ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi wˈʌn, hiː mˈuːvd fɹʌm dəmˈɪnɪkə tə ðɪ ˈaɪlənd ʌv sənt. mˈɑːɹʔn̩ wˌɛɹ hiː bɪkˌeɪm ˈɪnfluːənst baɪ ɹˌæstɐfˈɑːɹɹi ænd ɹˈɛɡiː ˈɑːɹɾɪsts sˈʌtʃ ɐz dʒˈoʊsəf hˈɪl, bˈɜːnɪŋ spˈɪɹ, dʒˈeɪkəb mˈɪlɚ, ænd bˈɑːb mˈɑːɹli, tə hˈuːm hiː ɪz ˈɔfən kəmpˈɛɹd.
In 1981, he moved from Dominica to the island of St. Maarten where he became influenced by Rastafari and reggae artists such as Joseph Hill, Burning Spear, Jacob Miller, and Bob Marley, to whom he is often compared.