Upcoming dancehall artiste Chase Cross. - Contributed

Along the dirt-covered streets of Cassava Piece, where jubilant kids were seen playing football, Chase Cross - a Mavado protégé - sat on a piece of broken stool, glancing over his shoulders at passersby, then opened up to talk about his steady rise on the music scene.

From the depths of the gutter comes the 24-year-old entertainer, born Sameer Coombs, who is readily waiting to make his own name.

music a mi life

"Music a mi life still, ennuh. And that a weh me a go use fi mek Chase Cross a real name inna di thing," he said.

Cross, who declares himself dancehall's newest 'rapjay', has made his entrance on to the dancehall music scene with his single Better Days on the Clearance rhythm, which has been getting favourable airplay.

"Me a come wid something different. My style is not all rap, a just flow me a flow, just like how yuh have singjay like Mavado, me rapjay," he added.

The singer grew up in a single-parent home, with his mother, Sonia Mais, and faced numerous challenges while trying to make it in the tough community of Arnett Gardens.

His musical affiliation with the self-proclaimed 'Gully God', Mavado, started in 2004 when his family decided to move to Cassava Piece.

struggles

"We guh through a lot of struggles still, living in wi board house an' ting, but as mi say inna mi song, thank mama for tha mackerel and dumpling, because without she, it would be a lot rougher," he said.

Cross has made several appearances on shows overseas, where he often shares the stage with Mavado, giving patrons a taste of what is to come.

His aim is to take the local scene by storm this summer. "Mavado call me out on every show and mi nah tell nuh lie, the responses have been great. Me have to give thanks. Sometimes I wonder if the people know the song already," he said.

He added: "Now di aim is to capture di summer a come up."

The singer said he expects to be called upon again by Mavado at this year's Reggae Sumfest.

In the meantime, Chase Cross is hoping to complete his singles Many A Times and Big Up The General in time to be released this summer.