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BOSS MAGAZINE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
54
Don Dem
Coming out of Spanish Town and
Portmore, Jamaica where the areas are
known to be violent and the partitions
have a Don on every corner, Olaf
“HD” Smith, Kirk “Diamond” Douglas,
Chaunard “Bob the Builder” Brown,
Durri “The Scientist” Brown, and Kez
“Don” Ferguson, make up the selfmotivated
reggae/dancehall group
Don Dem.
Their musical style also fuses aspects
of hip-hop, but it was dancing that first
got the group noticed. In 2008, all eyes
were on them as their fans admired
the energy and unique dance moves
they displayed when out having fun at
parties. I got the chance to speak with
Olaf HD who is the jack of all musical
trades and has fancied the drums since
the age of 2, and Kirk Diamond, inspired
to write at the age of 17, the lyricist and
manager for the group. Their persona
and artistic vision creates a peace that
keeps the group glued, structured, and
grounded.
“When my basketball dream was over,
I started writing. At the time I couldn’t
see myself on stage so I wanted to
remain behind the scenes. I am known
for my lyrical skill because I am always
in my head.” Diamond stays true to
himself by writing about his life. “It
could be the funniest song; it still
happened.”
Although there are many, Bob Marley
was the key inspiration for Kirk
Diamond as his story kind of reminds
him of the struggles that Don Dem has
faced. “Canada isn’t an easy place [to
live in] either. Different personalities
have to come together to do what we
do and so far, variously speaking, we are
the best reggae group in Canada that is
not living in Jamaica. I really would like
be considered as the dancehall version
of the Wailers in Canada.”
Olaf HD on the other hand has role
models in the music world stemming
from marketing guru P. Diddy, to
by Domonique Morris
The Best Reggae Group in Canada
drummers Tony Royster Jr. and Spanky
Dee, as well as well-known producers
Steven the Genius McGregor,
Timbaland, and Sam I Am. HD was
enthused to be able to produce his
own beats at the age of 16 and that
drive allowed him to become an
engineer, producer, and artist, all while
still remaining true to his first love,
drumming. From an artist’s perspective,
HD also likes the risqué lyrics of Aidonia
and business mindset of Jay-Z.
“I have been with Aidonia through his
journey,” says Olaf HD. “Not a lot of
times people are able to have followed
an artist from the beginning to success.
Jay-Z brought the music through
business and made it possible to dream
bigger than just being musicians. He
inspired them to own their own work.”
And owning their work is exactly what
Don Dem intends to do as HD alongside
Bob the Builder mix and produce their
own songs.
The members of
Don Dem thrive off
encouraging each
other as they push
one to outdo the
other to set the bar
high for whoever’s
verse comes next. As
Diamond chuckles he
says, “We are always
doing something that
is not expected in a
song. Even if it is a
mistake, if it sounds
good we put it in.”
Summer of 2010 was
the official year that
Don Dem became a
music group. As they
transitioned from
dancers to artists
they created a remix
CD called “Don Dem
RMXTape Vol.1” that
was released this past
summer. The group
is now working on a
release date for their
EP. So far they have
released two songs:
Blind to Dem and
Need Your Love.
The envy they received
from the people in
various circles caused
them to write a song
about the bad minded
people that are so A-C-
T-I-V-E in their lives.
That is how Blind to
Dem came to be.
“They have a crab in a
barrel mentality,” says
Diamond, “we don’t
take a lot of crap from
people...you can hear
it in our music..when
we get hard core that this is stemming
from somewhere…we Stevie Wonder
to them, Ray Charles to them...all the
people that were fighting us, we did
a song for them,” says Olaf HD. When
getting certain messages across, Kirk
Diamond makes sure their songs are
lyrically detailed and revel in the fact
that Don Dem have the power to get
their fans to repeat Blind to Dem lyrics
in the face of all the haters at their
“we are the best reggae group in Canada
that is not living in Jamaica. I really would
like be considered as the dancehall version
of the Wailers in Canada.” - kirk diamond
dancehall shows. Need Your Love, on
the other hand, shows another side of
Don Dem as they talk about life as artists
and the struggles that come when
trying to maintain a relationship. For
some of them, fame is in the forefront
of their minds, while for others, they
highly respect their private life.
“We’re very passionate guys when it
comes to our girlfriends and we put a
lot of time in our music and that affects
our relationships at
times, you know, being
at the studio late.” Kirk
Diamond brings in
the reality by saying,
“Your relationship is
not going to look so
well if the two of you
are not strong.” This
is a situation we hear
and experience far too
many times especially
with mainstream
artists. “I need your
love! I don’t want
you to leave but just
understand I gotta
do what I gotta do to
make my music career
work,” concludes Olaf
HD.
In 5 years, the group
sees themselves
on tour adorning
the stage in various
countries and cities
with their unique twist
of the dancehall genre
which they believe will
never lose its identity.
Olaf HD explains,
“If you mix ginger in
any drink, it is still
going to have that
dominant taste in it,
right? Dancehall will
never be watered
down. It is not
traditional reggae; it’s
an evolution of what it
used to be”.
As Don Dem holds tight
to their inspirations,
they keep the idea that
patterning them is
okay as long as they do
it better with their one
of a kind flair. They also hold tight to
and concluded the interview with what
they believe is their magical formula
for success: Hard work, determination,
and a lot of God.
“Everything you could possibly do to
be successful coincides with hard work
and determination. Once you have
those two plus God, there is nothing
you can’t do!”
WINTER 2013 BOSS MAGAZINE
55