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| Jah Device |
Nigerians have no reason to worry about the creation of a void in the reggae fraternity; Jah Device is big and an embodiment of many artists in one. He went to St. Joseph College, Vom, Plateau State, his home state. After that, he studied at the Plateau State Polytechnic and decided that he wasn’t going to walk the streets with a small derisive folder in the name of job searching. He took to reggae music with a lot of energy that goes kaput when he is on stage, the long matted hair often ferociously whipping the air.
Between 2017 and now (2020), a lot has happened to promise Nigerians that finally, there is a successor to Kimono and Fashek. Device started doing dub session in late 2017. These he sent to international reggae promoters like Zige Dub and the Reggae Boyz. After Zige Dub listened, he decided that Jah Device deserved to be heard by a global audience. So, he held Device’s hand and led him to the largest reggae music label in Europe, the Stringray Records. That year, Stingray tested him and Daddy West, another Nigerian, with the 1-2-3 Rhythm. The rhythm was to feature globally famous reggae artists of which Luciano was one. For Jah Device, it was eureka; his song found its way into the compilation. He was featured in two additional compilations leading to contract litigation that ensured he found himself under the canopy of Stingray Records.
Having been signed, his Ray of Light EP project with Stringray started. It included seven tracks and was released in August 2019. One of the songs, the Ships of Tarshish featured a Jamaican giant, Natty King, famous for his song Bring no Guns to Town.
Meeting with Natty King was a huge milestone, not just because King is a global brand, but because it paved the way for additional leaps. Natty King has an annual fund-raising concert in Jamaica, the Wellofest. It brings reggae artists from around the world to perform and help raise funds to support needy children within Jamaica and around the world. Jah Device became the first African artist to perform at the event. The performance took place in November 2019.
The visit to Jamaica helped him to travel across the country, promoting his EP and visiting places that included Bob Marley’s home. But the groundbreaking event of the tour was meeting with the famous Luciano and Duo, Sly and Robbie. We have been hearing about these names since we were kids some forty years behind. Sly and Robbie worked with nearly every name across many decades: Bennie Man, Sean Paul, Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru, Gregory Isaac, Dennis Brown, Ini Kamoze, Spanner Banner, etc. Thus, meeting the duo was an extraordinary milestone. It led to collaboration. It will be a major project that will be consuming Device’s time and energy this year. The duo is taking very seriously, so much that Sly said, "Jah Device 2020 is for us to do some work."
Of the many songs, they will be doing with Sly and Robbie, one will be released by WelloWell Records, which is owned by Natty King. Hopefully, the project will drop this year.
Jah Device is a modest reggae artist and an envoy of his nation; he believes there are more reggae talents in Nigeria that are better than he is. He says, “I may be here talking, but may not be the best from Jos because the Bible says, ‘time and chance happen to everyone.’”
His music is all about glorifying God, something that is mirrored in his name.
