Taming a musical rebellion
The renaissance of a producer

By Alemayehu Seife Selassie

On any other day the term Shifta [rebel] has a negative connotation but there is one young artist that is striving to show the other side of the word. Born from an Ethio- Jamaican father, and brought up in the US, this artist has become a man of three nationalities. Currently waiting for a hit single this artist is on his way to the international stages. Coming to Ethiopia long before he got into music, he has searched for his roots and in his songs. But as regards to the question, “Who is Shifta? His father and producer that drooped by Addis Ababa last for a promotional visit best explains.

“In birth he just took the name I took Tamirat Shifta Meson. But in our business we go by the name we create. Our name we get by birth, does not carry us anywhere”. Says Fras, father and producer of the artist. Back in the days this producer used to be known as Pipper and his artists has been popular around the world in the late 80s and early 90s. The father and producer of this young up-coming artist is responsible for producing albums for artists such as Lady Soul, General Degree, Reggie Stepper, Joseph Stepper and Singing Sweet. But he suddenly stopped producing albums in 1995.

Remembering how he got into music brings a good smile on Fras’s face. “There is this musician called Reggie Stepper, he used to be my guarder in Jamaica. And he used to beg me to take him to the studio and one day I said as a joke, lets go to the studio. And the first song he did has become a hit song and the second song he did ‘Original Kimball King’ is up to today, one of the biggest songs”.
Coming late after his father stopped producing, Shifta did not get similar enthusiasm and support from his father as Reggie.

Fras explains that the betrayal of artists is something, which has, drove him away from the life of production. “You spend a year or so, on an artist, spending your time and money. The money you can always get back but the energy and the effort you put in is something you cannot get back. During that time I almost lost my family because, I did not spend enough time. How could you pay back a man who has lost his family? When your kids become eight and nine, how are you going to pay for years of neglect?” But the time he needed to dedicate for his family, did not let him stop what he loved doing best. “Artists don’t give you the respect you deserve. The reason behind it is lots of people wait till you develop an artist and later on fill their head with bunch of bulls**t”, Fras said.

According to this producer, the artists do not realize that it is the producer’s effort and spending has made them get the demand later on. “In a way, I don’t blame them because 99 percent of the time artists are from the ghetto; they know no better. You can take the man out of the ghetto but you cannot take the ghetto out of the man”, explained Fras.
In 1995 Fras had a writer whose publishing he controlled and the song that was called “Tease me” which was later song by Chaka Dimus and Mr. Plier was written. “It so happens that the person who had a music was under Shifta music, when we got that international hit song for Chaka Dimus, automatically we had 25 percent to get from the publishing. The guy I worked with for two years, betrayed me and tried to sign up with another company and that killed my spirit. I get betrayed by an artist; but to get betrayed by a writer, just killed my spirit. And I said enough is enough.”

Stopping his connection with music, Pipper then joined the telecom business and started working on international call terminations. He states that business was good but later on the voice over IP technology killed it.
Up until his son brought back his spirit to produce music, Fras has been in other forms of business such as real estate.
Shifta started going into music in 2002/3 and has asked his father to get involved, but Fras was not interested. “I said to him, if you really believe in what you are doing and you are ready, I’ll hear you and I might decide to come and help you.”

The first three years of his career, Shifta did all his work on his own. During that time he created Timeless brand of dresses (gears), Fras Record and Fras dance Crew.
Despite starting singing in the beginning of 2000, Shifta only got advices and opinions from his father side. “In 2005 Shifta came to me and said, Dad, listen to this one and he was working on a remix of 50 Cents’s ‘I’ll take you to the Candy Shop’ (I’ll take you to the Ganjoa Shop). And I said, Sh#t! It just brought back my soul. Now I have heard what I wanted to hear. And now we are going to build you a record company.”

Creating his fan base from High School, in Miami, Shifta has broadened his popularity over parts of Europe. And Fras has started getting his former glory, “In Jamaica they call me the General and he is the Captain of the ship. Currently he likes to concentrate on his music but this is his label. He is going to takeover this in a while for this is his show. He has just asked me to take care of it.”

When Fras decided to plant his seed once again, he had something more to gain than just producing songs. “This time I am not doing it for myself. I am doing it for my son.”
Having seven kids, Fras states that his job as a father was to teach them right from wrong and he has no say in their choice of life. “I am not trying to tell them to go do this and that. What you choose you live with. When you go to prison, it is you who go to prison not I. he becomes a prime minister it is him that becomes the prime minister not I.”

Fras has lived in the US for ten years studying Business Administration. But he states that he did not like the life there and he got back to Jamaica where he currently resides.
Born from an Ethiopian mother and a Jamaican father Fras was born in the sixties.
Shifta lives between Miami and Jamaica. Like his father, Shifta will also graduate in business administration from a university in Miami in a couple of months’ time.
Shifta has done 20-30 single music mixes working with other producers.
Referring to the power of Shifta to carry a positive message, Fras said, “Shiftas are the ones who got you out of the Dergue, which is communism to liberalism. Is it the Shiftas who made Addis the way it is today? Or is it the Dergue?”

But the name Shifta has also got another meaning for this producer. “”My brother fought for 30 years, he left west indies University and later on became minister of foreign Affairs, and when my son was born, my brother was still in the field, and that is why they call him Shifta.”
Shifta’s first name Tamirat means miracle, and his father expects that this one is going to be a miraculous rebel. For marketing purpose however he has decided to use his middle name.
Currently Shifta is doing all kinds of reggae and raga songs. And his producer has set plans for him to play it all until the crowd decides which one they like best. “In dance hall you have girl music, band man music, and it is really hard to give message in these types. In settled music you give your positive message. Some of the songs may degrade women. But that is what dance hall does.”

Among the other two artists this producer has started working with one is Farel. And he expects that between him, his son and Frank

March 3, 2007