Mr Bertus salutes ancestors with ‘African Soldier’

Reggae artiste Mr Bertus said that he was inspired by his ancestors on his latest single, African Soldier.

"DJ Snow carried the riddim to me and the riddim talk to me. It called to me, the old ancestors dem. I believe in spirituality of the black African nation and it just come natural 'cause mi embed that in me. When mi hear the horns, Africa mi ah hear and the Most High, and mi nah go stray from the words the Bible taught me. Everything builds from Africa and is a joy to build a song about where my foreparents come from, mi bloodline," he said.

The song will be one of the tracks on an EP which he will be releasing through Goldmine Records this summer. He is planning a tour in the UK to support the project.

"I live and breathe music. It's in my DNA. Without music, I'm in a lost world," he said.

Born Marlon Ainsworth, Mr Bertus hails from Portmore, St Catherine. He made his recording debut while attending Bridgeport High School, performing on various shows in St Catherine. His first song was a cover of Chicago's Hard to Say I'm Sorry, produced by Michael Steer.

Influenced by Tyrone Taylor, Josey Wales, Grindsman and U-Roy, Mr Bertus' songs include Ganja For Life which has 2.5 million views on YouTube, They Have No Love featuring I Wayne for Dirtworx Records, and Things and Time for Goldmine Records.