One of the most popular quotations from the Bible is John 8:7 in which Jesus Christ admonishes a spiteful crowd for wanting to stone a woman accused of adultery. “Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone at her,” he said.
That timeless message inspired ‘Cast the First Stone’, a Revivalist gospel song featuring Brotha George, dancehall star Flourgon and Damion Hawthorne. Produced by Brotha George and Andre “Dretegs” Hawthorne, it was released in early December.
Damion Hawthorne, also known as Damiedon, was brought into the project by Brotha George and Flourgon. He recalls being approached by them to be part of the song.
“As a big fan of their work and their commitment to using music for social good, I jumped at the chance. The concept of ‘Cast the First Stone’ really resonated with me. It’s a message about judging others and I felt dancehall’s energy and rhythm would be a perfect way to convey it to a wider audience,” he said.
Hawthorne, older brother of Dretegs, added that, “We all pushed each other creatively and I’m proud of what we came up with.”
Brotha George and Flourgon are lifelong friends, having grown up together in Kingston, Jamaica. Both pursued music, with Brotha George (as George Wright) launching his career at the famed Channel One during the late 1970s. He has been a gospel act for 20 years.
Flourgon was one of the leading deejays in the 1980s with songs like ‘One Foot Skank’ and ‘We Run Things’. The latter was subject of a 2018 lawsuit he brought against pop singer Miley Cyrus whom he claimed sampled its hook for her 2013 hit single, ‘We Can’t Stop’. The matter was settled out of court two years later.
