NEW YORK – Imagine the good fortune of a New York-based Jamaican reggae artist who learned one day recently that a song he had released four years ago and had almost forgotten about has been picked up by an award-winning film maker, playwright and novelist and placed on an American television pilot.
This is exactly what happened to Brooklyn-based reggae DJ Kabbalist who discovered after the fact that his song, ‘Catwalk’ that was produced by high profile producer Mark The 45 King was used in the Nina Foxx network pilot “She’s Got ‘Is Shoes”. The pilot pokes fun at Foxx’s insatiable passion for shoes and the pulsating reggae beat provides a backdrop for her quest to start her own shoe line with the help of her daughter Sydney from ABC’s “Flash Forward” alongside a number of celebrity friends. The pilot was featured at the San Diego Black Film Festival, won an award of merit at The Accolade and was selected as the best reality short film at Atlanta’s Urban Media Makers Film Festival.
Kabbalist who is originally from Old Harbour, is no stranger to the limelight, having enjoyed previous success with hi patriotic single ‘Down In Jamaica’. He has also enjoyed stateside and Jamaica radio rotation with another single ‘Rude Boy’, but he expects that this new visibility will open some productive doors for career growth.
‘Catwalk’ made its way to the television pilot because Kabbalist gave the song to James Elan, a music industry attorney, asking him to shop the record for possible distribution deals. But with no takers after about a year, the artist forgot about the song and moved on. So it was quite a surprise when the good news was brought to his attention.
“I am thrilled that Nina Foxx heard my song and found it exciting enough to use it in her movie”, Kabbalist beamed. “The song is creating new opportunities for me four years after it was first released, and this goes to show that a good song never dies”, he continued.
Kabbalist is currently in Jamaica and he plans to do a remix of ‘Catwalk’ there to capitalize on the resurgence of the single. He also plans to shoot a video clip for ‘Catwalk’ early in the new year.
