I-Wayne – ‘Life Teachings’ Interview (video) (PopMatters Premiere)

I-Wayne is one of those classic reggae personalities that feels wise beyond his years no matter what his actual age is. To most, he’s simply the guy behind “Can’t Satisfy Her”, a song about prostitution and general sexual promiscuity among women who struggle to find meaning in life outside of their bed sheets. But, as is often the case with most one-hit wonders of the reggae world, Wayne is a much more talented, soulful person than most have found the time to understand. In promotion of his recently released third album, Life Teachings, VP Records offers up this video to shed some light on exactly what I-Wayne means to his home country of Jamaica.

For a deeper taste of I Wayne, follow the jump for links to “Can’t Satisfy Her” as well as selected cuts from Life Teachings and further background on the thinking behind his latest batch of recordings reminiscent of pioneers like Burning Spear.

“There is a preference for nastiness, positive artists don’t get their fair attention. But mi stay calm and remember nature was going on before any business start, so it is better I keep my focus and keep writing these songs.”

So says I-Wayne in the press release for Life Teachings, and so does his music communicate. As you may have picked up from the preview video for the album, I-Wayne’s life is heavily steeped in Rasta culture and all the linguistic and spiritual mores that come with the lifestyle. His music is all about the uplifting of his community, whether it’s ending the persecution of marijuana users, promoting healthy romantic relationships or just a healthy, stress-avoiding life in general. In this way he’s very much a child of Jamaica, as is evidenced by the additional clips (all music, no interviews) we’ve provided for you below.

Life Teachings was released October 11th on VP Records, and can be purchased through Amazon.com or the VP Records website.