Interview: Desh.Dubs Shares Insights on His Musical Journey

Sheer genius is demonstrated by the fascinating reggae artist and songwriter Desh.Dubs in his new album “Over the Wicked.” The tracks of the impeccable artist are beautifully entertaining and captivate the audience with an immersive and catchy vibe.

We’re lucky enough to have sneaked in for an interview with a talented singer. He was generous enough to lend some of his precious moments as we gleefully stumbled deep into his personal and professional life. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

“Above the Wicked” is captivating from the start to finish with a combination of unique beats and catchy lyrics. What was the inspiration behind the album?

 The primary inspiration, maybe I should say the purpose, was simply getting in a studio and collaborating with different producers and very specific artists I like from Zambia. It was like, sitting down and watching what happens when our respective talents and styles blend into an album. For me it was more like going into a chemistry lab, combine some stuff and wait and see what happens. There may seem to be many themes in the album but it’s always about love.

  is called ‘Above the Wicked’ because of a song I wrote when I was still doing Christian Rap in the ‘90s. I have done three solo albums but each time this song was somehow overlooked or forgotten. This time I decided to record it and made sure it is the title of the album.

 Tell us about your background and how did you get started in reggae music?

I started out as a member of the Hip-hop group called the BLACK PACT in Ndola, Zambia. Later, we formed a Christan rap group known as the Rap Prophets. It became the first Gospel rap trio to be shown on Zambian TV and Radio in the early ‘90s. Back then, I was not a fan of reggae music. I liked rap, gospel, RnB and some kalindula music. I was introduced to Dancehall and Reggae by my late band mate Joe Chibangu.We experimented with Reggae and Dancehall (we called it ‘Ragga’ then). At that point, I began to get more influenced by Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, ushnikens and DAS EFX music and stuff like that. I remember watching bootleg MTV videos on VCR and that sort of thing. And try to imitate what we watched. Basically, that’s how I got into Reggae and Dancehall.

What was the first Reggae song you ever heard?

I am sure it was ‘Forever Loving Jah’ by Bob Marley, I heard it first when one of the local bands played it. It sounded very beautiful – it has stuck with me ever since. I think I was 8 – 10 years or something like that. I had to walk up to the singer and tell him that I like that song, He said it was not his, it was done by Bob Marley. Perhaps I heard other reggae melodies before, however, they never registered in my memory. But this incident did. For me it was the first reggae song I was ever touched by.

Who is your favorite Reggae Artist?

There’s so many. So many fucking sick musicians at this moment. I mean new and current ones. This is a tricky one. I am only going to mention artist that have a big impact on me. Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Yellowman, Fella, PK Chishala, Paul Ngozi, The Witch, Sizzla, Daddy Zemus, DAS EFX, Ini Kamoze, Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, Busta Rhymes to me those are my all-time favourites, my top picks.

Do you have any dream collaborations? Who are they?

As much as I like a lot of artists, I don’t think I have one specific artist I want to collaborate with. I love what Lous And The Yakuza, Jah9,Greentea Peng and Tems are doing. Of course, I like Buju Banton, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef etc. I know the collaboration with one of these will never ever happen, like you said it is only a dream.

What’s your motto or the advice you live by?

I am unsure if I can consider it a motto, but I believe in being simple and being truthful in what I try to do or speak – however, it tends to be hard at times. I may be wrong about it – but I feel there’s divine power in being of service to others. 

 As someone said ‘Whatever holds human thought in accordance with unselfed love, receives divine power’. I try to live life on a level that has a constant positive impact. It is a standard I  struggle to maintain.

 Being an artist, sometimes it is about making a choice: you can decide to follow the course of fame and fortune, or you can decide to positively affect individuals that listen to your music and in turn give you as an artist the strength and motivation to make music and show you that you are on the right path.

 If you had one message to give your fans, what would it be?

 If at all I had a fan, especially in these trying times, I figure my basic message may sound cliche, but I will say this…we should try to understand each other and have fun together, now! Let us reject hatred without hating one another.

 Musically all I can say is I barely know what I’m doing for the rest of 2021. I’m just excited about this project I have just released ‘Above the Wicked’, really excited. I think I know I want to  continue doing this music thing and I know it’s worth the energy.  I’m attempting to get on shows, and simply keep it moving.  So let’s just see how that works.

 For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?

 (Laughing) I think we’re looking towards next year for another album. I want to release some singles later this year. I’m doing a ton of work with some outside producers that connected with me after the release of this album. I am just going with the flow.

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