JAMAICA My Way!

Hey everyone! I’m fresh off the plane back from Jamaica again and I’m running off 3 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours. I’ve been anxious to post something after 2 weeks away, and ever since I met this character 1.5 weeks ago I knew he’d be my first post when I got home. Wait til you see the video at the end of this post LOL.

Lion Champagne is pretty much the most colorful personality I’ve met in Jamaica EVER! I was invited to his home, a board house in Mammee Bay on Jamaica’s north coast. I took a taxi from Ocho Rios, and just past Sandals Dunn’s River I was dropped on the side of the road. From that point it was a hike up the big hill in my flip flops to an area dotted with board houses, where there are no roads. But let me tell you….this guy has a $500 home with a million dollar view!!

Sea view in Mammee Bay, Jamaica

Lion Champagne is his DJ name and his house was about a 20 by 20 board house with a tin roof. There were two beds in there, a TV, stereo and a laptop of all things. No sign of running water or a toilet though. I learned that he and the neighbors bathe from a standpipe located just below his property. He is a 6′9″ skinny man with a TON of personality and was more than pleased that I came by to visit!

Lion Champagne - Jamaican DJ

We talked a lot about jobs, politics and the state of affairs in Jamaica, which is pretty bleak for most of them. He’s an experienced mason by trade but also DJ’s on the side since there seems to be a serious lack of work in his field in these times. The most hilarious part about Lion Champagne and his family who brought me there, is thier “call” to each other. After trekking up the hill and reaching his house, the cousin I was with called out “RAWR” (like a lion LOL) and out the door came the man himself! Pay close attention in the video below and you’ll hear him say it a few times.

Lion Champagne - Jamaican DJ

After hanging at his house for a couple hours listening to music and chatting, he gave us a free show. This video contains a couple of his freestyles and displays his awesome personality. I love this dude and his family and I’ve decided to build my own $500 house right next door to his. Only mine will have a toilet LOL. Even though its in patois and you might not understand, enjoy the performance!! All you need to know is its funny as hell.