adminJonathan Mbiriyamveka Entertainment Reporter
Jamaican act Kalado of the “Make Me Feel” will be the main act at a gig scheduled for Old Hararians on September 13.
This would be his first time to be in Zimbabwe and his show comes after successful shows by fellow countryman in the likes of Beenie Man, Cocoa T, Elephant Man, Mavado and Sean Paul to mention a few.
Though Kalado is an international performer he is likely to get a drubbing from a huge line-up of Zim dancehall artistes among them Winky D, Tocky Vibez, Freeman, Shinsoman, Killer T, Guspy Warrior, Kinna and Dhadza D.
Unconfirmed reports say that two hugely popular acts Seh Calaz and Soul Jah Love will not be on the bill since they will be touring the United Kingdom.
Seh Calaz, is dominating on the club scene with his latest hits while its business as usual for Soul Jah Love and his Conquering Family who are drawing huge crowds to their weekly shows.
The “Mabhanditi” led by Seh Calaz left lasting impression after he performed at the Harare Show Cup Clash where he whipped fans into a frenzy with his chart topper “Kwatinobva Kwakasiyana”.
The popular hit has put Seh Calaz on the spotlight and has built a firm fan base often known as “Mabhanditi” that trails him like a shadow.
According to his biography, Kalado was born Eton Gordon on August 11, 1984, and raised in the Maxfield Park, area of Kingston before moving to the country parish of Clarendon at the age of four. His high school years found him enrolled at Edwin Allen High School pursuing a course of study in the visual arts After graduating at age 16 with a Caribbean Examinations Council Distinction for Art & Craft, he returned to Kingston and found himself drawn instead to yet another creative endeavour, the art of recording and the lure of the music industry.
Encouraged by friends and fuelled by the influences of Bounty Killer, Damian “Jr Gong” Marley, Assasin, Eminem and Lil Wayne, Kalado decided to take his newly found deejay talents to the streets, frequenting local dubplate and recording studios, honing his craft and paying his dues.
But his big break would come in 2008 after an impromptu performance at a popular stage show, where he caught the eye and ear of producer Scatta Burrell, a judge on the prestigious Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall television show.
Kalado was invited to compete, and subsequently raised his profile in the local music media as one to watch for the future.
2009 was the year Kalado’s recording experience found success with the release of “Badmind a Kill Dem”, released on his own G-Law Records and co-produced by then rising producer’s J Cannon and Dre Day, as well as “Carry On” by young producer Icon from IMG Productions. But it was his breakthrough single “Sad Streets” that yielded a number one video on HYPE TV, as well as a mixtape of the same name, which brought further notoriety to the rising deejay’s growing fame.
More recordings followed with other producers such as Jam 2 and Cash Flow Records, with singles such as “Sex Mi Mind Deh” and “Squeeze It” in heavy street rotation. Kalado soon caught the attention of dancehall heavyweight Bounty Killer, who in 2011 was so impressed by the young deejay that he invited him to become a member of his latest clique of rising dancehall artists, Alliance Next Generation.
A collaboration with Bounty “When She Wine” soon followed, as well as singles like “Nuh Gyal Caan Tear Mi”, “Perfect Wine” and “Whole Night”, landing him on promotional tours to the UK and Canada with the ANG crew in the summer of 2012. After several interviews on local cable networks and major media such as CVM TV and Star News, the end of the year culminated with his first major local performances at Stone Love Anniversary and GT Taylor Christmas Extravaganza in Ocho Rios, December 2012.
With new singles “Make me Feel”, “Feel the Need” and his latest “Bad Inna Bed”, Kalado is on the verge of breaking into the dancehall mainstream as one of the most gifted lyrical artists of the new decade. No one can say it better than Kalado himself.
Online Reporter