– Young artiste urges

BRIAN Leo Griffith, a young artiste ready to launch his new music soon, is already making waves in the local entertainment industry with his sights also set on a much bigger picture.

Griffith is adamant he will not ask for favours. That’s certainly not the route he will take, instead holding on to the mantra: “Hard work brings success.”

The young artiste is, instead, calling for intellectual property laws on music to become a reality in Guyana to protect the work of artistes and allow them to earn a fair income.

“Many foreign artistes and most locals are stealing our stuff and we cannot do anything about it. We need rights for our music. There are talented people that [are] doing their craft and at the end of the day, getting nothing from it,” Griffith said in an interview with The Buzz this week.
Eighteen-year-old Griffith goes by the stage name ‘Acidic’. Now based on the West Bank of Demerara, Griffith was born to a Guyanese father and Vincentian mother in St Vincent and the Grenadines. He moved to Guyana when he was 10-years-old.

Recalling how he became interested in music, Griffith reminisced: “Since in Grade Five when I was going to school, me and my friends always would always make riddims on the desk during free time in class, and do clashes and so on singing Vybz Kartel songs.”
The cultural clash between the two reigning Dancehall artistes in the late 2000s – Kartel and Movado – thrusted Brian into his love for the music world.

“What made me have a passion for Dancehall music was listening to Kartel and Movado songs. That little feud between the two of them gave me the excitement and passion for music,” he continued.

By age 11, one year after coming to Guyana, Griffith recorded his first song, ‘Party Vybz’ at ‘Ruff Cut’. He also recorded with Vizion Sounds, and is now permanently with AJ (Adrian Johnson) Records.

Now permanently attached to AJ Records since five years ago, Griffith is confident of his growth as an artiste over the years. “AJ and his teammate, Jonathan Taylor, are both doing a very good job with Guyanese music and pushing it,” Griffith said in praise of the duo.

“He’s a guy that works hard with his artistes and helps to push them. For the five years I’ve known him, I can say he’s a very good guy to work with in all areas of this music industry when it comes to quality and professionalism,” the young artiste explained.

Giffith is working on an album expected to release in June 2022. Dubbed ‘Pharoah’s Kingdom’, the album will also feature collaborations with artiste\s such as AJ, Taylor, ADDL, Stiffy Stiff, Azariel, RGK , Dondriek, Shortboss, and Naiomi.

A fresh single is also expected from Griffith in through the ‘Frozen Riddim’ project with Delon Entertainment which is expected to drop this month. That aside, there are a few music videos in the pipeline for release soon from the artiste.

Griffith lamented there is little co-operation in the music industry. “If the radio stations play the artistes’ music and help out each other, we all will get somewhere but that hold down and fight down thing will never work,” he bemoaned.

“As for me, I’m not depending on no DJ or radio station to give me a forward. If you don’t wanna play my music, I’m not gonna beg for that or reach out to you. You gotta know if you wanna play my music or reach out to me.

It’s your choice; you have to know quality from non-quality music,” Griffith said, making no bones. Brian Griffith’s work is available on all of his social media platforms.