Downsound Records CEO Josef Bondonovich believes his company is on a path to
create history in dancehall music. He recently signed iconic clash artiste
Desmond Ballentine, popularly known as Ninja Man to his label.
Though
many people might think Ninja Man is past his best musically Mr. Bondonovich is
convinced that Ninja Man still has a lot to offer dancehall music.
“This
guy is a living legend, he’s one of the greatest artistes ever and I certainly
think he has a lot to offer to this generation of dancehall fans, he’s one of
the greatest dancehall acts ever, he has a lot of history behind his name and
Downsound plans to make some more with him, you’ll see .”
Ninja Man who
began his career in the late 1980s is known for his famous clashes at Sting with
the likes of other dancehall luminaries such as Shabba Ranks and Super Cat. The
self-styled bad boy of dancehall music has remained a prominent fixture on the
local music landscape despite his many run-ins with the law over the years.
He recently declared that he has resigned from clashing to focus on the
rebuilding of his recording career and the upliftment of dancehall
music.
“Mi done do 26 years as the champion of clashing, mi a resign wid
mi title like Lennox Lewis, mi do enough, mi a lef it gi Kiprich, mi teach him
how fi clash and right off deejay a sting, a fi him time now fi reign and pass
on the knowledge to a next youth down the line. Now mi a focus pon mi career wid
Downsound,” said Ninja Man.
According to Ninja Man his time at Downsound
will be spent on reestablishing his recording career and mentoring the younger
acts in the camp.
“A time now fi focus pon mi recording career, over the
years mi miss out pon a whole heap a things and now is the time to build back mi
career. Mi like how Downsound have a team and the whole a we, Joe, Skatta,
Foota, Khago and all the artistes dem a work together, mi love the unity. Right
now mi a record a whole heap a tunes and me a help guide Specialist and the
other young artistes inna di camp.”
Downsound recently released Ninja
Man’s first single for the label. The scorching hot single titled Dweet which
was done in tandem with Specialist is already blowing FM radio both locally and
abroad. Its supporting music video is also enjoying strong rotation.