´óÏó´«Ã½

Going back to the album, how do you think it fits in with the other body of work you've released?
I always try to make every bit of work different. This one represents where I am today, musically. Working with Dave Stewart has added other elements to my work, along with all the other artists that have contributed. Joe Strummer, Sting, Annie Lennox have all added their own influences to the album. It's really an outstanding piece of work.

You've had a substantial impact on the industry over the years. Do you ever reflect upon how much you've achieved?
It has been a rocky road, so I've never really reflected back on it in that way. There have been times when I have found it hard to be who I am. I just give thanks and am grateful to be able to say "hey, look I'm still producing great work and I still have a lot more to do".

You performed at the MOBOs the other night, how did you find that?
That was great. You know black music from different origins is very important right now, it's inspiring and influential. Lots of what's going on now actually started in Jamaica. To be performing with some of those artists and to see them doing things that I contributed to start was really gratifying. It was really something, really nice for me.

Do you look at younger black artists today and come away with a positive feeling about the future of black music?
When I look at someone like Ms Dynamite, I come away with a positive feeling. It's hard, especially for female artists, to not make it all about showing meat. And she's not about showing meat, she wants to show us what's in her mind, "this is what I'm feeling, seeing". And that's a positive way to go.

There's a tendency for the media to dwell on the violence associated with some black music. What do you think about that?
The media always has to have someting to rally about. It's just like that. It's all about sensationalism. If someone saves a life or does a good deed, it's not going to be jumped upon as much as bad deed. It's a sad thing in our society and the media will always feed it to us. As artists we have to stay positive and keep giving out positive messages, while realising that the two aspects exist. There's always going to be some less positive messages in all cultures. It's a reality of our time.

Is there anyone from the line-up of the MOBOs that you'd like to work with?
Ms Dynamite, absolutely. She's an artist that really represents what's happening now and I'm an artist that always stays in tune with what's happening. I'm proud of what's happened in the past, I respect it and love it, but I don't live in the past, I live now. To work with someone who's really tuning into now would be a great thing for me to do.