DJ Tasha Rozez, AKA Gunz’n’Rozez – Conscious rude girl; what Dancehall requires

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Take things seriously. Know the business of it. Know the mission statement of yourself. Align things that will bring you to a higher level.”

She is known as the world’s first ever-female reggae sound class champion. If you ask her, she will tell you that she has been inspired by classic sound crews like: Bass Odyssey, Kilimanjaro, Stone Love, Black Kat and Mighty Crown. Her dynamic stage presence, and authentic nature allowed her to stay true to her roots, and she has found herself in the same arenas as some of the largest sound artists from Metro media to Tony Matterhorn.

She has performed at stage shows, as well as local, and international shows amongst artists such as: Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, Mad Cobra, Nitty Kutchie, Luckie D and Ghost. She has also had the opportunity to collaborate with Kardinall Offishall (Bad Like We Bad) and Wio-k (Footloose) on the airwaves.

She won the 2002 Female World Clash (Texas), the 2004 45 Shootout, the 2013 BLACK ROLE MODEL Award, the 2014 Female Dj Stylus Award, the 2020 Female Dj Of the Decade, and was recently Crowned Female World Clash champion in Texas 2020.

When I say this girl is bad, she is really bad, and it is an honour to present to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper readers, our Woman Empowered, the one and only Tasha Rozez.

“I purposely fell back. I couldn’t do both. I had to build a career outside sound. It was getting bad. It couldn’t do both.”

It is interesting how life works out sometimes. I was volunteering at the food bank on my Corona Wednesdays, and I saw this beautiful woman walk through the door. She had come to help volunteer her time, and when I met her, I had no idea who she was. We chatted, and caught some jokes, but it was not until closer to the end of the day, I heard a few people saying to her, “Tasha Rozez; a you? I kept working, and before she left, her and I had a chance to talk. It was then that I learned who this wonderful individual was.

What I liked about her most was her attitude. Although this woman has done some big, big things, I sensed no haughtiness, or pretentiousness. She went about her day like she was not responsible for doing something in her time that is unheard of.

We set up a time to talk in depth, and this is when I learned about the life of a Dancehall legend.
“I was born here,” she began. My parents separated when I was small, and it was just my mother and I. I have always been into music. During my high school years, I discovered my love for reggae music and fashion. I was attracted to the music industry and meeting like-minded females. I began to make friends in the industry, and one of great importance, Mr Lindo P. He is the one who taught me all the technicalities of sound. I liked it. I know when you see girls hanging around dj’s, they are usually dancing, but that was not for me. I wanted to learn behind the scenes. I wanted to have my name behind the dubs.”

The more Tasha learned, the more she grew to love the industry.

“Gunz n Rozez started with myself and another young lady. It was tough at first because we were girls in a male dominated industry. My partner eventually left the sound. She was the manager, but she wasn’t a technical person. We didn’t fall out, but we were on different paths. We ended up going our separate ways, but things kept going for me. I was good at it. I just kept getting better, until finally I ended up playing worldwide. First it was Bermuda, then Jamaica. I continued to progress until I became international.”

Sound was not the only thing happening in her life. Tasha took her education very seriously. She studied Social Work at Centennial College, and then went on to study Anthropology and Psychology at the University of Toronto. Not to mention that she was also a mother, and any mother knows that children are not side jobs, they are a full-time affair.

“I really loved to play, so it hurt me when I had exams, and I couldn’t take the bookings. I had to make some decisions. I was working from home for a while, but it got boring. I decided to go back to school, and opted for U of T. My daughter was going to U of T as well, and I thought I couldn’t go to school with my daughter.

It was hard to settle into a job because I couldn’t be at people’s jobs and take off bout I have bookings. You can have all the accolades you want, but if you don’t have your ducks in a row, they don’t care. I had to make a decision. My decision was to advance and elevate your career.”

She had to make sure that her family was secure. No one thought Corona was going to happen.

“It is important that you exit gracefully. You paid your dues in something and that is it.”

Tasha Studied Funeral Service Education (FSE) at Humber College from 2017- 2019. For some reason, it felt natural for her.

“In a clinical setting I have no problem with the dead. When my dad died, we had to dress him. I went into the room, and everyone was crying. I went in to help dress my dad, and I realized that I could do that program. That was my turning point. I was going to do the Funeral Director Program.

I did the program and passed. I began work with the coroner’s office, which gave me a lot of body experience. I needed more experience, so I joined Ajax Crematorium & Visitation Centre in 2019 and became a Funeral Director.

“My work is not a joke. I can’t make jokes about a family’s sensitive time. This pandemic has taught me a lot, and with the work that I do, I am considered an essential worker.”

I was curious. With the fame that she has, and the passion she showed for her craft, how were things different for her? Is she still drawn to sound even though her career has changed significantly?

“I will be at work, at a service, and people recognize me. It can get awkward sometimes. Having to deal with your personal business being in the spotlight. You have to be mindful of what you do and say. I’m Natasha. People don’t know Natasha; they know Tasha Rozez. When there are things going on with Natasha, people don’t know. You have to balance your character person, and your real person life.”

She had planned to do a lot of things, but the pandemic put a stop to it. One thing she did say she misses is having a sound person friend who is just there to talk to and reason with.

“I knew that it was time to gracefully bow out,” Tasha tells me. “I figured, let me move out the way, so that other females can get a chance to shine. I can only imagine how annoying it is to be compared to me. I will say this; stop putting females together just because of our female parts. Some of us have talent. I am so happy to hear other girls playing. Don’t waste my time though. If you want me to clash someone, let me clash someone on my level.”