Ding Dong pays his respects

As he gets ready to release his debut album, dancehall artiste Ding Dong is in reflection mode. Looking back at his musical journey, the dancer-turned-deejay pays respect to two of his mentors at different ends of the entertainment business.

He names Elephant Man as one of his biggest inspirations.

Putting to rest any rumours of past feuding, Ding Dong told the Jamaica Observer that Elephant Man is a key part of the dance foundation in dancehall, upon which he initially made a name for himself in the industry with help from the ‘Energy God’.

“Ele a di man you know, ah mi dupes. When you talk about dancing, you talk about Bogle and you talk bout Elephant Man. There’s no going around that,” he said, adding that had it not been for Elephant Man, there may not have been a Ding Dong.

“The first time my name call in a song is Ele do it. That’s why me do interview and say mi nuh wah people talk about Ele like him a some litte man bout yah. Elephant Man is not a regular little artiste,” he said.

Citing the Nuh Linga deejay’s many accomplishments, including his historic appearance at the BET Awards show in 2013, Ding Dong expressed that people have tried to pit him against Elephant Man for years.

“You see people, when dem don’t know the full story, dem make up. Dem will stir all kinda things because dem nuh see you and a man a par as often. And then yuh have those who think because Ding a do music now with dancing and thing, it has to be a competition,” Ding Dong said. “It can be a case where him mentor me and mi a follow in him footsteps, we learn and we a do it and embrace the teachings.”

Elephant Man takes patrons to dancing class. (Photo: Jonathan Holgate)

He added, “People inject things into situations all the time. Me could never hate Ele. In fact, me and Ele fi have two or three song already and that must happen.”

Ding Dong expressed that so good is the relationship between the two entertainers that if either party would initiate a collaboration, the other would eagerly oblige.

“If me call Ele now, and say mi hear yuh voice pan dis, him nah say no and if him call me now and say Ding, mi nah say no,” he stressed.

Continuing on the path of retrospection, Ding Dong also noted that despite numerous attempts from the outside world to drive a wedge between him and his manager Romeich Major, he feels nothing but gratitude for Major’s hand in his career.

“Romeich a mi bredda inna real life and that’s why when people talk, I don’t listen to the noise,” he said, pointing out that the relationship between him and Major did not start with music, but with fashion.

Major made his name first as a fashion designer before venturing into artiste management.

“Mi never link Romeich about music you know, mi link him about clothes because him see the fashion and we did want to work together in that aspect. But when mi see Romeich and the corporate giant that he is, I realised I could learn a lot from him,” Ding Dong said.

Artiste manager, Romeich Major

“Romeich has taught me a lot about the business, about how to build a brand and maintain partnerships. Mi know how fi promote a song and work myself but anything at all mi want to do and link Romeich, it get done,” he added.

Highlighting that he now has long-standing business partnerships with huge corporate brands such as Grace, JPSco, FLOW and others, Ding Dong said his career has only evolved with Major’s assistance.

“At the end of the day, you need a team, you need structure. If you follow ignorant people you’re going to lose. When you go into certain rooms you have to have proper representation. That’s how the business works and that’s how you grow as an artistes and a business person,” he said. “I am about to release my first album and I could have only got this far with the help and contribution of every single member of my team. Mi can’t wait fi see how the rest of this journey will turn out.”

Ding Dong’s debut album, From Ding Dong to World Ding, is set to be released on May 2. It will feature 13 tracks with features from the likes of Skeng, Stalk Ashley, Skillibeng, Busta Rhymes and more.