Cure was already on his way to becoming an international success when his life took a radical turn in 1998. He was stopped and arrested late one night in Montego Bay and charged with crimes, all of which he denied. He has maintained his innocence to this day all through his arrest, trial and incarceration. A non-jury trial was convened, where Cure’s defense lawyer based his case on “Identification vs. Recognition” case law. Unfortunately, based on one victim’s claim that he sounded like one of the perpetrators, Cure was sentenced in 1999 to 15 years in prison.
After serving eight years in jail, Cure was released from prison on July 28, 2007. His goal now is to spread love and to promote peace and healing, universally through his music. He believes his incarceration was Jah’s way of teaching him humility, kindness, forgiveness and love for his fellow man. Consequently, he has forgiven all those who have done him wrong, and all those who have judged him unjustly and unfairly.
Cure was born in Hanover, Jamaica on October 11, 1978. As a young man, he’d sneak out of his bedroom window late at night to visit local dance halls and stage shows. He also attended the annual Reggae Sunsplash in his community, where he saw the great Reggae icons performing: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffith, Garnett Silk, Yami Bolo, Jacob Miller and Black Uhuru. By the age of 11, he made the decision to become a part of that elite group becoming a reggae star and an icon was his dream and his sole mission. Initially using the name “Little Melody,” Siccaturie began his musical onslaught on the public. He soon became the talk of Jamaica and was well on his way to success. His voice started to leave an indelible impression in the streets, and at the age of 15, he moved to Kingston, where he met Capleton, Sizzla and Jah Mason. Little Melody was about to fulfill his dream.
Capleton, the world renowned Jamaican artist, and the David House Crew later bestowed on Siccaturie the name “Jah Cure” primarily because of the vast amount of herb he smoked a daily custom of his Rastafarian religion. The symbolism was obvious the singer looked young and healthy and he was “well preserved,” as in “Well Cured,” using herb for medicinal purposes. It was at this time that Cure became enlightened spiritually and his belief in living naturally became heightened.
Jamaican music icon Beres Hammond took Cure under his wing and began mentoring him in the studio and producing him. In 1998 Cure performed on a European tour and visited several Caribbean Islands with Hammond and the Harmony House Family. Cure created several cranking melancholic, compelling melodies which brought tears to the eyes of his listeners, without many of them even understanding the words. Sadly, that musical education would be suddenly and unexpectedly interrupted by Cure’s arrest and in incarceration.
While in jail, Cure recorded and released several records, many of which topped the charts as # 1 singles. The two songs, “Jamaica,” produced by Danger Zone Productions and “Longing For,” produced by Don Carleon, both hit # 1 on the Jamaican charts and were international hits. His first album, Free Jah’s Cure, was recorded in jail and later released in 2001, one year after his incarceration. It is a project that has been lyrically compared to Bob Marley’s Exodus. On the album, Cure gives thanks for life while spreading love through his music.
Eventually, in 2003, Hammond produced Cure’s second album, Ghetto Life, which featured the single “Divide and Rule,” a duet with Sizzla, voted the best song of that year. His international recognition was then and forever born.
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Author: World Music Central News Room
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