Since 2010, Marvin Clarke, better known as Wasp, has been an artist who has had a heart for the disenfranchised members of Jamaican society. His street anthem, “Unfair Officer”, was a song that championed the cause of the trying man. The writing in “Unfair Officer ” placed an indictment on law enforcement who would unjustly bring an end to parties and dances prematurely. In many poverty-stricken communities in Jamaica, the revenue derived from entertainment events are a major source of income for many persons; hence why this track resonated with so many and put Wasp on the map.
In respect to the lyricist’s legacy, we felt it would be remiss not to inquire about the origins of the track that first brought him to the hearts and minds of dancehall fans across the world. The Cassia Park native told us that: “It was in about 2009 that I found the hit song ‘Unfair Officer’. I wrote that song at the Children Hospital (Bustamante Hospital for Children). At the time, my little nephew who was 1 year old broke his foot. When I saw his foot in the cast and the pain he was in, the first line of the song came to me – “Life is so unfair.” When I had that thought, a voice in my head said to me I should talk about life being unfair in a song.”
Being a songwriter forces you to trust the process of life, because the way inspiration finds you might change even while working on the same song. Wasp attests to this in his account of creating “Unfair Officer”: “After I wrote the ‘Life is so unfair’ line, the only thing that kept coming to me after was, ‘Mi not even sell a crate of beer!’ That conflicted me because I was thinking it seemed strange that my nephew’s broken foot was the initial inspiration for the song, then I started talking about not being able to sell alcohol? It didn’t make sense in my head at the time.”
Wasp’s wit and knack for immaculate flows are worthy of far more recognition and praise within the dancehall space. The defiantly determined deejay is unaffected by the tumultuous journey he has had in the Jamaican music industry thus far. He is compelled to prove that his poignant lyricism will break barriers and set precedence in dancehall. Known for his uncanny freestyling ability and creative spin on hip hop remixes, Wasp is fearless about his musical ambitions.
Wasp possesses unwavering confidence in his lyrical ability, but still maintains an air of humility. This sense of humility is what allows him to give credit to the incomparable Adidja Palmer, and he expressed gratitude for being able to collaborate with the dancehall legend: “Doing a song with Vybz Kartel is like a dream come true! When I hear a lot of people say 2020 was the worst year, I dont share the same sentiment because that was the year I got to work with Addi. Anybody who knows me, knows that I look up to Vybz Kartel as one of the top lyricists in dancehall and I would like to think of myself as a top lyricist as well. I always wanted to show my skills with some of the best.”
Wasp shared with us the story of how the collaboration came about: “Joyner Lucas, a popular rapper from the USA, had a song entitled ‘Will’ which was an ode to Will Smith. ZJ West sent me the riddim and told me he wanted me to do a remix giving Vybz Kartel his ‘flowers’. Seeing that he is incarcerated, I wanted to encourage him so I recorded the song and shot the video soon after. Big up Bounty Killer for posting it! He was the first one to post it, and then Vybz Kartel himself posted and my followers increased greatly. After that, I sent a message to ‘The Teacher’ requesting a verse, and ’til this day people say it’s one of the best Vybz Kartel verses ever. I really feel blessed to work with a legend such as Vybz Kartel.”
Known for his scintillating bars on hip hop beats, in closing, we asked Wasp to tell us his top three favorite lyricists in the genre. “I’m a big Jay Z fan so I would say Jay first. I would say Nas second, but for the third spot I would have to say it’s a tie between Lil Wayne and Eminem.”
