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October 04, 2009
Who is Boom Boom?
His name may sound like the nickname of a toddler from a Disney cartoon. But despite being given his moniker by his grandmother at age five, Boom Boom, born Marlon Kirk Wizard has been making quite a name for himself in dancehall circles. Boom Boom, in explaining how the nickname came about says, "Is like dem use to call mi grandmother fatty and true me a har grandson, dem jus' call me Boom Boom," completing the name, 'Fatty Boom Boom'.
It's a name that he has held on to, even though being a sound system selector was not always a part of his plans. He and fellow Grants Pen artiste Kibaki used to imitate the dancehall deejays they heard on radio. But at the age of nine, Boom Boom officially made the transition from deejay to selector when his uncle unexpectedly asked him to manage the Invader sound system (a well known mobile disco in Grants Pen) he owned. Boom Boom stepped up to the plate in confidence and entered into the realms of being a selector and his first time left him overwhelmed. When Boom Boom reached his teens, his uncle then gave him a job as a selector and he stayed with Invader sound for over a decade. Making his name Boom Boom soon began to make a name for himself in the Kingston 8 area and made his first major appearance at Mavado's first birthday party held on the gully side of Cassava Piece in 1998. "A Mavado first birthday mek mi career tek off and from dat mi tour di whole Europe, mi career jus' rise," Boom Boom said.
His outstanding performance led to him being offered a job by Y2K sound system, where he further honed his skills and got the chance to play abroad. Boom Boom says his style of selecting is unique and he always goes for something different. "Me a nuh di selector wey run down di top ten music wey di res' a selectors play, more time mi jus play some longtime music wey wi tek di place, like from inna di '90s and early 2000," he said. "My energy come from di crowd, based on how they react." Boom Boom describes himself as, "a nice individual", but says, "when a time fi perform mi get cross, when it come on to playing a di job dat, yuh haffi get the job done." There are some artistes, however, who Boom Boom says, have an added energy that he loves. "Mi a play Mavado from 1993, mi a di first selector play Mavado, suh mi have a extra energy playing fi dem song, him an Kibaki. When mi a play like Mavado, Flex, Kibaki, mi get a big energy. Di Killer a di sealer, anytime mi sey Bounty Killa, a di sealer dat," he said. Well, Boom Boom says his fans can catch him in live action at his regular spots like Bembe Thursdays, Chi Ching Tuesday in Golden Spring and Gal-A Tuesday in Linstead.