in dancehall one woulda double glad we get fi see, so now kartel dey a few yrs me a say which new artist a go mek or have d potential to mek da impact, and from me hear d bredder on Hello Motto riddim, me say a jus fi this brother to be versatile especially wid him rudeboy/conscious deliveries and him can reach far, and from me hear nuff other tunes from him now, me say him still haffi buss more a d big "Poor People Fed Up" and "Roots, Reality and Culture" kinda tunes, but him a certainly one d tuffest lyricist right now and das Aidonia, and me haffi rate artist like Busy Signal and Movado certainly representing wid some tuff lyrics sameway.
So no care a who, once a no Badmind/Wicked/Direct- no-warn-c-nobodyelse-get-no-way kinda person, the Music bout Love and Joy and also ah messages/experiences/representation from we Poor People all over d world who a try strive, so BABY CHAM, CUT AND GO TRU, BOUNTY u a me Artist FI LIFE CUT AND GO TRU, KARTEL u a me Artist (jus no like how d alliance ting run and so tru u jus use to parr wid d man dem, but a man is jus a man , and sameway me no know d fullness a d ting), CUT AND GO TRU KARTEL, Buju Banton, Sizzla, Beenieman, Aidonia, Capleton, Busy Signal, Assasin, Movado, Spragga-Benz, Mad Cobra, Shabba Ranks, Mega Banton, Elephant Man,Supercat,Wayne Marshall, Cutty Ranks, Ninja Man,Cocoa Tea ......., d whole REGGAE/DANCEHALL, CUT AND GO TRU....ONENESS
Again Bless up Cham, Jah Guide
|
Posted by: Laluh
on December 30, 2006 05:37 AM
|
Cham i dont know what to say 4 you boy but WOW storyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
|
Posted by: mish
on January 25, 2007 11:02 AM
|
wagwan mi a ya second cousin in law no.... i'm getting married to ya second cousin whatever em is 2 ya.... but i will like 2 meet ya sexy ass....who knows plans may change when me meet ya...lol
|
Posted by: mish
on January 25, 2007 11:04 AM
|
cham a so life stay...life is hard but pray 2 Jah 4 guidance
|
Posted by: kerry
on February 4, 2007 07:34 PM
|
do your thing Baby cham wow wow
Post a comment
|
