Dane Ray, Producer Of Koffee’s ‘Lockdown’, Nominated For Prime Minister Award
Dancehall producer, Dane Ray, has scored a nomination for Jamaica’s Prime Minister’s National Youth Award For Excellence, in the category of Arts and Culture.
The 28-year-old is one of seven nominees for excellence in the category of Arts and Culture and is considered a strong contender for the award.
The award which was established in 1998, is the highest honour bestowed upon Jamaican youth who have achieved eminent national and international distinction, in the areas of Leadership, International Achievement, Innovation in Science and Technology, Sport, Academics, Journalism/E-Journalism, Entrepreneurship, Nation Building, Youth Development, Agriculture, Environmental Protection and Arts and Culture.
Born Waldane Hampton, Ray is perhaps best known for his production on Koffee’s Lockdown and Rygin King’s hit single Tuff and Popcaan’s hit Numbers Don’t Lie from his Vanquish mixtape.
During the summer, he and Koffee created history for the Grammy princess’ Lockdown singles, which upon its release, became the fastest track by a Jamaican reggae artiste to surpass a million views on YouTube in 48 hours.
Dane Ray also featured as Koffee’s front set passenger in the Lockdown music video, which also featured the likes of Popcaan and Skillibeng.
Based on his track record, it is possible therefore, that Dane Ray will be among 30 young Jamaicans, who have excelled in various fields, who will be presented with the award during what has been described as a made-for-television ceremony.
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The PMNYAE will be aired on Television Jamaica this Sunday, December 13, beginning at 5:00pm, under the theme ‘ReThink Youth Ja’. It will also be streamed on the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s social media platforms @MOEYIJamaica, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If he cops the award, Ray will join his compatriots Koffee, Chronixx, and Romain Virgo, as stars who have previously won a Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence.
Dane Ray who is a past student of the Munroe College in St Elizabeth, is also a former national under-17 footballer. He also represented his school in the DaCosta Cup schoolboy football competition, in the past in the striker position.
The former Reggae Boy, whose given name is Waldane Hampton, hails from the tourism mecca of Ocho Rios in St Ann. He has said in interviews that at one point had aspired to be a pilot, but was encouraged by his friends to pursue music instead.
Upon leaving Munroe, Ray spent a year at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts where he studied visual arts and voice, but left the programme prematurely, to start his music career as an artiste.
Due to the unwillingness of established producers to entertain upcoming artistes, he learnt how to build his own rhythms and produce his own songs and thereafter mastered the craft.
“I used to pay producers to mix and build rhythms and I would watch them, then went home and did my research,” he told The Jamaica Observer in an interview a few months ago.