BIG YOUTH’S SONS TEAM UP FOR 'PUTS IT DOWN'
New name, new album for Zzambo
WHEN TWO brothers, who just happen to be sons of a legend, team up for a song, then obviously, great things are expected. Reggae fusion artiste Zzambo and his brother, Isat Buchanan, who is more well known in the legal field, are excited about their latest production, a single titled Puts it Down, which they describe as “a nice love song paying homage to women”.
For Zzambo, who has followed closely in his father Big Youth’s steps, the energy in the song is electric.
“It is always a pleasure to work on music with my brother. Isat and I have been vibing on music since we were children,” Zzambo said. “Isat heard the song, fell in love with it, and said he wanted to jump on it. So he did.”
With the song now released and a music video enhancing its popularity, a very pleased Zzambo shared that they have been “getting some vibes that it’s going to be a smash hit”. Whether or not he is overhyping Puts it Down is left to be seen. But Zzambo is working the circuit with the track, intent on getting it played in every nook and cranny.
And he is also busy getting his new name on new lips, or replacing it on the lips of those who know him by his previous name, Tafari. He took the decision to make the change after realising just how many artistes in the space go by the popular Rastafarian name Tafari.
“There was no way for me to legally get the trademark for Tafari (even though it is his real name). Or, if I did, it would be very selfish of me, because that would mean other artistes with that name would have to change theirs. My other name is Zambo, with one zee’, but I added another because I wanted it to be unique,” Zzambo explained.
It took him about one year for all platforms to remove Tafari and replace it with Zzambo, and now that that process has been completed, he is getting ready to introduce Zzambo to the world with a full-length debut album that is reflective of his rechristening.
BACK TO ROOTS
Zzambo has an enchanting story of coming full circle back to his reggae roots. Naturally, as Big Youth’s son, he was exposed to Jamaican music, but as he grew he gravitated towards rap and hip hop. “I had the lingo embedded from being in America, and I put in the work for some years. But I found out afterwards that music is segmented and if you come from Jamaica then rap is not for you; rap is for black Americans. If you are Jamaican, you are reggae,” Zzambo said of his experience.
Fortunately, making the switch wasn’t really challenging, since his producer, Noah Mason, had always heard him speaking Jamaican, and plus he has reggae in his DNA, a fact which he didn’t fully grasp until he was able to explore the world beside his father.
“At home, my father was just dad, not Big Youth. I never really understood my father’s impact until I went on tour with him in Europe. I was in my 20s and I saw how much the world embraced him’ and when he introduced me as his son, they embraced me to,” Zzambo shared with The Gleaner.
He was quick to point out, however, that he had to go on and earn his own love and respect over the years.
“The people took the time out to assess my work. ‘Mek we see what you can do. You are the King’s son, let me see what you have.’ And, yes, I proved myself,” he said.
Zzambo was born in Kingston, where he lived until the age of three, when he moved to New York City, and then back to Kingston at the age of seven. In his early 20s, he made his way down to Miami and established his home base.
As Tafari, he saw early successes from singles such as Life is Not an Easy Road and Money in my Pocket, and would go on to release three albums in six years.