fter a serious health scare this year, dancehall veteran Harry Toddler says he is fully recovered and ready to take the stage at A Taste of Sumfest this Saturday and deliver the high-energy performance fans have come to expect.
“At first, you know me never did ago tek the show, but me go doctor and get me results and me 100 per cent qualified. People don’t know that every time before me do a big show or do Sumfest, me always do a physical. The boss dem see that my physical is proper and my health is right, so have no fear, I’m there,” he said.
Harry Toddler, whose given name is Patrick Jackson, is a founding member of the famous Scare Dem Crew, which emerged from the streets of Seaview Gardens in the 90s. Days before Sumfest in St Ann, the artiste said that he is ready to showcase just why he is one of the biggest stars to ever emerge from dancehall’s golden era and why he and Scare Dem Crew had such a lasting impact on both Mavado and Vybz Kartel, the two men whose musical rivalry had a lasting impact on the music industry.
Harry Toddler told THE STAR that he has only one mission at Plantation Cove on Saturday, and that is to ignite the crowd and turn his set into a musical feeding frenzy.
“I’m bringing my vibe and my era of music. Remember Harry Toddler was there before Gully and Gaza, so I’m going to ignite the fans with the music that motivated both Gully and Gaza. Both of them are people who look up to me and look up to the team because me know them from Scare Dem days,” he said.
“They saw what Alliance did, until them start do dem own ting, so them know that teamwork makes the dream work, so me a look forward to educate and entertain the audience because it’s now a more intelligent and new audience in a new era.”
He said he will fit into the space with his creativity and energy and “do what I always do”.
“I don’t try to do nothing above or nothing under, [I] just bring it fully 90s, which is still relevant.”
With mega hits such as Dance the Angel, Bad Man Nuh Dress Like Girl, Bare Gyal Waa Me and Don’t Run In, Toddler is a bona fide hitmaker.
“Those songs were big because of the instruments used and the beats. The rhythm turned melodies which carry or evoke certain feelings, which is why those songs were so impactful. Both the melody and the message carried were important to that generation.”
Being present for the Gaza versus Gully showcase, he shared, is only fitting as he was there basically at the beginning of both men’s careers.
“Me know Mavado from Singing Blacks days from when time him and Foota Hype used to follow [Bounty] Killer go do him errand dem or go barber. Those were the youth who used to come check us. And me know Kartel from when him a par wid this youth wey name Butler,” he recalled.
As for Vybz Kartel, Harry Toddler remembers calling him on stage.
“So he never forgot it, up to this day. Remember, enuh, when we a share, it share everywhere. So now when dem acknowledge ‘Uncle Harry’, it just natural because we empower dem from them young, so we have that connection with them up to this day,” he said.
He advised young artistes who want to have staying power in the industry to be confident in themselves.
“Once you are a people person, just be a humanitarian. Right now me deal with people more than how me deal with music because me understand human nature. Once you possess that confidence from within, God will bless your tongue to make the message go forward,” said Harry Toddler.
“Everything will come after. God and good works a me code. If you want staying power, don’t forget where you come from. Go amongst people because there is where you will find inspiration. I go amongst everyday people, which is why I’m still relevant. Me nuh hide away, me nuh shy away. I’m a pioneer who don’t even think about career, which is why me still have the code because Harry Toddler will always live a road.”
