Our new series distills the life wisdom of some of our favourite humans
Words Lucy Homer
Host of MTV and Apple Music’s radio station Beats 1 Becca Dudley knows her reggae and dancehall. “I have a lot of Jamaican family, so growing up we always celebrated our culture, from the food to the music,” she explains.
Now the Essex-born DJ is taking her love affair with the genres one step further with the launch of her very own music platform DEADLY. Featuring original documentaries, live sessions, exclusive interviews and game-changing music videos, the project will showcase the best of reggae, dancehall and grime, from fledgling artists to established big hitters.
Dudley created the platform in response to what she recognised as a lack of awareness of the music she loved in mainstream pop culture, and aims to “push even further” to bring her Jamaican and Caribbean heritage into the UK mainstream. Here she shares her five rules for life – which, unsurprisingly, centre on the power of positive thinking, authenticity and pushing boundaries. Atta girl!
Where does your love of Jamaican music come from?
My mum is Jamaican and I have a lot of Jamaican family, so growing up we always celebrated Jamaican culture, from the food to the music. I first went to Jamaica almost 10 years ago and after that trip I fell even deeper in love with the music! I began DJing reggae and dancehall and then recently started my platform DEADLY to try to push the music even further.
What can people expect from Deadly in the next year?
It’s so exciting because the platform is so new and there’s so much we can do – so many places we can take it! I have big plans for the brand from events to fashion and radio, but the next steps are showcasing the incredible UK artists that are making Jamaican music – with the help of some sick visuals!
What has the response been from Jamaican artists and the Jamaican community?
This is one of the reasons I keep doing what I do. The Jamaican community have supported this movement wholeheartedly – all the artists want to get involved even though we’re super new, and the following has been increasing at an exciting rate.
Becca’s 5 rules for living well
1. Put yourself out of your comfort zone.
It’s so important to push yourself in order to exceed. It’s how I’ve gotten to where I am now – if it makes me slightly uncomfortable then I’ll probably try it.
2. Surround yourself with the things you love.
I wrote a list of all the things that make me happy so that I can increase them, and a list of the things that stress me out, so I can eliminate them from my life. Writing things down makes you see everything a lot clearer!
3. Eat chocolate every day.
Chocolate legit makes me happy, improves my mood and completes my day. If I were a doctor I’d be prescribing it to the world.
4. Big up the ladies.
If I see a girl I don’t know who looks great, I always let her know. There’s so much unnecessary cattiness between women when we should be holding each other up. I know if I ever get a compliment from someone I don’t know, it makes me day, so I always try to share that feeling.
5. Be honest and speak up.
I spent a lot of my life being shy and not saying what I really thought, but I now I take pride in my opinion and knowing that people can trust what I say. Even if it is that their outfit ain’t quite working…