Bless-ed: The One who set the Trend!

By Alexandrio Morley
BlackFood News Reporter

FOR some strange reason the original trendsetters in art and music never seem to receive their greatest honors and accolades until they’re dead. The Nina Simones, the Paul Robesons and the Jean-Michel Basquiats come to mind in this regard.

What’s even worse are those instances when the original trendsetters are overlooked and written out of history. Look at the Obeah Man Tony McKay, a man whose music is so genius that it’s difficult to categorize. It could be described as Jazz, Folk music, or just down home Rake and Scrape, but yet we don’t have an official biography about this great Bahamian musician.

And nowadays we don’t hear nuttin ‘bout the Obeah Man. We still waiting on some white boy music scholar to come down to The Bahamas on a sabbatical to write a thesis about black culture in the “islands”. He ga then turn around and “discover” The Obeah Man and then sell him back to us in a best-selling book and a hollow no-soul compilation called “The Best of The Obeah Man”. No thank you!

At BlackFood we’re doing our very best to see that this sort of historical amnesia doesn’t happen to the young music industry in The Bahamas. But we may be too late. When is the last time somebody said something ‘bout Bless-ed? Not in a long time.

The only stuff I hear people saying is “Blessed fall off man.” But that ain’ true. Bless-red right there man. He ain’ gone nowhere. He going through some serious ups and downs, like all of us, but he ain’ give up yet, and that’s what’s important.

Therefore, we dedicate this exclusive Q&A piece to one of the original trendsetters; the man they call Bless-ed.

BlackFood (bf) – What the I real name is?

Bless-ed (B) – My name is Omar Outten and am 29 years old.

bf – Which island you grow up on?

B – I was adopted from the Children Emergency Hostel. I was about four or five then. My parents could not take care of me because my Daddy was on drugs and dis and dat an’ everything. So we was adopted from the Children Emergency Hostel here in Nassau. I live in Crooked Island for a while. I was born over here but because of circumstances my family could not really take care of me so they had to give us up for adoption. My Mom is from Free port, so I was told, but she has passed away.

bf- Who adopted you?

B – An elderly lady from Crooked Island adopted me. Her name is Sandra Deleveaux from Kernel Hill Crooked Island. I school there and everyting. She was retired and all of her children were grown but after retirement she wanted children to keep her company so she adopted me along with another girl. It was hard dealing with it but that’s what makes me who I am. Because of growing up not having nuttin, not knowing where the next meal ga come from. Going in the bush, in the field, knowing ‘bout outdoor toilet and stuff like that. Ya know wat I mean. No lights, no current. I know the whole routes.

bf – So you school in Crooked Island…

B – I school in Crooked Island from primary school until I was about seventeen and that’s when I heard the news that my real old lady, my biological mother, passed away. She had not seen me from I was adopted so her last request on her dying bed was to see me; the last son. But, unfortunately, I did not get to see her face until the funeral. Her name is Diane Rolle. Her and my father wasn’t married so sometimes I use two last names Omar Outten-Rolle.

bf - When did your love for music begin?

B - I was always interested in music, fixing radios, listening to Bob Marley, Buju Banton, Shabba dem and all of that. But you know how dem old people go. They is the christian type and they don’ really be into that, but that’s what I did like. During school and ting I use to make up songs. I use to rap. Everybody did like me because I use to sing a lot but I did not really take it serious until after my Mom died.

bf – What did you do after she passed away?

B – I spent one year at C.I. Gibson and that’s where I graduated from. After school I was doing talent shows, concerts….

bf – That’s when they start to call you Buju?

B – Actually, I have a brother that looks a lot like me. He actually was the original Nassau Buju but in C.I. Gibson they could not tell us apart so they use to call him Buju and call me Buju. All two of us could do it though, ya know. He is a very excellent singer. He taught me how to hold notes. His name is Ricardo Outten.

bf- Name some of your popular songs?

B – In 1998 I came out with “I an’ I a Wait.” It’s a song speaking ‘bout the pressure in this system and Babylon. And the struggle we have to go through. And all of us waiting to go home. It bus’ on 100 JAMZ. That album was called The Beginning. It had like twelve songs on it. At that time I was being managed under Yellow & Crew. I use to sell CDs and DVDs. Unfortunately it did not work out because sometimes a lot of people tend to jus’ use artists for their own benefit.

bf – What happened after the experience with Yellow dem?

B – I was managed under Dion Storr, but he was murdered. I recorded a song with him called “Firm, like the Rock of Gibraltor.”

bf – What are the some of the struggles that you face as an artist?

B – Doing performances and not getting paid for it. People have been using my talent for their own benefit. And then being homeless and being on the streets.

bf – When you hear people saying stuff like, “Man, Blessed fall off. He doing that white”, what is your response to that?

B – Honestly, let he that is without sin, cast the first stone. Everyone has secrets in their closet. Everyone has boogey mans in their closet. The ting is this right, I’m not ashame to admit that, yes, I was at a stage of my life where drugs had a control over me. But now that’s not happening to me anymore. Because of the state of depression that I was in; losing my mom; losing my home and all that stuff; living on the streets; getting bullshit on my album. Jus’ going through the struggle without nobody there to really help me. Through all of that, God guide me through the struggle. So now that I clean a lot of people ga still talk ‘bout it, because they don’ really know me personally.

bf – What you up to now?

B – Right now, I have no management but I have material for at least 10 albums. I have a new single that I recorded out of my own pocket. It’s called “Love me for Me.”

bf – Your last words for all the Bless-ed fans out there…

B - Real people do real things. Without a doubt I am the Jewel of The Bahamas. I have not given up on myself. I have not fallen off. God was always with me. The best thing that ever come out of The Bahamas is Bless-ed. It all start with me!♦bf