Capleton receives proclamation from the city of Brampton, Canada

A video of veteran dancehall artiste Capleton arriving in a fire truck at last weekend’s staging of the Soul Food Caribbean Festival’s Fire in the Park in Vaughn, Ontario, Canada has been making the rounds on social media. But the deejay whose real name is Clifton Bailey III is celebrating a major milestone coming out of his visit to Canada. Last Friday, he received a proclamation from Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton. The citation read in part, “The city of Brampton proudly acknowledges your dedication to the local community and your continued efforts to use music and the arts of bringing people together, inspiring others, and celebrating our city’s diverse cultural heritage. Your passion, talent and commitment to the community have made a meaningful impact, and your contributions to the music industry, serve as an inspiration to emerging artistes and future generations.” When Observer Online caught up with Capleton on Tuesday shortly after his return to the island, he was quite upbeat about the recognition from the Brampton Mayor. “When I read the words of the proclamation from the city of Brampton it inspires me to keep working hard in the music industry because I see how much of a positive impact I’ve had on people’s lives. It made me also reflect on the many years I’ve worked in the music [industry] and spreading the message of Rastafari,” said Capleton. “Receiving this proclamation from the mayor signifies the power of Jamaica and our culture. It also shows that reggae music is very much alive and impacts people of different countries and ethnicities. It also highlights my work as a community activist playing a role to develop St Mary,” he added. This was Capleton’s first time in Canada in 11 years. He recalled the reception that he received from the fans after he hit stage at Fire in the Park. “The people were lively and gave me a fiery reception. You can tell they were hungry for the culture and consciousness. They were energetic and lively, and I really enjoyed performing for them again,” he shared. Gyptian, D’Yani and Malie Donn were the other artistes who performed at the event. Commenting on his arrival to the show in a fire truck, Capleton said, “Well I’m known as the fireman who uses the fire as a metaphor for purification. My fire can never be put out so we used the fire truck as a symbol of my ever-burning passion in me for the music. At first the people thought the fire truck was coming to lock off the show, but they went into a frenzy when they saw it was me in the fire truck then going on stage.”