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Starpoynt Magazine

Star Potential

T.O.K. - Footprints From The Jamaican Sand

A Starpoynt Exclusive

This quartet out of Jamaica is being dubbed as the Boyz II Men of a new era, with a Caribbean twist. Surely, the harmonies are there and the group has seemed to have captured the ears of programmers nationwide, as T.OK.'s latest single on U.S. soil was one of the most added last week.
The reggae boy band is made up of Alex, Flexx, Bay-C and Craigy T, four young men hailing from the gentle wave-massaged shores of Jamaica.
"Footprints" is certainly catchy, as the fellas' harmonies are complemented by a nice melody, thought-provoking lyrics (inspired by the actual renowned "Footprints" poem) and even some dancehall rap. The song was written originally as a tribute to Alex's brother, who was killed by a stray bullet. The lyrics speak out against poverty, violence and homelessness and have been embraced as a song of healing from tragedy.
"After my brother was killed, I needed an outlet to express how I felt and I turned to music," Alex explained. Once Alex teamed up with his group members, the song took on a more universal message. Its heartfelt lyrics are intended to inspire, uplift, renew and connect people across culture, race, sex, age and ethnicity. That was made evident at a recent T.O.K. performance at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, where the entire sold-out crowd sang the lyrics in unison.
"It's not meant to be a sad song. It's meant to comfort, console and encourage people through tragedy," T.OK. member Craigy-T explains.
"Footprints" is in rotation on more than 30 major market radio stations across the

nation. It was No. 1 on New York's WWPR-FM (Power 105.1)'s countdown and is one of the most played records on WQHT-FM (Hot 97.5), where it peaked at No. 1 on Funkmaster Flex's Top 8 at 8. The video for the song has been added to BET and MTV Jams.
T.O.K.'s debut album "My Crew, My Dawgs" (2001) gave the world its first taste of the group, which the The New York Times dubbed Jamaica's No. 1 Dancehall Group. The group has appeared on MTV's "New Faces," on the very first season of BET's "106 & Park" and Miami's "Deco Drive." One of the group's videos, "Gal You Lead," was listed in Blender magazine's Top Songs of 2004, selected for MTV2's "New Faces Of MTV2" and debuted on MTV's "Direct Effect." The song was also nominated for the 2004 Vibe Awards in the Boomshot Award category.
Starpoynt had the chance to speak to Craigy T from his home in Jamaica.

Star - What does T.O.K. mean?
Craigy T - Touch of Klass. Together On Key or Totally OK. We play around with it now and then.

Star - How did you guys come together?
Craigy T - We started in high school. Three of us went to the same high school. We started with the school choir. We soon realized we had something. And one of us (Flex) was

T.O.K.'s "Footprints" is doing well at radio nationwide

born in the house beside Alex. So that's how we became four.

Star - How were you discovered by VP Records?
Craigy T - They had their eye on us for a long time. We were the only ones that combined R&B melodies with hard core dance hall. They watched us with Richard Browning, a producer who was also our manager.

Star - Talk about the American scene and what was key to your starting to kick over here?
Craigy - It started in the underground reggae in New York. We have had other hits but "Footprints" was the one that moved us into the mainstream.

Star - A lot of upcoming artists are looking for microwave success. Talk about how dedicated you are and what it takes to truly make it.
Craig T - To make it in a way to last you have to put in the time. We have been together for 13 years and professionally for seven. Something that is worth having you have to work at. It gets you respect and builds a strong foundation.

Star - Do any of you play any instruments? Did you study music?
Craigy T - We did at least two years of classical training and went to college for the performing arts and studied jazz for a year and a half. We listened to everything. We write all our songs. I can read and write music.

Star - Did something happen or at one point did you say, "I want to sing for a living."
Craigy T - It's a gift that I have learned to appreciate. I believe I was given the gift to share. In '95 when I was doing a summer job and a lot of things happened... I worked, went to school and then practiced. I'd get home at 2 a.m. and be back at work at 8 in the morning. I had to decide one day if it was going to be the music or the accountant job. Well, one day I worked overtime and my car was stolen, and I decided it was time to be dedicated to my music.

Star - At times you may have felt like quitting or giving up... what would keep you going?
Craigy T - It's funny how the Lord works. It's right at that point when you'd think about quitting that something would happen to keep it going. Something would happen to bring back that wonderful feeling that I was doing something meaningful.

Star - As someone who has been there, who was once a no-name with a song and a dream, what's the best advice you can give to those still trying to make their way into the music industry?
Craigy T - Stay focused. Believe in yourself first before you expect anyone else to. Practice. You gotta always try to improve your craft.

Star - What's in your CD player (iPod) these days?
Craigy T - Dancehall 101 CD... an old one that has Shabba Ranks and Musical Youth on it.

Star - Talk about your new album. What are some of your favorite tracks?
Craigy T - "Solid As A Rock." I love it... that song is very important. It says we have been through a lot and are still here.

Star - What can we expect from TOK in the years to come?
GraigyT - Nothing but the best music. I can guarantee 100 percent that we will always give our all. Our music will always be top notch.

Go to www.tokworld.com for more information.