Three years after Tevin Richards started YGF Records; the Ocho Rios label has flourished with a handful of hit songs.
Yet, if things had gone differently, he could have been an outstanding athlete for Calabar High School, which has produced some of Jamaica’s premier athletes. “I started Calabar in 2007. I had an uncle in the upper six (form) doing track and field so that motivated me to get to know him and play a role in sports at the time,” Tevin recalled.
Despite an encouraging start as a sprinter, Tevin had to cut his budding athletics career short. Because he is from rural St. Ann and Calabar is in Kingston (90 minutes away), the cost of boarding him out in the capital proved costly for his parents.
With athletics out of the way, he focused on academics. He earned nine CXC subjects and toyed with the idea of joining the police force, but decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Y.G.F RECORDS (YOUNG GENERATION FRATERNITY) was born. It formed an alliance with his father’s Junkyard Music Productions and has been releasing songs by established and upcoming artistes. “I entered the music industry with a sound that I started to gain respect for and got encouragement. I then re-polished the Good Morning riddim for my dad.” That beat had songs by Fantan Mojah, Perfect Giddimani, Jimmy Riley, and others. It opened doors for him to work with veteran artistes like singer Dawn Penn, best known for the 1960s hit song, No, No, No.
Y.G.F.’S first hit production is the Chronicles of Success Riddim featuring songs by Vershon, Capleton, Jahvillani, Zamunda, Chezidek, Deep Jahi, Zagga, Teflon, Sativa Di Black 1, among others.
The objective of Y.G.F., Tevin points out, is to be different.
Another significant development for Tevin and his fledgling label came in 2015 when he met Negus, a Guyanese singer/producer who lives in Toronto, Canada. “We did some good work together which propelled my first flight (abroad) in 2015. We had the Bicycle Frame riddim doing well; it features Zamunda, Jahvillani, Devin Di Dakta, Negus, Shawn Storm, Kalado and Teflon.”
Tevino (YGF RECORDS) is currently Promoting Hit Bound singles such as, “Too Old To Die Young” Featuring Zamunda & Vershon, “Life & War “by Africa’s Dancehall King Shatta Wale, Jahvillani’s “Loyalty” Single and Zamund’s “Laws of Attraction.”