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MUSIC is a spiritual language to Jalifa. And reggae music, even more so. Skilfully combining her Rastafari livity and principles with poetic lyrics over roots and dub rhythms, the Fyah Princess continues to bring the heat.
Early musical inspirations
Born Kalifa Alexis, the 34-year-old Belmont native was raised in the Bobo Shanti faith with her eight siblings – four girls, four boys.
In an interview with WMN on June 12, she said since childhood, she “lived a very principled life.” Her father is Bobo Shanti High Priest Roy “Ekechi” Theobalds, and her mother, Empress Claire “Adama” Alexis.
“I’ve always lived within the Rastafarian faith. So I don’t eat meat and all that type of thing, I don’t dress a certain type of way, I carry about myself differently…”
Apart from that, she said young Jalifa enjoyed drawing, playing, and most of all, music.
“My father was a DJ and an MC as well, so I gravitated to music because of him.”
[caption id="attachment_1160795" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Reggae artiste Jalifa. - Photo by New Media TT[/caption]
She said her parents told her she would go up on some bunks under their house, grab a pencil to use as a microphone, line up chairs for her family to sit and then perform for them. “I’d perform for them for hours,” she said with a chuckle. “And my parents were like, ‘What’s going on with her? Is she okay? Somebody give her some water, let her sit down.’
“So God knew what my purpose was before I even knew.”
She said she enjoyed entertaining them and making them laugh while also having fun.
“My dad also used to give me the mic any time he was DJ-ing or people an MC.”
She recalled being obsessed with legendary Jamaican DJ and singer Sister Nancy’s hit Bam Bam.
So when her dad gave her the mic during celebrations in honour of late, former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I’s birthday (July 23), “The first thing to come out of my mouth was, ‘Bam bam bilam, bam bam,’” she said, laughing.
[caption id="attachment_1160792" align="alignnone" width="828"] A young Jalifa (Kalifa Alexis) takes the mic from her dad, Bobo Shanti High Priest Roy “Ekechi” Theobalds.[/caption]
But she began taking music more seriously around age 17 when her brother, Adiel “Abba Shanty” Alexis – also an artiste – began writing songs for her.
“He wanted to do music as a career…And I never really thought of it in that type of way. I thought music was just: You do it freely, you just enjoy yourself. But as I grew older, I got to realise it’s something serious and you could take it as a profession.”
She said it was a personal choice for her as, despite their own musical backgrounds, neither her father nor brother forced her to begin a music career.
“The more I grew, the more I drew closer to music, and they just supported me along the way.
“They (my parents) paid for vocalists and people to come and teach us about music – not just me, but all my other siblings.”
Her brother also taught music to young people in their community to “spread the teachings and spread the love.
“I remember just watching from the outside and just grasping everything that he is saying. And he had one (class about) poetry and after, a gospel song. So I said, ‘I’m going to try that.’ And when I wrote both of them, I was surprised. I never thought I had it in me.”
The topic given was: I came, I saw, I conquered.
“I told myself, ‘You got this, you can do this. This is for you.’”
Opening for Sizzla – a full circle moment
Jalifa’s style of singing is captivating and powerful, complemented by her sonorous, raspy voice and energetic movements on stage.
This all stems from artistes who have inspired her throughout her life such as Sizzla Kalonji, Lauryn Hill, Eminem, and, of course, Sister Nancy.
“I remember my brother got a CD from a friend who used to live next door, and it was The Eminem Show. But you know some of the kind of content Eminem has. And you know how I grew up within a spiritual background, I don’t upkeep certain things. So I used to just sift out what I would listen to from it.”
[caption id="attachment_1160793" align="alignnone" width="683"] Reggae artiste Jalifa. - Photo by TheSammyjuice[/caption]
She added, “And sometimes, you might hear someone singing something negative, and the negative just throws you off of the message that is really within the song itself…Because when someone’s singing, they’re expressing their feelings or something that they have, and it inspires them to write their song. So if you take away all the negative and just focus on the positive within that negative, you can grasp something from it. So I got a lot of that from Eminem.”
As for Lauryn Hill, she said her “overall vibe” was unique and reminded her of herself.
“And, well, my father used to play a lot of Sizzla, and he inspired us a lot being a Bobo Shanti in the dancehall and reggae scene. So I looked up to him a lot and I watched a lot of his live shows and listened to a lot of his music. And that’s where I kind of get a lot of my fiery style from.”
Life came full circle for her when she would go on to open for Sizzla at the One Voice concert in TT. Her brother, Abba Shanty, was the original performer but he told her: You’re going on stage with me.
“I was nervous! I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to open for Sizzla Kalonji! God, you answer me!’
“Sizzla said he actually wanted to come up on stage when we were performing because we were bringing a lot of energy. So for me, it was a beautiful experience and an edifying one because in everything I do, I always want to grab something that can add more value to myself and more knowledge to myself. It was unforgettable.”
She released her debut single in TT in 2014 titled When I Chant, which speaks to the strength and powers of Jah.
She sings, “When I chant Rastafari, heathen tremble. When I chant Rastafari, heathen fall.”
She proclaimed she “have a mouth full a lava to douse pon di whole a Babylon.”
[caption id="attachment_1160794" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Reggae artiste Jalifa during a performance in Venezuela. - Photo courtesy Jalifa[/caption]
She said she received a lot of positive feedback then, which she remains thankful for.
And just one year later, she got the chance to grace the stage at the Stepping High Ganja Festival in Negril, Jamaica. She shared the stage with legendary acts like I Wayne, Bushman, No-Maddz, Lee “Scratch” Perry and more.
No more nerves this time around, though.
“I was just excited to be there because that was one of the biggest events I’ve ever performed in. So for me, it was an honour and a pleasure to just be surrounded by such great ones.”
“My heart wasn’t beating too hard this time,” she joked.

She has since released tracks such as Life, Born Ready, Hon Our Rebel, Talk Bout and Kannabrain, Build It, among several others. She also has an EP titled Incient Ras with tracks like Hear Ye, Whereas, Direction and Reggaelize It – inducing dub versions of each.
In 2020, she teamed up with Queen Omega and Kushite on Wise Queens.
In addition to Jamaica and both Trinidad and Tobago, she has also performed in Barbados, St Vincent and Venezuela.
She has also opened for Jamaican reggae artiste Jesse Royal at his Dubwise performance in TT, and for the late icon Cocoa Tea, as well as reggae powerhouses Capleton and Louie Culture.
A fiery ‘edge’
She said people have always told her she has “a type of edge” when it comes to her performances.
“Sometimes people say, ‘You’re a woman. Where are you going with all that edge?’ But I naturally have a husky, heavy voice. So when I sing, this is how I sound. I’m not too singy-singy.”
It’s why listeners nicknamed her the Fyah Princess.
Being a woman in reggae music, she feels empowered and thrilled to “bring forth that balance.
“People talk about music, life in general, (about) everything in the world when it comes to business and it’s male dominant. But you have no male there if you don’t have no woman. It is the woman who birthed leaders and birthed great kings. The woman has to come out and balance that fire. It’s a blessing to me.”
But even with the possible glitz and glamour of being a performing artistes, she remains grounded in her faith. She said it is all about staying true to oneself.
[caption id="attachment_1160856" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Reggae artiste Jalifa performs at SoundForge in 2022 for Dubwise. - Photo by Narissa Fraser[/caption]
“When you know yourself and you know your worth and you value it, you will always show love and respect to yourself to what you believe in and not what others think or what others feel is best for you. So to me, I love to stay true to myself and be the difference that I want to see in the world.
“In life, a lot of people say they’re for this and they’re for that, and then when they get everything that they need, they forget about God, they forget about the people, they forget about themselves, most importantly…I know my truth and I know who I am and I know what I’m representing. Because to me, that is my purpose. I have to always walk in my truth – nobody else’s.”
She added, “Music is a spiritual language.”
To her, she said Rastafari is “a natural way of life…It’s not a religion.
“It’s just a pure and clean life living naturally the way how Jah created it to be. So to me, Rastafari taught me a lot about life because I’m walking Rastafari to this day and I’m continuously seeking…Rastafari is everything to me.”
Another unexpected twist young Jalifa would have never imagined as she blasted Sizzla tunes like Black Woman and Child and Make It Secure – she will be featured on his upcoming album Good Over Evil. And she is filled with gratitude.
“I just want to do is just big up everyone that’s been supporting me for all the years from the jump until now. I just want to give thanks for their presence, being in my life and strengthening me to be the person who I am today.
[caption id="attachment_1160865" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Reggae artiste Jalifa at the One Love concert at SoundForge, Port of Spain on June 7. - Photo by Daniel Prentice[/caption]
“I was brought up in a village. Each and every one of us is one family. Each one teach one, each one strengthen another.”
And to young people who want to follow their dreams, she urged them to stay true to themselves.
“Whatever you’re doing, try and understand what you’re doing and try to educate yourself on what it is you love to do, and just continue pursuing in greatness. Just let Jah be your guiding light in everything that you do, and trust me, you will always be on the right path.
 
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