He’s constantly chasing that ultimate first experience like a drug addict — the roar of the crowd, chanting his name, singing along with him, the expresssions of pure unadulturated pleasure on the faces of fans. That first concert in front of thousands of people was exhilerating. It’s that first time high that Jevaughn Crawley is constantly chasing.
The Bahamian singer, known in the music industry as “Yagga Yo” and who has been performing for 16 years has found that his music has really taken off in the last three. His big break came at the age of 23 when he opened for reggae great Sean Paul, T.O.K. and Sasha at a concert in North Carolina. That feeling he got when he at age 23 hit the stage and busted out his lyrics to a beat he created in front of an endless crowd is something he has not forgotten.
The Bahamian born “Yagga Yo” left the country at age 14 to attend military school. He recently returned home to the land of his birth, because he just couldn’t stay away, and unleashed his music on the local scene. Since then, his reggae hit “Lovely Day,” has been in heavy rotation on local radio stations.
Crawley’s passion for lyrical expression was influenced by his parents who were major Bob Marley fans and always played Marley’s songs around him. While his tastes are deeply rooted in reggae he dabbled in other genres of music and was schooled by the diverse music styles of musicians like Jimmy Cliff, Black Mike, Uhru and Super Cuts. As he got older and found love in the music of Ninjaman and Beenieman he realized if he were to pursue music seriously reggae was his calling.
Ten years after that initial performance, and his first taste of that feeling, Crawley says there’s no stopping him. And by some of his works, obviously not. Some of his notable projects throughout the years have been compilations with other artists on popular riddims that produced hits like “Warning,” “Long Time” and “Grab a Gyal.” Some of his personal hits that have been making waves internationally include “I Know Jah” featuring Peter Runks that was released in August 2010 as a promo. He even has an international hit “Nah Waan See It,” a collaboration with local artist CJ Priest. Yaggo Yo’s latest hit is “Lovely?Day,” a song about imagining a world without violence that came out in December 2010, for which he recorded a music video with cinematographer Ryan Lightbourne.
Crawley looks forward to doing more collaborations with local artists as well as international performers. He says he has a lot in store for The Bahamas so keep your eyes open because anything is possible.
