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Germaican Observer: One of your latest songs ’It Seems Like’ is different from the songs around now, how did you come up with that?
Harry Toddler : We were at the Steelie & Cleavie studio and the riddim was playing and Steelie came up with the idea but he wanted me to do it different he wanted me to do a talking style, so we just sing the punchline and then we start talk the style... just like how we deejay it’s not one of those songs, it is a different type of talking style.
G.O.: Do you think that the songs that the artistes do have an influence on their listening public?
H.T.: Yeah fi real, because if you do thug songs you will make a youth feel like he’s a thug out there. For instance a Bounty Killer song, the way Bounty Killer talk it alone is a thug song even a Vybz Kartel or one a dem youth deh...
G.O.: At one time you were parring with Beenie Man, why you aren’t a part of the Beenie Man Crew anymore?
H.T.: It wasn’t like parring with Beenie Man, it was like I did a track for Beenie Man’s Manager and it wasn’t like any deep parring... we just went to a show and a vibes was at the show and they asked me to come down to the Shocking Vibes Studio and I was singing a song and Patrick Roberts said to do a dancing song because mi have di style ’na na na cha cha cha’ and wi just change the whole thing and do a dancing song because wi was doing a reality song but dem say “no“ dem want something fi mek di people dem dance and then I came up with the ’Angel Dance’.
It wasn’t like no parring with Beenie Man, wi did a show di business love.
G.O.: After dancers’ Bogle death there were rumours that Beenie Man was involved, does anybody actually think that is true?
H.T.: Right now mi nah tell no lie, di people dem jus’ say weh dem really wah say... but deep inna my heart the way how me feel about the situation and the case, why Beenie Man would want to take Bogle’s life and the two a dem a friends fi how long and born the same day? That is just some mix-up thing weh di people dem wah say in Jamaica, but yuh caan follow dat.
G.O.: What do they have against Beenie Man, there were rumours that he and his manager are gay and that he apologised to the gays, I thought he was really loved in Jamaica?
H.T.: The people dem love him but the things that the people say against him, that doesn’t do nothing that dosen’t break him down and it just make him stronger... more time you have to have some people saying bad things about you fi yuh stay stronger. Some a dem people are just haters, dem want to get to you and don’t have nothing fi say and listen to other people and just badmind.
G.O.: Is it true that you are big friends again with Elephant Man?
H.T.: Yeah, man fi real.
G.O.: So what happened, after the Scare Dem Crew break-up he was parring with Kip Rich so what brought you back together?
H.T.: Fi tell yuh di truth, it was like I was in England and spent like 6 or 7 months and after I came back mi start a camp and I was in the recording studio when Elephant hear seh mi down a Downsound and him and a massive a dem just come check mi... true mi came back from England and a talk bout “raising, raising“ and dem go a Buju Banton studio a bare ‚raising’ dem hear di man dem a talk bout and from him come check mi and we start talk the parring start from right there... and him was going to Guadeloupe and wah mi come open di show fi him so me say “ok, a no nothing“ and same time him say him a go round a Stone Love studio go do some special and we went by Stone Love he did some special ’bigging up’ Harry Toddler... and remember when me come back a Jamaica him a Deejay of the Year and him a the No.1 artist and a him a run the place so me did feel proud bout dat because still mi say yuh know what a still Scare Dem a hold it, a Scare Dem a hold up di country still!
From there now the parring start thick thick and we start parr up and down and ideas a come and we start sharing ideas and all now we don’t record a song together as yet but we just parring and when him go small islands me always open the shows for him... is like mi kinda work fi mi friend right now, mi still gi him a hand pan di road.
G.O.: You did a song for Pionear on the soon to be released Rodeo riddim, what was that like?
H.T.: The way how me see Pionear treat the business right from back then, because me know him from with Gentleman and Tolga ,from Celestial Studio and he knows what he is doing. When me and him link up di other day mi say yuh know what Toddler this is not a man weh don’t know the business and yuh can give him some rubbish and him tek it... sometimes yuh meet a man he is not a producer, he just wannabe. Pionear yuh can’t give normal punchline and normal hook, so mi give him a big song ‚A Di Bes’ A Dem’ because him know what him doing.
Big respect goes out to Pionear and me want him keep going, because him know the business is not like a man who wanna be, a di best a dem!
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G.O.: Sometime ago you weren’t recoding and nobody was hearing anything from you and there were rumours that you were drugged out, what were you actually doing?
H.T.: Remember I’m not able to go to America and certain opportunites not coming my way so mi just say mi a leave some a dem thing yah and mi just take a break... people can say what they wanna say. Mi park mi car dem and take a taxi and come a road and if anybody say anything to me a war, so people start jump to conclusions and say “him a mad, how him a move so.“ Dem a say stupidness and dem don’t know how me feel inside and what me ago through... me have No.1 dancehall song in America and mi can’t go represent and nobody nah help me, Sharon Burke not helping me, Jade Lee not helping me and the Prime Minister of the country not helping so mi just hold a vibes that’s why mi go England and spend 7 months.
What mi a go do wid drugs? When the people dem see yuh a move a way dem just say negative things... remember wah day in Jamaica dem say Elephant have HIV...
Mi Mother a minister and she kneel down and say she a go pray fi me and she say fi tell her what mi been doing and mi tell har say mi not doing no music mi jus a gwaan think pan mi kids dem.
G.O.: So you are no longer with Sharon Burke and Jade, are you signed, what are your future plans?
H.T.: Mi sign to Downsound, but is like dem work fi me same time, is my camp a me build di camp... me do what me feel fi do, you can book me through dem, through myself or through Q45 mi have a open deal with Q45 so if anything a gwaan him can contact my people dem.
Mi nah plan, as long as mi have life mi just know sey a di best mi a put out... mi have a open mind right now, mi just doing some recordings.
Germaican Observer: Thanks a lot Toddler and take care!
Harry Toddler : Yeah man, bless.
Text: Nadine Reid/ G.O. Leipzig/Germany
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