When the Pacific Vibes concert gets underway in Suva next week, it will likely feature a collaborative performance from two artists, one of whom had drawn inspiration from the other for his internationally ground-breaking work.
Samoans and Fijians do not normally mix well given their arch rival status from the rugby field often overarches into normal life.
But music brings people together and offers a chance for Samoans and Fijians to unite and inspire each other.
That’s exactly what happened when international reggae star J Boog was growing up in his family home in California.
The artist will be lining up next to the fellow US-based Common Kings, Tenelle, Dj Osna and Sammy J among others, at the upcoming Island Vibes concert in Suva.
The hot new reggae artist that has been creating waves around the world with songs such as Nice To Know Ya a sure hit with millions bent on the reggae genre.
Born as Jerry Afemata in Long Beach, California, the artist is of Samoan ancestry. In fact, before moving to California, his father served as chief of the family village in Alao, Samoa.
According to Wikipedia, J Boog was raised in Compton, California; is the youngest of eight other siblings, seven brothers and a sister.
Apparently he got the nickname “Boog” from his brothers in reference to his inability, while young, to sit still.
“I always wanted to go somewhere and do something.” J Boog is known to have said.
According to reports, J Boog first performed in front of an audience at age nine after being coerced by his mother and sister to sing Whitney Houston’s One Moment in Time in front of a 200 person family reunion.
This set him on the path to a musical career. Growing up in Compton he added “music put me in a whole different world where I could be myself”.
J Boog has also been influenced by a variety of genres and artists like Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Guns N’ Roses, N.W.A., Temptations, Nate Dogg, and Sublime.
However his love for reggae has been strong and was cemented by the music that was played at home.
Of his reggae background, J Boog added, “We had a whole lot of reggae mix tapes that we listened to over and over again”.
He would listen to music from Hawaiian-based George “Fiji” Veikoso who mixed reggae with R&B and drew inspiration from the Raiwaqa-raised musician.
Now the two artists have another chance to collaborate when they take the stage at the Vodafone Arena in Suva.
J Boog initially didn’t think he would pursue singing and was instead singing and rapping for fun.
However he started singing more seriously after high school, when he periodically performed at clubs
Interestingly the hip-hop artist and his siblings were raised by their parents in a household that drew on their Pacific Islander roots.
According to J Boog, “I pretty much grew up real traditional with my family and that gave us a strong bond with our culture — we’re very family oriented.
“My family was very strict on everything, making sure we did not mess up in life. But growing up in Compton didn’t really make it easy for us anyway from the start, so my parents had to do double work on us.”
From age four he was inspired by his elder sister’s piano playing and when older, it was her who introduced him to reggae and Bob Marley, influencing his future music style.
The artist also said, “my family always sing feel good music and reggae was the best way for us to express that. Reggae music was the only music we could turn up loud which our parents wouldn’t turn off when we were kids.”
J Boog’s music combines island music and Jamaican reggae, making it an irresistible cross genre combination for those in Fiji and the Pacific.
In his songs, the musician addresses diverse themes, often returning to lyrics addressing family and relationships.
His music was once described by Angus Taylor of Reggaeville as: “there is nothing confusing about J Boog’s music: it’s immediate straight-from-the-heart stuff; soft R&B tinged roots and lovers vibes” .
Taylor also described J Boog’s voice as “distinctive smooth-yet-breaking-up-right-on-emotional-cue”.
J Boog has certainly made an impression globally after winning the Best New Entertainer at the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) in 2012.
The reggae man is certainly going places in the dynamic, exciting yet demanding international music scene.
Music fans in Fiji can expect nothing but the best of island styled reggae, blended with hip-hop infleunces when J Boog takes the stage on concert day.
With the opportunity to join forces on stage with one of his early inspirations in George “Fiji” Veikoso, music fans are surely in for a treat this coming weekend.
