Homeless man’s old reggae hit re-mixed

Several of the persons with apparent mental illness that one may see on the streets of Kingstown are extremely talented individuals with a story to tell.

And US-based music producer and writer Cherry Ince, has teamed up with Shernelle “Skarpyon” Williams to prove just that. The duo has completed a remake of Kingsley “Inch” Jack’s reggae song “Life is what you make it”.

Ince, has remade the song under his Blak Heat Entertainment (based in New York) brand, and said the song, which was written and originally performed by Jack, is “one of the best reggae songs I have ever heard”.

Jack who lives as an unkempt, smelly vagrant falls into the bracket of talented persons whose mental issues were never addressed and as a result rendered him homeless and unable to fend for himself.

Ince told SEARCHLIGHT that Jack, who has been living on the streets of Kingstown for several years, has been for 25 years now asking him to remake the song and release it, and he actually re-recorded the song five years ago but never released it.

He said the song which will be available on more than 22 streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify from Monday, will be sold for 99 cents and he is hoping that persons purchase the track as the money will go to Jack.

“I decided to remake it and I did so before COVID struck, but after COVID hit I held it back … I came down with the master this year and it became so timely because of certain parts of the song, ‘some live their life like vultures’… and look how that has become so timely,” Ince noted while adding that he wanted Jack to do the remake but he was unable to because his state of mind has deteriorated and he could not remember parts of the song.

“One day I came and me and Skarpyon was in the park … and I told him (Jack) to sing and he started singing up to the second verse, but he couldn’t remember, and I said I would remake it and I got the original track from Raffie King from 705,” Ince explained.

He noted also that the song can he heard on YouTube from Monday.

“We want to use any money earned to help him and I would like to get somebody to feed him every day once it can generate enough money.

“I am so concerned about the mental health situation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Ince stressed while noting that several talented persons have fallen victim to mental illness and could have been helped with early intervention.

“The awareness of mental health … is like people take it for granted … I see guys I know could have been helped in the early stages and they just deteriorated…,” Ince said.

He added that Jack is a good friend and he is hoping that people will pay for the music.