“Oshea Dudus Hines PHOTO: Ramon D Gordon”

|Ramon D Gordon

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Imagine, but for a moment, the sound of bullets piercing through a black eldritch sky.
You’re young, just in the fourth grade, and unbeknownst to you someone has just been gunned down. You shiver, knowing something is amiss. Your mother’s screams confirm it. The sound of sirens whirl, and there after? Silence. Cue the start of another day.

How’d you react?

Very few, if any, would say that’d they’d thrive, forging a distinct voice in the midst of all the
chaos, but that’s exactly what aspirant record producer, Oshea “Dudus” Hines, managed to
accomplish.

Growing up where he describes as “Flanker the War Tanker” was far from easy. He says life in
Montego Bay’s rural township was baneful, and often disheartening, but the never-ending
support of his family, inspired a resolve that now, can never be broken.

“Mi have ambition from mi a little yute. Mi see too much people innah the ghetto weh nuh really
know seh them can do it. If me as a yute show them say it possible, then more ago try a ting.”

Oshea Hines (left) poses with his mother, Julian Green Hines and younger brother Fitzroy Hines
outside their home before leaving for a funeral late January 2019 (PHOTO: Contributed)

Julian Green Hines says her son has always been a creative. In recounting Oshea’s first ever
interaction with music, she revealed that he hadn’t even been born yet.

“Oshea has always been creative. Even as a child, he started playing the keyboard at two years
old. He was just bang, bang, bang until he figured it out. I was at a crusade when I was eight
months pregnant with him, and when they started play the music, there he was, moving around in
my tummy. I knew from then that he was going to be very creative.”

Ms. Hines says being creative, often led to her son’s indecision. Before University, Oshea had no
idea what he wanted to do. In fact, he had opted to skip university, to help his mother, a single
parent, raise his younger brother. She wouldn’t have it.

“Sometimes your child doesn’t even know what their dreams are. Oshea loves to talk. I
remember that he would act as a commentator when watching sports. From there I realized that
was something he loves. So when he come talking bout ‘What I going do?’, I said ‘Look here
boy, why not try Mass Comm?”

And that he did.

In fall of 2015, Oshea left his home in Flakers and travel two and a half hours up a hill to
Northern Caribbean University (NCU). The plan was simply, “get a degree and get out”, but he
hadn’t accounted for the opportunities that would be thrown his way.

IOctane and Yanique “Curvy” Diva

At NCU Oshea had the opportunity to collaborate with countless talents, from his peers to those
external. He loved it, all of it. The thrill of script writing, and the rush of production – he was
home, and he thrived, though not for long. Sure, he loved what he was doing, but he craved
more. Oshea had always loved the music industry and all it offered, so that’s where he had long
set his sights.

“A Protoje really make me know bout hardcore music. Protoje and Junior Gong, a dem man deh
mi first start listen to fi gi mi a knowledge of weh we deh pan, you zimmi?”

As though a prayer being answered, Oshea watched as Reggae/Dancehall superstar I – Octane
waltzed into his Television Production Class one evening early 2018. This chance encounter was
followed by an invitation to be part of one of I-Octane’s projects, which just happened to be a
video collaboration with Media Star Yanique “Curvy” Diva.

Collaboration with Daddy 1

Less than a year later in March of 2019, Oshea made his directorial debut on the set of Daddy 1’s
“Out Here” music video, following a call from the artiste himself. He led the production team
through a grueling day long shoot, establishing each scene with great thought and consideration.
This was his masterpiece, and every detail was carefully curated and arrange to achieve
optimum impact.

He describes the experience as being otherworld, unlike anything he’d ever dreamed of.

“Mi just seh a mi first work dis as a director suh mi nah guh do no foolishness enu. Mi just link
mi best friend dem right after mi talk wid the artist and tell dem waa mi did a medz fi the concept
and mi just write the treatment and guh execute it. It was a good feeling, man – great.”

In the ended, the project encored near three million views and counting.

These and other opportunities reinvigorated Oshea’s love of music production, and heralded the
start of Ibrid Music.

Ibrid Music

(PHOTO: Ramon D Gordon)

In September 2019 following his return from a work and travel program, Oshea invested a portion of his earning into what he called a “fusion of his two personalities”. Called Dudus by most, many are unaware of the name those closet to him prefer – Jildon. He says both names mean very different thing to him, and the combination of their essence birthed his style of music – the Ibrid

“Most people call mi Dudus, but mi church people dem call me Juldon. Dudus a like the badman and Jildon a the church yute. The two a dem experience different ting. Nine o clock Juldon a gah church, and when night come, Dudus a teef out go dance. Two different style, two different sound. A hybrid (Ibrid)”

Oshea is currently working on his debut track “Janu-ready”, which explores the realities of crime in Jamaica’s space. He says he hopes the message in his song and video reach those who have long been ignored by traditional society. He want to see a change and he wants to see it now.

“Big man thing, the crime a nonsense. Man a dead over nonsense. Weh mi come from, it happen so much is now the norm. Nobody nuh see say it wrong. A full time now it stop.”

Janu-ready is scheduled for a February 2020 release.