As Hurricane Melissa wrecked Jamaica’s rural parishes on October 28-29, Kaka Highflames followed reports of its destruction in Kingston by television and social media. The suffering in its aftermath inspired him to write and record ‘Melissa’, a song released days following the Category 5 force’s passage. It is produced by 360 Global Entertainment.
“I started writing ‘Melissa’ just a few days after the hurricane passed. The emotions were still fresh, the country was still in shock, and I was seeing the damage everywhere. I finished writing it within that first week and went straight into the studio, so the recording happened less than two weeks after the storm hit,” said Kaka Highflames.
On November 8, the dancer/deejay visited St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland and Hanover, three of the parishes hardest hit by Melissa. He was part of a delegation led by country-reggae singer Wesrok who distributed relief items to people affected by Melissa.
Kaka Highflames said what he saw was disturbing.
“It hurt me deeply. A lot of times the rural people get forgotten, but they’re the backbone of the country. Seeing homes washed away, farms destroyed, and people not even sure where the next meal was coming from made me feel both angry and determined. I felt like, as an artist, I had to use my voice to lighten the mood,” he explained.
Packing 185 miles per hour winds, Hurricane Melissa is the most powerful of its kind to hit Jamaica. According to the Jamaican government, it caused 45 deaths, left thousands homeless, without electricity and destroyed farms and businesses.