Zareb, on the debut album of Fantan Mojah, ‘Hail The King', you were still listed as Mr. Flash, but then only shortly afterwards there was your own debut ‘Authentic Love' that you released under the moniker Zareb. What happened there?
Zareb: "Some friends of mine came up to me and told me the name Mr. Flash wasn't really befitting the type of songs I was doing now. The name Zareb was given to me by Mr. Stephenson from Free People Entertainment and everywhere I go people respond to it positively."
Does it have a meaning?
Zareb: "Zareb means "the protector". When I first heard that, I said: "Ok, I can protect the people with my music!""
Your debut album was released on the Pow Pow label in Germany. How did you hook up with those guys?
Zareb: "Pow Pow came to Jamaica at one stage and I voiced a tune for them. From there we stayed linked and that's how the album thing evolved eventually."
You're also part of Fantan's Macka Tree family. How would you describe your relationship with him?
Zareb: "There's no money in the world that could buy my relationship with Fantan! It's a priceless thing, trust me. Fantan is the one who introduced me to the world. I could never pay for what he has done for me, so I just have to give thanks."
How exactly did you get into the music business?
Zareb: "My parents wanted to send me off to learn a trade. They wanted me to become a welder, but I ran off and left that behind pretty quickly! (laughs) At first I ended up with Virgo Man, who owns a label called Pure & Clean. I've already been doing music for over fifteen years, you know, but it's only now that my career is beginning to bear fruits."
You chose to walk a conscious path now, doing Jah music. You could just as well have chosen the easier path and do slack dancehall tunes instead...
Zareb: "Well, I think whatever is inside a person will come out. I have nuff love inside of me, so that's what I try and put out there."
When we say Rastafari, what does that term represent in your opinion?
Zareb: "Rastafari is the head creator, he who governs all things. Rastafari can make the four corners of the earth light up! I don't really see Rastafarianism as a religion, you know; it's a way of life. We fight against corruption, wickedness in high and low places. Now if you choose to praise Jesus or Allah, mi nah go burn that, because the creator made us all!"
For the first time in history there's now a black man in the White House. As a slave descendant, what does that represent to you?
Zareb: "First and foremost: good vibes! (laughs) It's like a balance that has been brought back into equilibrium and above all else it shows that, no matter what, you can make it happen if you try. With persistence and focus the sky is the limit!"