Mr G bridges generations with ‘I Shall Be Released’ project

When Mr G decided to brush off the I Shall Be Released riddim and make it glisten in 2026, he was uprooting nearly 60 years of music history. The original foundation rocksteady-reggae adaptation entered the space in 1969 through a song titled I Shall Be Released, sung by the Heptones and produced by Coxsone Dodd of Studio One. However, that original song was written by American singer-songwriter and cultural icon Bob Dylan in 1967.

Much has been said and written about the Heptones’ version of Dylan’s redemptive folk-rock ballad, including the fact that it is “widely considered one of the finest Dylan covers ever made”.

“The Heptones remarkably adapted the original country-tinged, melancholic tone into an upbeat, soulful, and distinctly Jamaican rocksteady-reggae groove. It stands as one of the most celebrated and seamless Dylan covers of all time,” Wikipedia states.

With all that being said, it is not surprising that Mr G told The Gleaner that the Heptones’ I Shall Be Released was “always one of my favourite songs”. And when artiste Buccaneer suggested that they remake the riddim for a collaborative project, following up on their successful Helicopter riddim project last year, he was all for it. He and Buccaneer eventually did a different collab on another riddim, but Mr G did not abandon I Shall Be Released.

“Everything in me was telling me that the I Shall Be Released juggling would have made an impact, and it is out and definitely making an impact,” Mr G said.

Released in September on his own Youngblood label, the juggling is a balanced mix of veteran and contemporary reggae and dancehall artistes including Romain Virgo, Pinchers, Little John, Christopher Martin, Jesse Royal, Mr G, Richie Spice, Renigad, Eminoxx, Phalcon, and Tarrus Riley, who caught the riddim two weeks after the official release, but his song has surged.

With such a line-up of major names alongside rising talent on the project, Mr G shared how he matches specific artistes to the riddim.

“As a producer, normally when you have a riddim, it speaks to you as to the artiste who can put the kind of energy on it that the people can gravitate towards. I am always somebody who likes to bridge the gap between foundation, current, and upcoming, ... and that’s why this one riddim has three generations,” Mr G explained.

Romain Virgo’s song, No Substitute, is the lead track, and for the producer, choosing it was a no-brainer because the feedback from everyone in the studio was that the song had the potential to become a hit.

“Romain himself, as an artiste, felt the same way, and he went ahead and did the video for his song. And so far, it has been receiving a lot of rotation worldwide because this riddim is taking life everywhere right now,” the producer said.

Mr G collaborates with Richie Spice on Free Up Di Youths Dem, a stern and wailing critique of the system that “ have di youths dem in captivity”. Reflecting on how the song came to life, Mr G – whose real name is Chad Simpson – said that he had the chorus and was going to do a solo, but he later heard Richie Spice’s voice in his head. He had just completed a full album with the singer, and when he told him that he had an idea for them to do a combination, he was very enthusiastic. “I mek him hear the punch line, and him listen to it two or three times, went into the studio, and knock it out like him did know it one million years ago. He was very excited to hear what I was coming with, and the whole good vibes and good energy mek the song float off really nice. I definitely had some help in the verses from Pinchers because, yuh know, Pinchers is a great pen man,” Mr G stated.

Other songs such as If You Were Mine, the Jesse Royal and Chris Martin collab, had a similar energy.

“Jesse Royal found the first part of the chorus, and he turned to me and said, ‘G, yuh know what would make this blow through the roof? If I did it in combination with Chris Martin.’ I called Chris and made him listen to it on the phone. He loved it instantly and came to the studio bout 15 minutes after. A two artistes who rate and respect dem one another, so the vibe was just wicked, wicked, wicked in the studio, and the song just came together nicely,” Mr G said.

With the songs doing what good music is supposed to do, the focus is on extending the presence through music videos. The producer shared that two videos have been released and two more are on the way.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com