Cerose hopes to reach wider audience

UK-based artiste Cerose is hoping the music video for his single Warning will give him greater exposure to foreign audiences.

"The song is partly about my two friends that were killed in my community of Patrick City in Kingston in October 2020, and about senseless killing in general," Cerose told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Produced by Bucky Jo, the track premiered last year with a news sound bite that references the incident, and Cerose's message that all men will be held accountable for their wrongdoing.

"Music is a powerful thing and it can definitely influence people's behaviour, both good and bad," he said. "Ultimately, there is a problem with the sinful nature of mankind that only the Most High God can fix. The prophet Jeremiah says, 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?'... So, I guess the heart of the problem is a problem with the heart."

He said the song has been well-received since its release, likewise his debut album Outside the Box on which the track is featured. The album was released last June.

"It has been doing well and had great reviews when it was released and new people are discovering it every day," said Cerose. "Every time I release a new music video from the album, a new audience hears it. It's very eclectic in sound with many different styles and genres, and there's something for everyone on there."

While he aspires towards a wider international audience, Cerose is a household name in UK's rap history. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as part of the PDC rap movement, making his name via DVDs and live events. He soon went on to spread UK rap to America by collaborating with artistes like French Montana. After several mixtapes including the British are Coming, he became a recluse, focused on re-emerging with a new sound. Instead, he found himself going on a spiritual journey after a "life-changing" experience in 2015, which led him to Christendom.

While he doesn't get entangled in labels like 'gospel artiste', he said: "The word gospel means good news and I carry the gospel message of Christ in my music, unashamedly. But I don't have what you would call a traditional gospel sound. I see myself on a mission of bringing the good news to the bad people."