‘STOP HOL’ DUNG YUHSELF’
2016 ‘Magnum King’ Accid is back with a message
It’s been eight years since Accid won the coveted Magnum and Kings and Queens of Dancehall title and the ‘One Tump’ deejay is back with a selfmotivating hit single titled ‘Hold Down’.
It also serves as encouragement to his colleagues to reach for their goals and not block their own blessings.
“It’s a universal song/topic weh mi think every youth pon every corner supposed to have inna dem head fi know seh yuh can go fi weh yuh want and nuh mek nobody stop yuh. Sometimes some people feel like a people ‘science’ dem when a dem a science demself. Suh dis song a mek yuh know seh ‘don’t hol dung yuhself just get up and move towards it and see if it nuh work,” Accid told THE STAR, while noting that Hold Down is inspired by a ‘real-life situation’.
‘A SPECIAL ACID ‘
The St Mary native, who is known for his witty, creative lyrics said buried in his stage name lies a deeper meaning which motivates his everyday life.
“Yuh see to the fire weh mi come wid, I think ‘Accid’ would be the perfect name because wi have acid ina everything except music. It also stands for [the acronym] accurate, confident, conscious, intelligent, different; so it’s a special acid,” he shared. Since winning, the deejay said he has been putting in the work, producing singles while networking.
“I just never stop, I keep on working and trying to get to know the right people to help mi push mi career to where it needed to be. Suh right now mi have a team working with called CSR and that’s where my focus is right now,” he shared. He has performed on major shows such as Reggae Sumfest and Dream Weekend.
Accid shared that despite doing well for himself, many talent competition winners face several challenges transitioning into mainstream stardom.
“To ride the wave of stardom is not easy because you can’t just take it on with just songs, it’s 95 per cent business and five per cent talent. Suh fi ride dah wave deh, yuh affi have di right team and right set a people dem fi help. Yuh need a genuine and loyal body of people to help you” said Accid.
“Yuh see after yuh get that exposure in front di whole world and they present you wid dat cheque seh yuh win dat money and di world see dat, is there many problems come in because it’s not like yuh have a million and nobody nuh know. Yuh have a million and the world know, suh who yuh ago beg play yuh song? he questioned.
“Everybody yuh go to ago need supmn outta yuh million, suh if yuh nuh have di genuine people dem round you, it ago just crumble down back pon yuh if yuh a try tek it up yuhself. It’s really hard but yuh affi just try and push hard and believe inna yuhself,” he added. He said that in manoeuvring these challenges, he remained focused and determined, incorporating the same composure he used to win the competition.
Accid, whose given name is Oneil Walker, shared that his passion for music is a natural flow of talent which he noticed from a tender age, after being inspired by his mother, Dawn McKoy, who was also a dancehall artiste. As he continues to stand his ground within the fast pace and new style of music, he encourages his colleagues not to give up.
“You need to put in more work, yuh cya just stop right deh so because nobody naah look pon yuh and yuh [think] seh yuh win. Just put in the work and one a di day dem, yuh thing a guh work. Don’t give up, focus, and even when nutten naah gwaan, believe inna yuhself, people will see dat and a dat time yuh thing ago work,” he said.