OLDIES SUNDAY: Mad Anju – Wha Dis Fadda (1999)

The Month of May is recognized as “Mental Health Awareness Month“. The Caribbean has been through, and is going through so much, and not many of us are strong enough to handle it all. For many of us, music is an escape whether you’re a listener, or performer. Today’s “Oldies Sunday” selection comes from Mad Anju with the track, “Wha Dis Fadda“.

Produced by Chad Simpson a.ka. Mr. G/Goofy for Big League Records on the “Antz Nest Riddim” and released through Young Blood Records/Main Street Music in 1999, Mad Anju has a list of things to talk about in, “Wha Dis Fadda”. The Deejay shares a number of scenarios that all end up on the wrong side of the story, and cause major stress. A few examples would be him having dreams of living the good life with all the spoils of success, but in reality he’s living hand to mouth, far from the dream life. Another would be having what he believes is a Woman who is loyal and loving to him in every way, only for her to be dishonest and a Thief in the end. Anju takes the time to call out those who would rather pursue a music career that has no guarantee of success, and show displeasure in participating in Farming, something that is sure to provide in more ways than one. He mentions a few more things that are sure to make listeners ponder and are still relevant today, but overall they all in some shape or form cause a decline in Mental Health among the population. “Wha Dis Fadda” quickly became a hit for Mad Anju, earning him spots on local Music charts, providing him opportunities to perform locally, and abroad.

Since the release of “Wha Dis Fadda”, Mad Anju went on to score a few more hits, but his time on the scene was short lived. He secured a deal with VP Records thanks to the popularity of his hits, but an album never materialized. He would make attempts at a comeback in later years, but fell back into music and event promotion. He may not be on the scene like before, but his singles including “Wha Dis Fadda” still gets love in Jamaica, and the rest of the world.