Ambition never ends with the first hit song. The pursuit of excellence is the driving force behind reggae artist Bescenta, who is a rare combination of intensity, quiet confidence and humility. He is a man who has the courage of his convictions, and who is sticking steadfastly to his mission of universal peace and love in the world.

Born Bryden Bescenta Craig Wilkins on April 12, 1975, he grew up in the Salisbury Plain area, close to Stony Hill in St. Andrew. He attended Almond Hill All Age, then Oberlin High, before graduating from St. Andrew Technical High School (S.T.A.T.H.S) in Kingston. Immediately after high school, he learned the electrician trade, and to support himself, even did odd jobs like painting houses.

“I can even wire a house, and install lights if it come to the test. I am a pretty good electrician,” he said. “However, it has always been about the music, while I was in high school, I was hunting for the truth in music, but when I got out in the real world, I knew I had to make a living, so I didn’t watch the type of work I was doing, as long as when weekend come, mi ting put together,” he said.

However, eventually, the influence of music began to exert itself in his life, and he began to record his first songs with Peter ‘Sweetness’ Nembhard on Auntie Boom Records. At that time, he had formed a group called Cornerstone with two other men where he sang the lead vocals. Together, they did a couple of projects but these failed to generate much publicity or record sales.

Eventually, in 2001, Bescenta met with producer ‘Computer’ Paul Henton, and they formed a successful partnership.

“He saw the talent and wanted to work with me as a solo act…the other men in the group allowed me to leave, and I began to do singles for him, and during that time, I recorded ‘World Is in Trouble’ in 2004, and I entered it in the festival song contest,” he said.

Now, the ‘World Is in Trouble’ is a song carved in reggae oak: solid. With Bescenta’s rich vocals and lyrical stylings, the song became an anthem for residents of the island’s tough inner city areas, and its end-of-days theme became a stirring call for action and change to arrest the killings and violence that afflict Bescenta’s homeland. The song enjoyed a lot of airplay during the Summer of 2004 during the annual Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Popular Song contest, and eventually finished second overall.

“It was not about winning, the money or the forward, it was the message of love and non-violence that I was trying to convey to the people, and I really wanted them to hear me, so I went with a current, an energy, and it worked, because the people dem love it, a video was done, the children saw it, and the song just tek the road,” he said.

The song stayed at the pole position on the Roots FM chart, and won a free music video, and created a big buzz on Bescenta, catapulting him into the limelight in no uncertain terms, and he has not looked back since.

“I never saw ‘World Is in Trouble’ as a festival song, and I was still at Computer Paul waiting on the next move. I had recorded the song on Alozade’s ‘Binghi Trod’ rhythm, and Ray ‘X-ray’ Stephens from Vertex heard the song, was impressed and called me. I met him, and reason on some musical topics, and we just hit it off,” he said.

So in late 2004, Bescenta parted ways with Computer Paul.

“I appreciate what Computer Paul did for me, I entered his establishment with my own current, and then I added that to his current, and we made some great music together. He had to do what he had to do, and I had to do what I had to do, focus on my career. As an artist, you like to see things ah step, and it didn’t work out, but I am pressing on,” he said.

Bescenta’s star has begun to shine brilliantly with his new focused and efficient management structure led by his manager, X-ray and engineer, Ricky Genius.

He has signed with Vertex Records exclusively, and since 2005, he has recorded songs such as the popular ‘Can You Handle It?’ with an accompanying video. That single entered the New York reggae charts, and also did well in Mexico. Other standout singles include ‘Cell’ which enjoyed heavy rotation, and lately, ‘Universal Love’ has captivated the hearts and minds of reggae fans, so much so that song is climbing up the B-mobile MegaJamz chart. The song is also doing well in Japan, and Europe. Other singles which were recently released are ‘AIDS’, a social commentary on the ravages of the deadly immuno-deficiency disease, and ‘Don’t Be a Fool’.

“Vertex is the mainstream behind my career right now, X-ray is making things happen, my team is working hard, but I have to give thanks to the fans who have supported me, and most of all, to the divine one, the Creator,” he said.

He performed a tour of Europe in November 2005 with Papa Pedro Entertainment where he did a series of successful gigs in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Germany and other European countries.

"While in Germany, I even did a single for the renowned Pow Pow Movements. The tour itself was a good experience for me and I learned a lot, helping me to prepare for other tours in the future and how to pace myself as a performer," he said.

The biggest show on the tour was in Switzerland during the Ruff Pack anniversary where thousands of fans packed into a mini-stadium to watch him perform.

"It was phenomenal just to see that. I always had the vision to carry the message beyond the West Indies, and the way the songs were well received, they sang my hit songs word for word, almost as if they heard them everyday, that is why the release of the songs is so important," he said.

There are many things on the horizon for Bescenta, whose name means 'one year' in the gypsy language, a bastardized offshoot of the English language with its own set of rules on syntax and pronunciation. Of his name, he said:

"People make New Year's resolutions all the time, and that means that they have one year to make a difference in their lives, it is a complete cycle, which means that it is a move towards progress, change, and what makes it even more precious is that the time is limited, they have this set time, one year, to make a difference in their lives at any cost..."

Since joining up with Vertex, Bescenta has been earning rave reviews performing on a number of shows such as Hype In The Park, Orientation, Sting 2005, Blazay and Reggae Jamboree. In March 2006, there are plans to release his debut album, 'Words of Wisdom', after which he will be going on a two month tour to help promote the album overseas.

"It all begins with the work, you have to be willing to read more, elevate yourself, and put in the positive work. A lot of people take on to reggae, and if we mislead them, they will burn out, so if we just keep at it, we can double our fan base, positive works is needed and it is my responsibility to provide it," he said.

Even his mother, who he calls 'Mama Daff' is pleased with the evolution of her son from aspiring singer to seasoned artist with a strong moral conviction.

"I can always go home and say, 'mama, listen this', it is always clean, that is my responsibility, to always do things positive. I read a lot, right now, I am reading the African Proverbs, and the Ible, only by seeking knowledge can you share the message with the people."

Music of Bescenta can be found in the audio section.