Disajust-Stepa whose real name is Fenton Collins is a Guyana-born reggae and dancehall music artist currently living in the South of France since 1995. He directs a group of five men who together perform in the French Republic under the name ‘All Nation Crew’.
Singers Alpha-Touré, Johanna Gueye, Jean-Joel Marceline, Jules Naravine and the rhythm producer Jimmy Bomela are French, Collins being the only original Caribbean native.
He was born in New Amsterdam, Berbice but grew up on the Corentyne coast in Number 52 Village, Stanleytown with his grandmother Agnes Renna Collins and his aunt Maureen. He described his youth to be very cool and well spent. At the age of ten the family packed their bags and left for the Barbican Capital where he grew comfortable to the New Amsterdam town life, subsequently attending the Berbice Educational Institute for two years before moving to France at the age of twelve.
For reasons he said he was too young to understand, he moved from his family in Guyana to live with his mother Patricia Collins who was already stationed in France.
His first step in the foreign land was in the capital, Paris where he said the people were friendly; he then travelled to the South of the country to meet his mother at the small village of Cuers where the people were less friendly but it was a life he knew he had to adapt to. He now lives in a city named La Garde, Var.
Guyana’s motto “One People One Nation One Destiny” was influential to Fenton. He said it was this motto he lived by that comforted him in a strange land even to this day. In 2007 he created the All Nation Crew from a group of friends who enjoyed the Caribbean culture and the rhythm of our music. “We came together as one,” he said. “By the love of music we came together as one.”
In an email interview with The Scene, Disajust-Stepa expressed that the group ‘All Nations Crew’ is to unite all people through the love of music and to promote freedom of speech for those who cannot. Since 2007 they have performed in small private shows, some cafes and restaurants and birthday celebrations. They sing only their original songs: “Ghetto Youth”, “Our Reason”, “Real friends”, “Pon Top” and “Homeless”. Their live French audiences seem to have a fascination over this genre of music. The crew seems to have a buzz on YouTube and other media sites online.
Today they sing reggae and dancehall in both English and French and the Caribbean music industry serves as inspiration for them, so they don’t stray far away from the birthplace of their musical genres. Disajust-Stepa expressed that one day he hopes the crew can afford to travel to this region to share what they do in Europe, for him it is “Pure fire, good vibes and sharing with the people” that accounts for music in life.
He noted that he has always loved singing ever since he was a child growing up in Berbice; the county was very spiritual and the elders would always be singing or chanting. At the age of five he started singing gospel music in church. One of the fondest memories he shared was singing for the late president Desmond Hoyte at the reopening ceremony of the Stanleytown Church in the Ancient County.
Spirituality is inner power for Disajust-Stepa, he idolises Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Thomas Sankara, Bob Marley and all the people in human history that stood for peace. Music for him is an influential power for the universal peace movement, he despises artiste who sing about the promotion of drugs and alcohol. “[I have] no respect to the artist who make the youths dem push up crimes and are left behind. Who feel it, knows it!” he said, “In life we have to be an example not a sample, so to all the youths of today and tomorrow do the right thing! Stay on the right side, Jah always guides.”
Motivation comes from the world changing around him, the people and their love. His wife, son and his crew push him to fulfil what he considers is his destiny: unity through music. He said music is his whole world right now and takes up a lot of his time. “[No matter] where music and people will put me, anywhere, I will still [be] blazing the fire,” he expressed.
He has recorded dozens of songs that are currently online, he even has a musical EP (Extended Play) out which features a collaboration with DJ Sir Troyan Dub Kidda of the United Kingdom. He promises a CD release in the coming months which would be available online, his mentioned that his album is near completion but awaits distributive partners to release in France and internationally.
To have a taste of the All Nation Crew, log on to http://www.youtube. com/user/disajuststepa, http://www.reverbnation.com/allnationcrew and https:// soundcloud.com/disajuststepa-guyana/sets/ruff-n-tuff-again-sirtroyan
