Here comes Fudgie…30 years later

Dancehall artiste and producer Mr G, aka Goofy, credits his breakthrough 1996 hit Fudgie for opening several doors for his career. The deejay, who started his Young Blood Records label in 1999, went on to score major success as a producer. “Fudgie changed my life drastically,” he told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview. “Mi buss [got the breakthrough] at the end of August and, within months, I signed a deal with EMI/BMG Records in the United Kingdom. Early the next year I was able to purchase my first apartment in Kingston,” Mr G recalled. Fudgie, produced by Danny Browne of Main Street Records, opened the floodgates for subsequent hits, including I Don’t Give a Damn, Big Man Little Yute with Red Rat, Buff Bay, Normal, Nah Stoop Low (with Chico), and Brush Yuh Teeth from Mawning. Mr G shared the back story behind the origins of Fudgie and how the song became a hit. “Me and [recording artiste] Mad Anju were walking along Donmair Road when a fudge man rode by on his bicycle. Mad Anju said, ‘Here comes Fudgie’, and I asked him if I could use the line in a song. My ears always indicated to me when I heard something special,” said Mr G. He indicated that while it was not easy-going, he always had confidence in the track. “I always knew Fudgie would have been a hit. I voiced the song three times for three different producers before it became a hit. I did it in 1994 for Junior Fender, who was my first manager, then I recorded it for Collin Fat, but he didn’t release the song,” he said. He headed over to Main Street Records, a fledgling label at the time that had among its roster the likes of Papa San, General Degree, Richie Stephens, and Lady G. There he presented the song to Browne, who told him that he had a rhythm for up-and-coming artistes to ‘voice on’. Mr G later accompanied Richie Stephens and General Degree to a stage show that was being held at a nightclub at the foot of Spur Tree Hill heading to St Elizabeth. There he tested the song Fudgie to see what the response would be like. “The song mash up the show. Monday after the show I went to Arrows [studio] to cut a dub plate for the song and I bought a fudge horn downtown and included the horn in the song. After that, I jumped on a taxi from Spanish Town and went all the way down to Irie FM in Ocho Rios and gave the dub plate to Big A (Ainsworth Higgins). He said the song would change my life. And it did,” Mr G shared. While travelling in the taxi on his way back to Kingston, Mr G heard the song being played several times. This continued for the next few days and, within a week, a promoter contacted Main Street Records wanting to book Mr G for his very first performance at Orchid Great House in Westmoreland. “Fudgie gave me my first paid show at Orchid Great House in Westmoreland and, from there, everything fell into place. Hits after hits,” said Mr G. Last month he released his latest musical juggling, titled I Shall Be Released rhythm, on his Young Blood Records imprint. It features the songs Weh Mi Woulda by Eminoxx, If You Love Me by Little John, Broken Promises by Phalcon, Baby Mother by Renigad, Mind Over Matter by Spanner Banner, You Don’t Deserve by Pinchers, If You Were Mine by Christopher Martin and Jesse Royal, No Substitute by Romain Virgo, and Free Up Di Youths by Mr G and Richie Spice. I Shall Be Released rhythm is a remake of the beat accompanying the song of the same name by The Heptones, which was released in 1969. “What I try to do, as a producer, is to preserve our culture and, by preserving our culture, sometimes we revisit some rhythms and give them a fresh sound, a fresh energy, whether it’s the artistes that are established or new artistes. We try to do things that will spark and create that buzz and resonate with people,” Mr G reasoned. Mr G’s credentials as a producer are impeccable. Among the hits he has produced are 100 Dollar Bag by Beenie Man; Wah Dis Fada, the breakthrough hit for Mad Anju; Eva Clean by Beenie Man; Breath of Fresh Air by Warrior King; Ben Ova by RDX; Oh, My Lord by Chuck Fenda; Wife and Sweetheart by Christopher Martin and Romain Virgo; and Martin’s collaborative hit Leave People Business Alone.