New album from the ‘Ole Gangalee’ Louie Culture

Give Louie Culture a mic and a stage and he will perform from now until next year, pulling out hit on top of hits from his tried, tested and proven catalogue of rich reggae and dancehall classics.

Louie Culture, known as the ‘Ole Gangalee’, a line from one of his hit songs, is old school. The Rastafarian singer is part of the tribe that continued the building of the musical foundation and he’s a troubadour who can be depended on to “nice up” any dance or stage show and is guaranteed to entertain from the youngest to the oldest.

With big “chunes”, such as Gangalee, Excellent, Bogus Badge, Ole Before Them Young, Don’t Get Weary Gangalee, They Lied, Live and Learn, Rudie Don’t Fear, Scandalina, and Backative, the entertainer is known more for releasing a slew of conscious, thought-provoking singles throughout the years rather than albums. But he promised that that is about to change.

The Gleaner caught up with him after his recent powerhouse performance at Beenie Man’s Summa Sizzle, and the affable entertainer radiated pure joy. He was happy at the reception from the people of Clarendon, where the event was held, because, after all, he’s a proud country man from the parish of Portland.

“It’s always a joy to perform in Jamaica … everybody ask why they don’t see me on more local shows, but if I was to tell you, I would be telling a lie. I don’t know.

“The good thing is that the overseas shows keep coming in. I just returned from the US and I have shows coming up in Canada … but yuh know, Jamaica is the foundation,” the Foundation From Birth singer said.

He also shared that he has been in the studio with producer Lloyd James Jr., more popularly known as John John, the son of the legendary producer King Jammy. The project is the long overdue album, which is set for release by the end of 2026.

“It’s been much more than a decade since I did an album … I’ve released songs to keep current and that works … keeps your catalogue vibrant, but the time for something different is now and we have real nice album a come a road,” Louie Culture revealed.

The album is as yet unnamed, but Louie Culture is excited at the collabs with Sanchez, Luciano and possibly Capleton.

“The collab with Sanchez is our first song together, so I give thanks to work with such a great singer. Luciano a mi artiste so yuh know how that go … and a years me and Capleton fi do a tune. A just fi me go check Prophet and we do it because a so me and him live, so people can count pon that one,” he told The Gleaner.

Capleton, in a subsequent interview with The Gleaner said that this collab is definitely possible.

“Louie Culture is a great yute ... a humble yute and we grow up inna the business with love ... always a give each other a strength when called upon. We a ghetto yutes, streets yutes, so we know di pressure and we always a look out fi each other. So if the manifestation of the Almighty seh ‘Yes’ and it’s the will and power of Jah then me and Louie haffi go do a song,” Capleton said.

Always conscious of the Culture which is part of his name, Louie has never deviated from the path, even when he is at his most militant lyrically. Quizzed on where he sees Jamaica’s music going, Louie paused for a while before he answered.

“On one side, mi glad fi see the youth dem a rise, but on the other side, I can see where the music is going down. There is too much negativity … is like a negative dem a promote. And certain negative songs can’t pass the airport. And if it even pass airport, dem song deh jus a go where bare Jamaicans deh … not to the world,” Louie Culture said.

He pointed out that many of those who are numbered in the current crop of “bad artiste” are rarely seen in Europe, and the reason for this, he opined, was that “Europe nuh want nuh negative”.

He was quick to add, however, that his intention was constructive, rather than destructive, criticism.

“We nah beat the yute dem, we just a seh artiste like we fi step up and continue the ting. Don’t watch the yute dem. A fi dem time and dem a do wha’ dem can do. But the music itself, it a go stand the test of time. We as the artiste just need to do our job and leave the yutes to do their job and it will work,” the Ole Gangalee stated.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com