Jeff Fullyauto Talks ‘Jericho’, ‘Big Guns’, ‘Dear God’, “Dutty Song’ and Fast Rising Music Career – Watch Full Interview
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October 16, 2022
Jeffrey Grant Jr, more popularly known by his stage name Jeff Fullyauto, made an appearance on Winford Williams’ talk show Onstage where he discussed his music and the impact that the recent ban on choppa and gun music has on him as an artiste.
Jeff Fullyauto, with a name that incorporates the use of a type of gun, rose to fame in dancehall for his explicit gun lyrics. He is mostly known for the songs, Dear God, Dutty Song, Jericho, Shots, and Big Guns.
When asked about how his music began to gain traction, Jeff stated that his rise was explosive and that Dear God gave him a foothold in Jamaica while Big Guns took him international throughout the Caribbean. Williams inquired what Big Guns was about to which Jeff chuckled and responded, “Guns.”
Expounding, he voiced that the song did not initially begin to make rounds on the island and that the song was about “protection” rather than gun violence. “We’re not trying to like, instigate badness but we’ll protect ourselves at any cost,” he said. Dear God was written at a time when the artiste wanted to “vent”, and although the topic was not prevalent in dancehall Jeff explained, “that was me trying to vent how I was feeling at the time.”
The lyrics came about from him sending a prayer to God and ended with a song well received by the Jamaican public. He detailed, “it’s really like a prayer in the form of a song ennuh, so I feel that’s why it resonated with a lot of people.”
The Glenmuir High School graduate mentioned that the reception of the song was “overwhelming” and that to him “people are more in touch with feelings” that they can relate to rather than guns and violence.
Specifying that he does a lot of gun songs, Jeff who is currently managed by Ragz To Richez noted that to incorporate “feelings” into these songs, he sings about what is happening in society and “reality”. “My songs are a reflection of what is happening ennuh…if you want to admit it or not,” he remarked. Rather than advocating for violence, he claims to be “narrating” his surroundings.
After Williams posed the question of his views on the ban, Jeff Fullauto said, “I don’t blame them, I actually support them on banning because I understand the ideology what they’re going for. They’re trying to protect…kids…the vulnerable.” However, he also remarked that they cannot stop music from traversing the various platforms that are created for that purpose, and he is unsure of how effective the ban will be.
The outlets used to access music, as Jeff stated, are mainly YouTube and other social media platforms thus on a whole, artistes are unlikely to be affected. Regarding “the vulnerable” having access to music on these platforms, Jeff mentioned that the only solution for this issue is if there is a regression in the technological age and “them banning those types of music on the radio…it’s just a droplet in the ocean.”
Williams himself stated that as a country, we cannot be “officially promoting violence and guns and the use of drugs,” however, special consideration should be made for anyone being left behind due to the introduction of the ban.
Ultimately, Jeff Fullyauto believes that no one is an automaton, people are all comprised of their own unique thoughts and power to make their own decisions, and values and socialization also plays a part in what one considers right and wrong when parental figures fall short on guidance.
His word of advice for children who are less fortunate in the parental guidance department is, “with Christ, anything is possible…listen some Dear God…seek help from people who are actually doing well and stop idolizing people who are menaces to society.”
Watch the full interview below:
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