Talent: Artist, Producer, Writer
Label: Darkchild Records
Contact: www.myspace.com/darkchildatiba
               www.atibaonline.com

 

Born in New York, but raised in a small neighborhood called Duhaney Parkin Kingston, Jamaica, his love of music and dance began as a child imitating his favorite performers on television and on stage. Atiba grew up around some of the greats of reggae music like Beenie Man, Professor Nuts, Supa Cat and more. His father (known as Ruel aka Juby), owned the number one sound system at the time "Love Vibration Disco" (headed by Dj Rudolf). They cut the first songs that Beenie Man had ever recorded and introduced him to the industry.
Atiba and his family moved back to Brooklyn N.Y., and after a few years found themselves in Orlando, Fl. Here, Atiba honed his craft as a musician, audio engineer, writer, producer and choreographer. He has danced and performed all over the world with different R&B, Pop, and Hip hop groups. He sang in a four part harmony group called FATE, and after about four years of unsuccessful attempts at making it, the group decided to part ways.

He then started a group with his friend, Francisco Correa, and his sister, Malica, called OFFICIAL. They produced, wrote and recorded their own songs with the help of their friend Mitchah "Genesis" Williams. Malica would sing on hooks and lay reggae verses, Franky would add his Puerto Rican reggaeton melodics and Atiba added his unique style of reggae.
They flew to L.A. to cut a song with well-known reggae artist Lady Saw called. "I wanna." and then Atiba flew to Kingston, Jamaica to work with a new reggae artist, Ricardo Suave. He did choreography and artist direction for two of Ricardo's videos which featured Sasha and Spragga Benz.

After returning to Orlando, Fl, he recieved a call from an old friend Jeff Villanueva, who was main engineer for super producer Rodney Jerkins, asking him to lay down some ideas for a reggae rhythm Rodney had for his "Versatility" album.
The session went well and two days later, they called him back to help write a song for Carlos Santana and Kevin Little. One week later, they called him and asked him if he would like to be signed to Darkchild records. One month after that, the deal was done, and a month and a half after that, the album was done plus more.
Atiba's music is just what the industry needs, he is set to add his name to the history books of reggae music.

 

 

What is your situation with Darkchild Rcords?

I have a record deal and also a publishing deal with Darkchild Records. We have been deciding whether to put out my project independently or not. We met in New York with Def Jam and Roc La Familia. So according to my label we still got a deal but if its doesn’t work out we can go another way. Either way its gonna work out positive.

So right now Roc La Familia is looking at you?

Yeah, definitely.

How would you describe your artistic style?

Man, I'm a Jamerican cat. I was born in Brooklyn but was raised in Kingston, Jamaica. My dad was a musician and a hustler. When he was young, things were tough and he did what he had to do. But I had both sides, the American and Hip Hop culture. In America we had Nwa, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Cane, and in Jamaica we had Pincher, Sanchez, Super Cat, Lietentant Stitchy, Papa’s Sons. So I was getting all that blended together, so the sounds comes off like Jamacian Hip Hop in a sense. It’s like reggae with a Hip Hop flavor. I wouldn’t call it Dancehall, it’s like another branch of Reggae. There are many different sub cultures of reggae, so I’m trying to create my own little niche that’s already been there from people  born Jamericans and people doing it different like Shyne had.

In your music, you have an accent, but it sounds so clear compared to other reggae music.

Well, a lot of American cats tell me that they appreciate it. Different cultures and a lot of folks from Caucasians to Black Americans, they catch the melodies and then they realize they can’t understand what I’m saying. Some stuff is deeper but most of it they can understand. Reggae music is universal and what I am doing is positive. But I do get knocked for that . Cause its not pure dancehall but what's real for me is real . My culture mix is real. 

Recently you recorded the One wish remix. Are you in the process of working a new single or shoot a video for it. 

I think the label was using it as a test single. But it was really just a project for me. As an artist you have to do a lot on your own. Look at Lupe Fiasco and what happened to him. He is ridiculously talented and he got on the joint. So it was just a test record and if we decide to go to another label people would already know me

How would you describe your venture into Reggaeton  and the song that you recorded with Daddy Yankkee. Is that something you plan on doing more of in the future.

You know what. I feel like it's my way of paying respect to the culture. Those cats took reggae and the dembo beat and created their own culture, their own thing out of it and it was underground almost like hip-hop in PR and different places. After a while Reggaeton became a little bit more popular and so on. One of my best friends is from Puerto Rico and that’s what he does, but I don’t necessarily spit or do anything Spanish. I will jump on a track here or there.  I cant really understand some of the stuff they're saying but the flow and delivery  is nice.

What were your intentions behind the phrase "Birth Of A Rebel"?

I plan to call my album Rebel Music. I’m not knocking other people or the music that they make but a lot of the music in the Hip Hop nation and also in the Caribbean has a lot of negative undertones. But we have amazing songs too that are positive. There’s a wide spectrum. People think that they are just writing about what goes on in the ghetto. I feel like my records are rebellious because it’s not like dancehall. And my rhymes are more blended with hip hop. I’m not talking about the same thing everyone is talking about. And there’s also no cursing on my album, you know what I mean. So to me, being rebellious is more of doing a positive thing instead of a negative thing. You know, its easier to do the negative things and cursing and so on and so forth, and it’s easier to talk about situations in a negative way. It’s harder not to do it. That’s what makes it rebellious. Plus, I feel responsible. My parents are God fearing people and I want them to be able to listen to my stuff. I want my nephew to be able to listen to my CD from back to front. And for when I have my children one day, I would also want them to be able to listen to it and respect that it was something for them. It was clean and it was something that they learned from, and that I chose to do it that way. That’s what makes it rebellious. This mix CD that I did with Khaled, it’s called "Birth of a Rebel". It was like here I am, birth of a rebel and you’re going to get rebel music later on.

While  you’re in the process of making a band, write music, produce music, and choreographing, where do you find the time to just relax?

You know, I don’t know (laughs). I just try to make the time. It’s crazy, cause I try to play managing role and the marketing guru for myself.  I also feel that I sometimes play the label rep for myself. So I just try to make the time. The band thing is detrimental, like I need to do it. It’s something different for Orlando, for Florida, for me. And there’s so much emotion to it. A lot of the things I’ve been creating lately have been on acoustic guitar and it’s all been live stuff, you know. I want that type of feel. It feels better than going up there with track music and performing.

Recently you had the opportunity to be on Jay Leno before you’ve even been signed to a major label. How much of an accomplishment is that to you?

You know what man, it’s crazy. It’s a huge accomplishment to think that some people spend their entire lives and work 20 years performing and trying to get somewhere just to get on Jay Leno or the other big late night shows. It’s a huge accomplishment. I feel that it’s good that it’s out on the radio and it's for a positive reason. There are so many people in Orlando that know me and respect my hustle and see me grinding every day and they feel like they’re in LA doing the tonight show, you know. Some people say it makes them feel inspired. They feel touched and they say that I did such a good job. You know, you’re a good person and you deserve it, and it’s good for someone to accomplish something like that. So it’s big to me that it does something for them and it touches them. For me, music wise and business wise, it allows more people to see me, it gives me more credibility, to where more people might approach me who might not have before. You know, and I’m able to get things I wasn’t able to get before and it opened certain doors.

What can we expect from Atiba in the next couple months

To tell you the truth I don’t stop, so everything and anything. I can't really tell what the future holds but I believe its good things.  I feel like we can do for Orlando what Jay-Z did for New York or Diddy does for New York or what Rick Ross is doing for Maimi. We can accomplish what we want in a positive way and then help everyone else create a dynasty where we have clothing lines, we're in real-estate and we're owning parts of basketball teams or baseball teams.. I believe we can do it, if I don’t do it myself, hopefully I can open the door for another cat.