‘Mavado told me to play Vybz Kartel songs’ Boom Boom looks forward to A Taste of Sumfest

Veteran selector Marlon Kirk Wizzard, also answers to the names Boom Boom, Billboard Selector, and World Boom, says it will be “a joy” for him to play at A Taste of Sumfest on July 18 at Plantation Cove in St Ann. The history-making event is headlined by dancehall giants and former rivals, Vybz Kartel and Mavado, who will unite on stage for the first time.

Boom Boom, who is known as “Mavado selecta”, simply because he and the entertainer are “like brothers”, played a big role in Mavado being booked for the one-night festival.

“Joe [Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Entertainment], drive come link me a my yard a Grants Pen … and just allow mi fi talk highly about mi community …. Grants Pen a di safest garrison right now, Grants Pen come in like a gated community. Joe come wake mi up …knock pon mi door ‘cause di people dem inna di community love him. Joe tell mi seh him want Mavado fi Sumfest and so, mi call mi brother and mi seh ‘Joe deh here’. And mi low dem fi do dem ting … and next ting the fliers come out saying Gully and Gaza and mi feel good,” Boom Boom told THE STAR.

He emphasised that even if he wasn’t booked for A Taste of Sumfest, it could not miss him.

“Differently from Sumfest promotion mi haffi deh deh, because remember seh me a Mavado DJ from over the years. Me and David (referring to Mavado) a par from 1993 … we ah eat out one pot and a hol’ we vibes from we a yute. Mavado is not just mi bredda … mi love him like life, and him love mi like life … a just so it go,” stated the selector who was crowned King of the Streets by Mecca Club.

Boom Boom was, however, quick to point out that although he has a close relationship with David ‘Mavado’ Brooks, “music a music” and he plays a fair game on the turntable. And, on that note, he had a word of advice for young selectors in particular.

“What me want di yute dem fi know is this: Don’t get caught up inna artiste fuel,” he stressed, “because at the end of the day, artiste a artiste, we a selecta, we play music.”

“We play the music according to how the music fi play. Because at the end of the day, we as selecta haffi entertain the patrons, that is our job,” a passionate Boom Boom said.

He added, “Me nuh business with this artiste or that artiste when dem inna dem vibes … because at the end of di day dem a go turn back friend. And it a go look bad pon you the selecta who a pick side. That’s why you see Vybz Kartel love and respect mi … and other artiste love and respect mi.”

Boom Boom also shared some valuable advice given to him by Mavado years ago when the Gully/Gaza rivalry was at its peak. He said that Mavado told him to continue playing Vybz Kartel songs.

“Mavado look pon me and seh ‘Yow, don’t follow dem selecta deh yuh know, play Vybz Kartel song.’ Real life …. him tell me that. And mi never shocked. Him was looking out for me from then,” Boom Boom said.

He shared that despite his efforts to keep the musical playing field balanced, there are some Gaza fans who still “beat [him] bad”.

“Yeah man … bout 20 per cent a dem who nuh really know the history with me and Vybz Kartel and the history pon how me play music. So dem figure likely seh ‘Boom Boom a style Vybz Kartel’ true mi seh Mavado. But, when dem really get di understanding, dem see seh me is a yute who pree music,” Boom Boom told THE STAR.