Lisa Hype - Rudolph Brown

On her neck, Lisa Hype - the outspoken 'first lady' of the Portmore Empire camp - has a tattoo marked 'Empire'. 'Gaza' and 'Hype' are neatly etched on her knuckles and she proudly displays them. For her, it symbolises the birthplace of her sudden rise into dancehall under the watchful eyes of the lyrically-gifted deejay Vybz Kartel.

The 20-year-old singjay, born Felecia Gooden, from Fifth Phase in Waterford, Portmore, St Catherine, said she is happy with the direction of her career as she is being mentored by one of the best.

"He is just great," she said of Vybz Kartel.

high standards

"When it comes to our (which includes Blak Ryno and Jahvinci) career he doesn't joke around. Him always set high standards for us."

The nude promotional photo she took with Vybz Kartel for the single Wine For Me has sparked a lot of criticism but she said: "When you have a certain respect for someone it doesn't appear to be anything. When he asked about it (the photo) I did not hesitate. Me see the work and it a build. Pupa (Vybz Kartel) done tell me say 2009 is my year."

Two years ago Lisa Hype joined Portmore Empire. For her it was a dream come true. "Nothing felt better than that because Pupa had always promised to turn me into a star," she laughed.

Two years on, the singer, who is the sister of upcoming reggae artiste Sidra, is gaining recognition with hit songs such as Champion Bubbler and Wine For Me.

"I am glad because I see the work that I was doing. When I go on the road people just go crazy," she said.

From an early age Lisa Hype wanted to do music and being around Vybz Kartel inspired her even more. So much so, that "I write out the lyrics of his songs and sell it to the students at my school. It was easy for me because I was around him all the time so I got the chance to catch the lyrics faster."

According to her, Vybz Kartel's desire for success has propelled her to reach for bigger and better things.

'Pupa mi bruk'

"You have times when me call him and say Pupa mi bruk. He would ask why I am. If am not at the studio, he would say that's why you broke because you not at studios voicing tunes.

"They say you can't really predict the future but I am going to be big in this world. I vision something that most people wouldn't dream of," she added.

And that is? "I want Lisa Hype to be a wholesome name. Not only that but I want to go further than where Lady Saw will reach. Sure my style is different and I might not be as hard-core as she is. But look at it. When you put in the hard work it always pay off," she said.