Mr. Lexx Says 2000 Was A Good Year: Multiple Hit Songs And Four Women Pregnant At The Same Time

Veteran Dancehall artist Mr. Lexx says the year 2000 was the golden era of his 30-year music career, a time when he had multiple hit songs and also found himself juggling fatherhood to a whole bunch of newborns.

The Full Hundred singer told DancehallMag that he wasn’t an overnight success though. He had been an underground recording artist since 1992 under the name Lexxus, building his reputation before his breakthrough in 1999.

“The years prior mi did a create a buzz and this is why my buss was so special, every year it just did a bubble and then it boil over inna 99. So by 99 come now, mi already record up which is another reason why I had so many hit songs,” Lexx said.

He kicked off his hit parade with Gonna Make Some Money (1999) on Ward 21’s Badda Badda riddim, followed by You Nah (1999) on Steely & Clevie’s Street Sweeper riddim, Ring Mi Cellie (1999), Cook (1999), Halla Halla (1999), Full Hundred (2000) on Richard ‘Shams’ Browne’s Orgasm riddim.

“It was just hit after hit,” Lexx reminisced. “Everything jus fell into place.”

But just as his career was taking off, a legal bump forced a name change – a six-page letter from Toyota arrived, citing a trademark conflict with their Lexus brand. And so, Mr. Lexx was born.

Mr. Lexx said he was one of a few artists who broke into Dancehall music without being a protégé of an established artist or record label, a fact he claimed has contributed to some people disliking him in the industry.

“Mi anno one a dem artist deh weh a man can say a me buss him. No, mi literally carve me way true. Mi buss at a time when Beenie and Bounty had a stronghold in the industry and mi completely separate myself from that without ano help from either a dem. So I became a giant by myself. That was a great thing fi me but some people are threatened by that,” he said.

Lexx said his hustle was real. He earned every bit of respect he got by grinding on the streets, performing at every show he could, big or small, early or late. “Mi carve mi way, every respect mi get inna the industry mi earn, everything mi carve it out pon the streets, mi go the barbeque and the fete dem, and mi never wait pon nobody fi call mi up, mi just go work the show dem, no matter weh dem put me, early or not, mi just know mi ago left a mark pon the show and that’s what I did,” he said.

Mr. Lexx

He continued: “And whenever mi get a riddim, at that time nobody never business who else voice pon a riddim, it was just like, ohh my boy have a bad song pon the riddim, mi ago try put a badder song pon the riddim. It was just like a solid competition weh nobody never mind but now that cut out and I’m thinking now that’s one of the reasons why the song dem no really last, after 3 months you no hear bout dem again.”

“Mi drop an album inna 2000 and mi get like 9 hits offa the album. Mi a one a the few dancehall artist weh get like 9 or 10 hit songs from one album. So if you check my album, pretty much ten songs pon it a hit song,” he added.

The self-titled debut album Mr. Lexx spent five weeks on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart and peaked at No. 12.

“I got four girls pregnant that year”

While he was enjoying the success of his career in 2000, Lexx admits to being a ladies’ man that year, and it resulted in four pregnancies.

“I got four girls pregnant that year. I was the hottest artist that year, it was really about me that year. It was really a good year. Now I have three youths weh a 24 this year,” he laughed.

But 2000 was also filled with tragedy as one of his baby mothers lost their child.

“ One of them (child’s mother) fell. She told me she fell and said she lost our child,” he shared with DancehallMag. “It crush me still because at the time we were actually planning to get married, we eventually got married but later divorced. We still communicate civil.”

He admitted that his ‘gallis’ streak wasn’t planned at all and, in hindsight, said, “I was being careless and wild. I don’t regret any of them though, I guess I was a gallis dem time deh.”

When asked how his children’s mothers reacted when they found out that all four of them were pregnant at the same time, Lexx said that there was no animosity among them. “No like Bob Marley mon, a like Bob, nobody naw leggo. I deal with everybody with respect. They were disappointed but dem never really mad at me,” he said.

Mr. Lexx (centre) with three of his sons: Cloud (left), Chris and Santris

Lexx is a proud father of nine and a grandfather of two.

“Johari was born in Toronto, Demoya was born in New York, Ashley was born in New York, Subrina and Samantha were born in Jamaica but dem migrate, Subrina and Samantha are twins, Tristopher and Christopher were also born in Jamaica but they too migrated to the USA and Logan who is my last son was also born a twin but his brother died at birth. He was born in America too and Trae is my only son who is still in Jamaica,” Mr Lexx said.

“Trey, Johari and Demoya were my kids born in 2000. Johari was born in October, Trae was born in November and Demoya was my Christmas gift, born on Christmas day in 2000,” he added.

“I wouldn’t advise anybody to have 9 kids, the whole a mi likkle money mash up because a dem,” he joked. “I’m so glad that all a dem get big and mi never haffi go jail go bail none a dem. I must also give props to their moms, nuff respect to their moms, they are the real heroes,” he said.

His daughters Subrina and Samantha have a son each.