Jah Cure Says He Was The First Artist To Record A Hit Song ‘Illegally’ From Prison

Reggae and Dancehall singer Jah Cure has declared that he was the “first human being on earth, the planet, to make music from prison and hit No. 1 worldwide.” The Never Find crooner, in a recent Instagram video, sought to set the record straight for those who, perhaps, believe that accolade belongs to Vybz Kartel.

Jah Cure, 42, whose real name is Siccaturie Alcock, was arrested back in November 1998, and served an 8-year prison sentence for twice raping, and robbing a woman at gunpoint. Cure, who was 19 at the time, vowed that he had never seen her before.

During his imprisonment, the young singer’s popularity skyrocketed during the last leg of his sentence following the release of his hit singles Longing For (2005), Love Is (2005), and True Reflection (Prison Walls) (2007).

“Let me tell you dis. Before Instagram come in, me do the world the greatest justice. I want the world to know this, don’t forget that I am the first person in the world …” he began in the Instagram video. “I, Jah Cure, is the first human being on earth, the planet to make music from prison and hit number one worldwide.”

“For those of you who don’t have the full bio listen this, … please write this down cause mi need fi make uno know mi accolades and mi levels and why Jah Cure is Jah Cure.”

“I am the first human being to make music illegally in prison, you hear what I said ‘illegally’, he reiterated, before explaining to his fans how he pulled it off. The Unconditional Love singer, who is currently in Europe, admitted that he had smuggled recording equipment into his tiny one-man cell to produce many of his songs before being transferred from the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre to the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, which had a music programme and a digital recording studio that the inmates could use.

“I bring a piece ah machine in a di prison and the warden that gave it to me said, ‘Jah Cure anybody ask you how you get this, tell dem say a me, Mr. Simmo,” he said. “Mr. Simmo big up youself, any weh you deh a Spanish Town mi haffi find you, you hear, you nuh forgotten.”

It appears Jah Cure didn’t snitch on Mr. Simmo, however, but instead concocted a story to tell the authorities when they finally caught on to the operation.

“When the authorities came down on me in there, I lied, I said, ‘Bob Marley dead long time and still have song a release, mi did record dem song deh already’, he recalled. “But I insight my own laugh to say nothing bout music is illegal. Music cant be illegal and it alone mi a smuggle, all now mi nuh do nutt’n else, seen.”

Jah Cure gained critical and popular acclaim with the release of his first three albums during his incarceration and a fourth that dropped when he was paroled in July 2007. His first big international hit, Longing For, charted at No. 7 on the BBC’s Urban Music Chart in 2005. That year, BBC promoted the Jamaican lovers rock Reggae crooner as the “hottest artist anywhere right now”.

Jah Cure said his records Longing For and Prison Walls remain some of his biggest tracks. “Mi hit number one [in] how much countries with Longing For and I did it again with Prison Walls [in] many places. My biggest song today, no matter wha mi do ah Longing For”, he said.  “So I realize dat mi first song from jail up to now a mi biggest song.”

He also explained that big celebrities like Drake, French Montana, Keri Hilson, and Chris Brown have declared Longing For their favorite track from his catalog.

Upon his release from prison in 2007, Jah Cure went on to release four other albums bringing a total of eight: Free Jah’s Cure The Album the Truth (2000), Ghetto Life (2003), Freedom Blues (2005), True Reflections…A New Beginning (2007), The Universal Cure (2009), World Cry (2013), The Cure (2015), and Royal Soldier (2019).

The Cure, which featured songs like All Of Me, That Girl and Rasta, earned Jah Cure his first Grammy nomination.  The Reggae superstar recently announced that he is adding the final touches to a new album, titled Undeniable, and, in his estimation, it is also worthy of Grammy consideration.