NAMSTA: Why music is the soundtrack to my life!
- Namsta The Author
- Jul 12, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Written on 1st June 2020, check out the reasons why music is a crucial part of my existence and my fiction series, 'The Urban Tales of Mz. Bumper Queen'.
Ah mate. Where do I start? The way my heart nearly exploded with pride after watching the Bounty Killer VS Beenie Man clash live in the early hours of last Sunday morning. Not only did these two dancehall veterans teach the world a thing or two about the origins of a ‘clash’, but they represented for Jamaican culture (#Irie #YehMon #ISaluteYouSirs).
Despite Jamaica being a small island in the Caribbean Sea, the global impact of our music and culture is astronomical and has been for decades. If it’s not our King of Reggae the late, great Bob Marley (R.I.P), it’s our influential fashion sense such as the classic Clark Desert Trek boots worn with diamond socks. Trust and believe that I for one, am so humbled to have this trendsetting culture running through my veins.
King Beenie Man and the Grunggaadzilla doing the damn thang-a-lang!
Keeping it realer than real though (as I do), to see dancehall music finally getting some positive recognition in a world stage setting was fantastic. Furthermore, I feel honoured to have witnessed such an epic and historical moment. Between the banter in the girls WhatsApp group and my Baileys and Courvoisier served on the rocks (a BAD MAN combo might I add!), The Bounty Man VS Beenie Man clash is easily one of the best lockdown raves I’ve livestreamed so far!
Now for anyone who knows me personally, will vouch for the fact that Namsta is absolutely bonkers about music. I could waffle on forever and a day about music. No word of a lie. Music is literally the nucleus to my very existence.
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that music in one form another, touches every aspect of my life. I mean literally everything. From the gooey feeling of falling in lurvvve to having to nurse a sodding heartbreak.
After all, if it wasn’t for playing Anthony Hamilton’s ‘Comin’ From where I’m From’ album on repeat and near enough buying stock shares in Kleenex tissue back in 2005, I’d still be trying to get over my first love!
So where exactly, did my obsession for all things musical come from? That’s easy mate. My parents and extended family.
As a small child, I remember the odd Sunday morning being about watching back-to-back videotapes of various Reggae Sting clashes with my Dad and younger sister.
During my teens (before I was permitted to rave), Saturday nights consisted of tuning into Choice FM’s Garage show with both my Mum and younger sister.
Video footage and photo: Reggae Sting Clash - 1991 Super Cat (aka 'my 4EVA throwback bae’ #HubbaHubba) VS Ninja Man
If you grew up in a Caribbean household during the 90s like I did, family parties were the norm. My most poignant memory was of my younger sister and I being bundled upstairs to sleep while the adults were downstairs two-stepping and ‘pressing wallpaper’ (woi-oi) to a barrage of Lovers Rock and Rare Groove tunes. Should you have frequented any of my Mum and her siblings’ parties, fried chicken, curry goat, rice and roti were always on the menu (My Guyanese massive STAN’ UP).
Like many, currently being in lockdown means I can only dream of those glitzy, occasional Saturday nights spent up in the city of London catching up with the homies over cocktails, before closing the night with some one-foot skanking in Usain Bolt’s ‘Tracks and Records’ bar.
I can’t lie. My days of PARTYING ‘ARD were far and few between long before the lockdown. During my prime however, my twenty-something stamina often meant that after a night of uptown raving, some of the crew and I would head over to a certain blues club in North London to continue the party.
Despite this club’s questionable reputation, the one thing the girls and I adored about this place was indeed the exquisite music selection. Talk about euphoric! We spent many a Sunday morning edging out of the darkness like a gang of vampires, shielding our sweaty faces from the sunlight, to a chorus of tutting female churchgoers as we embarked on the walk of shame back to our cars. Rest in heavenly peace Deejay Hitman (if you know then you know), thank you for the music and wicked memories *big heart emoji*.
While I’m not the dirty little stop out I used to be where raving’s concerned, these days going to festivals are definitely the highlight of my British Summer.
Given the Covid pandemic, it’s not looking likely my foxy Day 1 raving buddy, Melicious and I will be attending this year’s 51St State festival. #BringOn2021 #YeahBoy!
Live and direct from DJ EZ's set at last year's 51st State festival .....OH WHAT A DAY!
If you’ve read any of the books from the ‘Urban Tales of Mz. Bumper Queen’ fiction series, you’ll know that music is one of the common threads binding the four characters’ stories together.
Prior to releasing the first title ‘Roses: A Distinctive Little Anecdote’ from the fiction series back in 2013, the MzBQ team and I conducted extensive research into the UK urban music scene. This included interviewing the scene’s movers and shakers to understand its appeal and power.
As part of the launch marketing plan for ‘Roses’, we came up with the idea of distributing a Valentines Day special CD along with a plastic rose to female ravers (our target audience). Believe it or not, as someone who can be painfully shy when pushed out of her comfort zone, standing outside club venues with event promoters giving out the CDs and roses was a-hella frightening for me.
While this promotion didn’t yield the desired results we’d hoped for, the MzBQ team and I gained a frontline taster of life as an events promoter. I couldn’t have gotten through that invaluable experience if it wasn’t for my girls Shin-Shin and Lissa standing out there in the cold with me. I also have thank Shin-Shin’s gifted mummy, Angela for customising the roses *big heart emoji*.
The musical theme is especially true of my character Johanna’s debut tale, ‘The JoJo Plan’. Aside from being an award-winning magazine journalist, Johanna also has her own popular radio show renowned for playing those shweeet slow jams. My inspiration for this aspect of Johanna’s character came from being a huge fan of Flames FM’s DJ Lady ST. If you fudge with slow jams as much as I do, click here to check out DJ Lady ST’s mixes on SoundCloud.
Namsta’s #ClaimsToMusicalFame
So, when it comes to a chance encounter with one of my gazillion music idols, it’s fair to say I get GASSED.com (EEEEK!) or as my pops might say, “tun eediot!”
While I don’t have any footage of this beautiful moment in 2009, one of my most cherished claims to musical fame was when the legendary Beres Hammond and I locked eyes as he serenaded me (alright, alright...me and the other trillion ladies in the audience) during his concert at the Troxy in London.
Jamaica is my second home point, blank, periodt. Any chance to touch down inna Yaad, hold a meds on the pretty beaches during the day and chill at one of the local dances in the evening with a ginger wine in one hand and jerk chicken in the other, I’m in paradise mate!
Bumping into reggae crooner, Gyptian back in 2010 after Reggae Sumfest was AH-MAZING. Not only had the girls and I watched a wicked dance off between RnB heavy weights, Chris Brown and Usher (compered by the energy god, Elephant Man) at the concert the night before, I managed to get a snapshot with this sing-shweet cutie during the hotel breakfast the next day. Result!
Long before THAT infamous Kim K nookie tape leak and his reality TV show appearances, RnB superstar Brandy’s younger brother, Ray J was certainly holding his own in the music industry. In fact, I must have rinsed his 2005 album, ‘Raydiation’ to max in ‘Baby G’, my first ever car. ‘One Wish’, ‘Blue High Heels’ and ‘Melody’ are my favourite tracks from that particular album.
Randomly bucking up on Ray J a couple of years ago, was certainly a lovely way to end that particular working week.
”We don’t write lyrics, we write manuscripts!” TELL THEM AGAIN MIGHTY MOE! BLOOD FYAH…..POW POW POW! *gun-finger Garage styleee dance*
Now you’ll have to forgive me. As a certified Day 1 Garage head, the massive LOVE I have for this homegrown genre’s artists such as More Fire Crew, So Solid Crew and of course, Heartless Crew is second to none mate! Garage music was the certainly the backdrop to my secondary school and college years, not to mention the raves my friends and I would attend.
Garage music is without a doubt, one of the biggest sounds to have ever come out of the UK. I can’t even begin to express how fortunate I feel to have experienced this movement first-hand.
Trust me, taking a photo with iconic Heartless Crew member, MC Bushkin after the ‘Back To 95’ rave last Boxing Day was the best Christmas pressie EVEEER! This pioneering veteran has set the foundation, if not opened doors for many of today’s UK urban music artists. If you know every word to Heartless Crew’s classic ‘Crisp Biscuit’ mixtape like I do, click here to listen to it on YouTube.
When all is said and done, it makes perfect sense to me why music is such an integral part of the British Caribbean, if not the overall UK urban experience.
While I wasn’t exactly bestowed with the subhuman dance moves of Beyoncé nor given the powerhouse vocals of our very own Beverly Knight, it’s with giddy excitement I am able to infuse my passion for all things music via elements of the Mz. Bumper Queen characters and their stories. #WatchThisSpace
Before I sign off, the recent unlawful killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis, America has reignited the racism conversation around the world. With events unfolding in response to George Floyd’s death and the other African American men and women who have died due to police brutality, there’s no hiding the fact that the value of human life can decrease according to our skin colour. Make it make bloody sense!
I can only speak for myself of course, but as a Black British female who’d be lying if she said she hasn’t encountered racism and prejudice in her life, it’s not enough for everyone (irrespective of our race) to be non-racist, it’s long overdue that we join forces to ensure we are anti-racist. The proof of this will indeed, be in the pudding.
Until next time, take care!
Fair use disclaimer: All images and videos used in this post are copyright of their respective owners and/or companies.
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