Dancehall star Khago says he is still making a decent living earning from dubplates, and that in doing so, he has been earning more money than he would make from live performances.
“I use to want to get new hit songs, but God show mi seh mi have songs that can bring mi money. And from I start promoting myself on my platforms, I get so much dubplates based on my catalogue that I am earning comfortable,” the Walk a Mile singer explained in a recent interview with The Star tabloid.
“Sometimes dubplate money is more than what yuh get when yuh a run up and down a do stage show. Fi real… And because of how my platform run smooth, I get a lot of work for other artistes in the dubplate business. Me not rich, but mi can tek care of myself and my sons,” he added.
Nevertheless, Khago said that earning from dubplates could result in artists becoming lackadaisical and foregoing writing and releasing new songs, which is the essence of an artist’s career.
“But it can mek yuh wutless to. Because yuh so busy a do dubplate and a collect that yuh forget about putting out new tunes,” he added.
In June 2021, Khago had revealed that 2020 was his greatest year in music in terms of reaping monetary rewards after he began recording dubplates for fans across the world at his home studio. According to him, his triumph came after he endured a situation that brought him to tears.
In his usual dramatic fashion, Khago had outlined the circumstances that led to what he said was his most momentous windfall in his then 11-year career.
“Last year a mi best year inna music. The pandemic month was mi best year ever. God send a piece a ‘crop’ come gi mi maasa. Di way how di crop nice, a wish pandemic start ova,” the Manchester native began.
The One More Time artist had then outlined how he was cash-strapped in the United States for six years and was being maintained by his wife Francine, as he was neither collecting royalties from his hit songs, getting bookings for shows nor was he being voiced by producers.
Khago, whose given name is Ricardo Gayle, explained further that on one fateful day, he had gone to the supermarket with his young son, who took up an item which cost $1, but he was so broke that he could not afford to pay for it.
“Mi teck it put it back down an nuh meck him see it. An is a white man see it an just carry it an come pay fi it and carry it come gi mi. And mi ride off mi bicycle and mi cry and mi bawl like a baby an seh ‘yow, how mi sing so much big song inna music an caan afford suppm fi dollar fi m son’”, Khago had recounted.
The singjay said that following that incident Francine doubled down and encouraged him to push himself, reminding him that he had earning power as he was author and singer of one of the biggest, most timeless songs in Jamaica.
According to Khago, his wife’s empowering words served as the impetus for him to spring into action and, to do what he described as using “Chiney man style” and his voice to rake in the cash.
“Mi jus tun mi phone pon myself and just guh inna mi studio and mi seh: ‘hundred and fifty dolla fi three Khago dubplate’. An mi a tell you seh mi neva si so much money inna mi life!” he had recounted.
“Chiney man style bredda. If dem naw voice yuh fi di $250, mi tell dem and seh 150 fi three and when mi check a stock, people from Zimbabwe – all Jeezas want dub,” he quipped then.
“Now mi up it to 250 fi six. Lord Jeezas Christ… trust mi. Mi voice more dan 500,000 dub from last year!” he had exclaimed.
