I was the first dub artist (in Barbados) that ever cut a 45 with the AIDS issue. The song was Dangerous Test. “It’s a dangerous disease that nobody can’t test. A I D S. Cause the women and the men dem nowadays dem nuh fret. AIDS.” Sight?

Peter Ram, 1/2/2003.
St. George, Barbados.

Known as Mr. Freestyle in Barbados, Peter Ram is no stranger to the stage. His big tune Rats placed him in the finals for the Barbados 2001 Party Monarch competition and he knows how to get the crowd excited when he comes on the stage to chant some reggae with Square One. His quick wit and ease with lyrics has helped write many a tune for a singer from dancehall's Elephant Man to soca's Alison Hinds.

"......You must Log On
Jouvay.com. Peter Ram say So."

Jouvay.com: Thanks for the drop. At the show (Square One’s 17th Anniversary party at the Boatyard) you were speaking about an AIDS song that you did?

Peter Ram: That song was years ago. I was the first dub artist that ever cut a 45 with the AIDS issue. The song was Dangerous Test. Nicholas Branker cut that. Andy Poop Andrani of Lethal studio helped produce and Mickey Waldron, he sponsored that. That was years though.

J: How long ago was that because they need to bring it back.

P: Wow, that was about 1990, 1991.

J: What’s the lyric on that?

P: The song named Dangerous Test. “It’s a dangerous disease that nobody can’t test. A I D S. Cause the women and the men dem nowadays dem nuh fret. A I D S.” Sight?

J: Yeah, who do you do most of your work with?

P: Actually I work with all the studios, Chris Altman...Slam City, Monstapiece Studio, Leslie Patterson…Smoking Jams, Tombstone…that’s Corey, the same Lethal Studio, so many studios. In New York I work with different people. I just record a new tune out there named Whatever with a fella named Kevin. So you will catch that in NY soon. Whatever. I write songs also. I wrote songs for Alison.

J: Which songs did you do for her?

P: “Move, girl you know you hotter than pepper. Move”. I did one for me and Elephant Man and Alison. “Get ready to wine”, I also wrote “Wave, and let me see you just wave”. Andy Armstrong, I wrote Pan. I wrote the title track for Square One’s album, UNITY. I write that song in about ten minutes. I wrote Timmy of the grass skirt Up and Down and Courvoisier in about ten minutes. I also do a lil thing in the tent, Bachannal Time and I also do a lil social commentary.

P: Yes, this is the dangerous test 45. Only dub artist in Barbados to ever cut a 45 representing dangerous test, AIDS.

J: How you started singing? When you started doing this stuff?

P: Whooo, for about fifteen years, but I got serious when I recorded Quick Sand in 1991. That was the first 45 and then this (the Dangerous Test).

J: Quick Sand was more reggae?

P: Yeah more reggae, bashee, bashment.

J: So, how did you get into the soca stuff?

P: Terry Arthur from Square One needed a chanter at a particular time in a song and Terry said don’t put anybody else, he would just search for me. So they just searched for me. The first song was Festival Fever and I did a chant on that. Then In A Mess and then a little more. What really gave me a big big break was Top Class Bubbla “anywhere you go you can handle it, Jouvay.com you gotta log on pon it!!” You mad or what. The video showed on BET and we went to Toronto for Caribana to film the video and it was great.

J: You do a lot of stuff for Square One, what about the other bands/artists down here? Krosfyah? Rupee?

P: I perform on shows with Krosfyah and I’ve performed on shows with Rupee. But you see I will always perform with Square One because they really brought me out and showed me international in a kind of way. So, I have to respect Square One to the fullest. That’s becoming a family. I would never disrespect to go and work with other bands like how I work with Square One. Not disrespecting the other bands because Krosfyah is a family also. I love all the bredrens in Krosfyah, that’s a nice band. If I come in a dance and see Krosfyah jamming a tune I would go up on stage and they would welcome me. But due to the fact that my foundation is Square One…..but the two bands irie. Actually, those are the two biggest bands in the Caribbean in any kind of way.

J: You work with any Trinidadian artists?

P: Not record a song, but I have performed with Bunji and Benjai. For this carnival I am supposed to record a song with Bunji Garlin. Yeah. That’s one of my favorite Trinidadian artists, Bunji. And Benjai and Maximus Dan.

J: They are all on that Monstapiece rhythm, the Desperado?

P: Yeah, I think Bunji sings on the same Grippa rhythm. The same Go Gals. He sings on the same Get Ready to Wine rhythm also, the Courvoisier rhythm that Peter Coppin (Monstapiece) brought out.

J: Who did the lyrics for Go Gal?

P: Me. See the beauty about that, I went to record social commentary, 100% Bajan. Before I recorded Darren Grant said, “well Ram before you record that I have something for you to listen to. Rameses bring this rhythm bout hey and I nice it up and I want you to drop something pon it.”

J: This is the Grippa rhythm? I met Darren Grant in the studio last week and saw him play guitar for Gabby at the Krosfyah show.

P: Yeah. And I said I really come to do social commentary, but let me hear it. And then he asked if I had anything to put on it. And I said press record and I just like bam “How de girl dem looking so sweet when they come in de dance and get me excited.” Just so.

J: You do alot of impromptu. And it was a big hit.

P: Yeah. In Trinidad I heard it’s kicking up. My sisters does tell me what going on in Trinidad with the upcoming carnival so I know what to do or what to look forward to. They said Go Gals getting a good set of airplay as well as Turn It Up by Andy (Armstrong).

J: You wrote the lyrics for that?

P: No, he did that.

J: Yeah, he was telling me that he was re-releasing it.

P: That’s a very good song. Must say congrats to Andy. Blood.

J: So, you’re a Rasta or what?

P: I’m natural. I just like a plant, a seed. I just grow, just so.

J: And the lyrics just flow..

P: Just flow. You could tell from the Boatyard. Free styling and so. That’s my other name, Mr. Freestlye.

J: You sure were cracking the crowd up with your lyrics. So, you used to play the clubs too?

P: Yes, street fairs and all kind of ting. Lil Rick is a far cousin of mine and we used to roll together. Years, real, real, real years. We used to play a set together and he tell me he gone deal with the set and I must deal with the lyrics. I said I gone deal with the lyrics alone. That’s how we split up.

J: You don’t do anything with him now?

P: Yeah, we did a song together for cropover, Go Down to Lowtown, “break off your waist and go down to lowtown.” A Monstapiece production on the UNITY album. Me, Rick and Alison that did that. And we performed that in NY and Miami and it went down pretty well.

J: I know, that’s a serious wuk up song.

P: For real.

J: Well, sun’s gone and I’ve got to get ready to leave Barbados. Happy New Year Peter Ram.

P: Happy New Year to Jouvay.com.

J: We’re in St. George’s Barbados hanging with Peter Ram. Recruiting your daughter from early. Hear her? Jooovay? Dot com. Sweet.

Listen to Peter Ram's song RATS

Buy his CD, Clean Hearted with 9 tracks. Cropover 2000 album.

2001 © Jouvay Ventures, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.