‘Gaddie G’ promotes Guyanese culture wherever he goes
KNOWN mostly to those who are familiar with his music as ‘Gaddie G’, US-based Guyanese musician Gaddiel Henry has said that no matter where he goes, he ensures that he infuses elements of Guyanese culture in all of his music. Now, as he enters into the new year, he plans on carrying on this practice with an aim to make Guyanese music recognised on a larger scale.
Perhaps you don’t know his face, but if you listen to the radio, you are bound to have heard his well-known single ‘Guyana Badman Place’. The song, which was released in 2016 has since racked up more than 24,000 views on Youtube and features scenes from his native country. “All my songs have a Guyanese flavour,” Gaddiel told the Buzz in an interview. “I do dancehall, which is Jamaican, but I am Guyanese so I don’t want to sell out my people and my culture so I keep putting Guyana in my music so people won’t get confused and think its Jamaican…I keep it Guyanese even with my accent so people can know where I am representing from. I want to show there is talent in Guyana.”
Gaddiel recently released “Ghetto Pickney”, another song which talks about Guyanese life- but focuses on the struggle and lifestyles of persons living in depressed areas, or, ‘the Ghetto’. The song also has an unofficial music video which borrows from an existing production called “Tin City Voices”. Gaddiel stated that his music also aims to show the perspectives that persons often times take for granted.
The 32-year-old singer said that he enjoys singing about his country and it is this passion that has led to his music being enjoyed by large numbers of persons living abroad. “Over the years my fan base has been building and right now I think it is safe to say I am a household name in the dancehall community in New York,” he said. The artist stated, however, that though he knows his music is played in Guyana, he has not gotten a chance to make strong enough links to do proper promotion of this music here; something he plans on changing in the new year. “I don’t have links to [local] DJs so I can spread my music around but I use social media, so my Guyanese people hear and know about me…” Gaddiel’s first and only performance was in 2016 for Guyana’s 50th Jubilee Celebrations, but he stated that he does return home to visit friends and family frequently.
“I am looking to make connections in Guyana, next year is Guyana Carnival and I am looking to see what other networking opportunities I can get so I can try to spread my wings,” he said. Gaddiel will also launch his first album next year ‘Gaddie G, For the Ladies’ and its content is exactly as it suggests. He has also partnered with local songstress Ernesta Nelson for the project and hopes to organise some collaborations with other local artists as well.
‘Gaddie G’ said that singing is a passion which was birthed in him since he was a student at Charlestown Secondary, where he would perform at school concerts. In 2004, he migrated to the United States where he first started recording and promoting his music.
“I started going to open mic competitions, and I got recognised from doing those shows. I was then invited to open a show for Serani and Ding Dong in 2006 in the US,” he said. He later started releasing his own songs which led to even more recognition. The Guyanese artist has since opened shows for the likes of Natural Black, Capleton and other major dancehall/reggae artists and as, 2018 opens, he expressed that he has no intention of stopping.