Gyptian joins ‘Legend’ cast

The other Caribbean music stars on the cast are Morgan Heritage, Beres Hammond and Shaggy.

Edwards grew up in the rural parish of St Andrew, Jamaica, singing in his mother’s Adventist church and listening to his Rastafarian father’s music from age seven. Recognising his God-given talent, his parents sent him to Portmore, St. Catherine, and to Ravin Wong, a promoter like his father, but one who turned many an unpolished talent into reggae stars.

During his grooming years there, Edwards became known for his habit of tying a shirt around his head and twisting his chin hair like an Egyptian pharaoh, hence the young, gifted, and conscious singer, very protective of keeping his sound 100 percent authentic, became “Egyptian” then “I-Gyptian” and finally just Gyptian.

In 2005 he was presented with a song that suited his conscious upbringing, “Serious Times,” and after adding his own verse to it, he recorded the track in Wong's studio. Combining hypnotic nyahbinghi drums with lyrics that plead for an end to violence and crime, “Serious Times” exploded across Jamaica. The previously unknown singer rose to international acclaim when the debut single hit the top of the local and overseas reggae charts, and defeated even Junior Gong’s Top Ten Billboard hit “Welcome to Jamrock”, to be declared Jamaica’s Most Important Song of 2005.

This feat had numerous producers contacting Gyptian to appear on their tracks, but the roots-minded singer refused most of the offers since their lyrics were filled with gun talk and misogyny. Gyptian was now put in the company of Jah Cure and Fantan Mojah, two other artistes, known for fighting for peace and justice in a roots reggae style.

Eventually, when presented with enough socially conscious music and old-school lovers rock to fill a full-length, Gyptian released his debut album in 2006 entitled My Name Is Gyptian on the VP label.

He was nominated for Best New Entertainer at the 2006 International Reggae and World Music Awards, following which the 23-year-old velvet-voiced singer dominated the charts with a slew of hit singles from the same album including “Is There a Place”, “Beautiful Lady”, and the chart-topping ballad “Mama, Don’t Cry”.

Two years later he returned with I Can Feel Your Pain, an album heavily influenced by contemporary R&B. Some of the other tracks on that album include “Keep Your Calm”, “Nobody No Cry”, “ Where Is My Baby”, “Love Against The Wall”, “World Caving In”, “Thanks And Praise”, “ Too Bad Mind”, “More Love” and “Guide Me”.

But currently receiving maximum air-play is his big hit “Hold Yuh”. Gyptian is about to release his 14-track album Revelations with numbers such as “Confess”, “Crying”, “Togetherness”, a track featuring Chezidek, Norris Man, Lutan Fyah And Perfect, “Rude Boy” (feat. Duane Stephenson), “Our Father”, “Love Means Everything”, “Love You”, “Give Me Some Of Your” Love (feat Tina Nunezz), “Murderation” (feat Barringto Levy), “Righteous” (feat Natural Black) and “Peaceful”.