Ryno is back in blak

Having waited years to find that big break in dancehall music, deejay Blak Ryno has found favour with his distinctively high-pitched voice.

Born Romain Anderson, Ryno dominates as a competent singer, deejay and lyricist.

He began his musical journey in 2000 when he met deejay Vybz Kartel, who lived in the same Waterford scheme in Portmore where the young artiste resides.

At age 21, Ryno’s Thug Anthem is arguably one of the top three songs on Stephen McGregor’s new Day Rave rhythm. Bend Over on the Work Out rhythm, another of Ryno’s songs, is also a top contender.

While some womenlove Blak Ryno’s explicit lyrics, it is the men who rate the deejay for songs such as See It Deh and Nuh Permission.

Citing Kartel as his musical idol, Ryno also admires the art of singers such as Sizzla and I Wayne. When THE STAR spoke with the artiste recently he described himself as having always been ‘musically inclined’.

top priority

He said: “I’ve always wanted to do music it’s always a priority, mi always used to deh in front of di radio a keep up with all the new songs. Then in 2000 a fren of mine who was also a fren of Kartel’s introduced us. Mi do a song and him hear it and him like it, him seh mi have nuff potential… suh mi tek di time and grow inna di business.”

A member of Kartel’s Portmore Empire, Ryno says being around his mentor has taught him to be humble and to have respect for others. Musically, Kartel has taught the artiste how to organise his songs and how to keep on key.

exposure

According to Ryno his song Mek Di Paper gave him the exposure he needed to ‘buss’ in the business. Since then he has been working with producers such as Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor, Jordan from Chimney Records, Not Nice from Addijah Records and TJ from TJ Records.

So far, Ryno’s distinctive image has earned him a spot on numerous stage shows including the prestigious Reggae Sumfest. Ryno recently returned from a tour in Switzerland and is getting ready to tour France. He has also done shows in England, St Martin, Barbados, among others.

more work to be done

While the artiste has been gaining popularity, Ryno believes there is a lot of work to be done. “I still have a lot of work to do, which I’m still going to do, I have a lot of songs to do, more riddims to go on, I don’t have the time to relax and get comfortable,” he commented.

For the future, Blak Ryno hopes to get his name known on an international level.