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in the Eyes of music
by Domonique Morris
Squad. Females were always
in love with my eyes so for
a while they called me Eyes
because they are so bright.
Due to the group everybody
nick name has the last name
“Us.” So because they call me
Eyes I added the “Us” to the
end and that is how my name
was created.
What made you want to get
into the dancehall music
business?
BOSS MAGAZINE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Ricardo ‘Eyesus’ Rohen is one of Toronto’s reggae
entertainers. He has worked with artists such as Norris
Man, Toledo, and has gone on tour with well known
dancehall artists. I had the wonderful opportunity to
speak with Eyesus about his life as a musician, his views on
dancehall’s music industry, as well as inspirational insight
for those who are trying to get into the industry.
For those who don’t know you, can
you tell our Boss Magazine readers
who you are and please explain the
meaning behind your name Eyesus?
Well, Eyesus is one of Toronto’s
reggae entertainers. I have been doing
music over the years and I have gone
international doing music with a lot of
known artists such as Norris Man, Jah
Vinci, I-Octane, Toledo, and a lot more.
I’ve done a video with Jah Vinci that was
number one in Jamaica called We Hate
Yuh First. Now I have a single, a dance
song, called One Drop that is being
played all over the world. The name
Eyesus was developed when I was living
in Jamaica. There is a group called Us
When I was going to primary
school in Jamaica around
grade 4 and 5, I was like a
deejay in the class. Some
classmates and I would beat
the desk and sing to the
point where there would be
a sound clash for money at
lunch time and the whole
school would start taking
you in. There was bare
excitement! I was one of
the favourites those times
at school. When they would
have a school fete, I was the
main artist that the whole
school would wait to see
go on stage and perform.
That encouragement from
a young age grew in me and
allowed me to develop a
passion for making music.
Alright! So who are your idols then?
Who is your inspiration? Who are
the mentors that you look up to
and how have they assisted in the
developmental stages of your craft?
In the business there are a lot of artists
that I look up to now. However, I don’t
exactly do what they do. I listen to
artists like Beres, Bob Marley, Shabba
Ranks and Buju.
You mentioned Jah Vinci and
collaborating with him to create the
song We Hate Yuh First. How did that
come to be?
Jah Vinci is an artist I met that has the
same last name as me. Our generation
of family comes from August Town so
it was compulsory that we both link up
since we might be family. So we built
a relationship where we reasoned and
he said, “You know wha gwan? Yuh bad
still y’know…we should have a song
together!” When he finally came to
Canada we linked up in the studio and
put our creativity
I read in an article that you are
pushing your music mainly in Jamaica.
How come?
Imagine sitting at home in the dark. You
need a candle but the candle is not at
the convenience store by your house. If
you don’t go anywhere else away from
the convenience store you are going
to stay in the dark for the rest of your
time. Sometimes you have to come out
of your own boundaries. Once you get
a #1 hit in Jamaica you are a hit around
the world. If you create a number one
hit in Canada, you remain in Canada
only because there is no dancehall
market in Canada for people to be
zooming in on.
I like that analogy! So what makes
you stand out in the dancehall
community?
A lot of people don’t try to say what
the people want. They try to push what
they want in the people and nowadays
people have their own mind. If you
write songs about things that you see,
the everyday life, then a lot of people
can relate to it. If I write something due
to my experience and you can’t relate
to it you’re just going to listen and keep
going; it won’t gravitate to you and pull
you in.
As an up and coming artist what advice
would you give to those who are trying
to make it in the dancehall industry?
The advice I would give is not to give up.
There is a time for everything…today
for you, tomorrow for me. Everybody
is not going to shine the same time. If
you really love something you have to
put your heart and your mind into it.
WINTER 2013 BOSS MAGAZINE
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