Mr. Lexx Announces Final Album ‘Like I Never Left’ Ahead Of Retirement
Veteran Dancehall deejay Mr. Lexx is working on his final album before retirement from the industry. Speaking with DancehallMag at Shenseea’s ALPHA album launch on Tuesday, the Full Hundred deejay, 47, said his sophomore album will serve as his attempt to leave Dancehall with a bang.
“I’m planning to resign soon, so mi just a drop one more album before that. I’m looking on different things for the future. I’m going into TV and I’m gonna try a little bit of TV. I also have this podcast, and like I said I’m going into TV so I’m looking forward to making that transition. You know, I’ve been doing music for almost 30 years now so it’s time to try new things,” Lexx said.
The Jamaican entertainer said the project, titled Like I Never Left, will debut in his birth month, which is May.
Mr. Lexx said the title of the project was also deliberate.
“I’ve never really made an attempt for a comeback ever in my entire career. This is my first time I’m like, OK, let’s try to make a comeback. But, I’ve been around doing projects and you know touring and recording singles so I felt like I never left,” he added.
Born Christopher Palmer, Mr. Lexx entered the music industry in the late 1990s, under the name Lexxus. However, he switched to the moniker Mr. Lexx in the early 2000s, after Toyota warned him in a six-page letter, about infringing on their Lexus brand.
He was raised in the Mountain View area of Kingston, and is a former student at the now-defunct Fox Drama School in Kingston. He first showcased his deejaying skills in 1992 at the popular Sunday night dances held in Kingston’s Harbour View area, which featured Super Dee sound system. Back then, representatives from the New York-based label Natural Bridge Records who witnessed his performance brought him to the Mixing Lab recording studios in Kingston, where the then 16-year-old recorded his first single, Own A Home, an ode to independent women.
Under VP Records, Lexx had a series of hits in the 1990s to 2000s, including Get Wid It, Full Hundred, Ring Mi Cellie, Cook, Stress, Clothes A Nuh Yuh Problem, Halla Halla, Let Those Monkeys Out, War Start, and Video Light.
In 2000, his debut album titled Mr. Lex spent five weeks on the Billboard Reggae Chart and peaked at No. 12.
Wayne Wonder’s Anything Goes (2003) which featured Mr. Lexx and American hip-hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga had peaked at No. 85 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart
Mr. Lexx’s last project was the 7-track EP titled Touch Down, which was released in August 2020, and had featured several upcoming artists.
In January this year, the deejay experienced the scare of his life after his right lung collapsed ten minutes into a performance. He subsequently underwent emergency surgery.
During Tuesday’s interview, Mr. Lexx said he was advised to take eight weeks to properly recuperate, and at present, he’s 90 percent better. The deejay said he has a newfound appreciation for life and health.
“It was a frightening experience and I thank God I’m here to talk about it still,” he told DancehallMag. “I wouldn’t wish that on anybody else. Thank God I’m here and I live through it. In general, the whole thing just teach me (to) cherish the small moments and value the people around you. It was such a frightening experience. I cherish life more, I cherish my family more, my kids more…my friends. It’s just, value the small things, you know.”