Jamaican Dancehall artist Spragga Benz, real name Carlton Errington Grant, is a popular Jamaican dancehall artist and an actor THAT recently been teasing his fans with photo of a script and behind-the-scenes clips of a new movie project, titled “Second Chance”, that should be out this month of August 2022.
Spragga Benz gained popularity in the 1990s with his energetic and versatile style, and he is known for his distinctive deep voice and witty lyrics.
Benz started his music career in the late 1980s, initially performing under the name Spaghetti. He released his debut album, “Jack It Up,” in 1994, which featured hit singles like “Jack It Up” and “Girls Hooray.” Throughout his career, he has released several successful albums, including “Uncommonly Smooth” (1995), “Fully Loaded” (2000), and “Shotta Culture” (2010).
Spragga has collaborated with various notable artists in the reggae and dancehall scenes, including Beenie Man, Lady Saw, and Buju Banton. Known for his versatility, He is often blending elements of reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, and R&B in his music. Some of his popular songs include “She Nuh Ready Yet,” “Wi Nuh Like,” and “A Just We.”
In addition to his music career, Spragga Benz has also ventured into acting. He has appeared in films such as “Shottas” (2002) and “Brooklyn Babylon” (2001).
Spragga Benz remains an influential figure in the dancehall genre, and his contributions to Jamaican music have solidified his status as a respected artist within the industry.
“Second Chance” has been filmed in the past months in Florida, USA, wrapping production this past April 29, with Cleon James, the producer of the film, declaring he was looking forward to a summer release.
Starring Spragga Benz, Jhonn de La Puente, Merlisa Determined, Jodi Covington, John Smith, Tony Matterhorn, and Supa Twitch. Produced by Top Notch Vision Films & Red Square Productions.
Edited by Ken Almquist.
Second Chance – Official Trailer
Cleon James is an independent film-maker, director and script writer, who has already written and produced several feature films, including the previous “Green Card” with Spragga.
“Second Chance” is his his sixth, and for his words this movie it’s based on a true story about “the struggles people go through to gain the opportunities they want”.
Talking with the Jamaican press James told of the the many challenges this project had to deal with, one of them being the covid pandemic, but also founding.
“One of the main challenges was funding, but we moved ahead and did it by ourselves,” “Then, with the COVID restrictions, everything shut down, and because the production company is based in Boston and intended to film in Miami, that was another level of hurdles. We couldn’t fly out to visit locations, so we had to do all that, as well as the casting call, via Zoom. And that made the entire production take longer than originally planned,” James further stated.
The film’s main characters are Spragga Benz, who plays David; Merlisa Determined, who plays Dana; and John de La Puente as Alpha.
According to the synopsis, “David, a recent graduate looking to land a role in corporate America and soon finds himself stuck with a tough decision.”
James shared that his decision to cast Spragga Benz as the lead was by design rather than chance. He had worked with the dancehall artist and actor in the past, and they had kept the link.
“I had a project in 2012 titled Green Card, and Spragga was a part of it. Then, when I released Trust in God, he called, and he was mad (he wasn’t included). However, I had this other movie script which is based on a true story told to me by the pastor who had officiated at my wedding ceremony. I told Spragga about it, and it was a go,” James said.
The director praised the dancehall star’s work ethic. “
Working with Spragga was fun and entertaining; he came prepared every single day and gave 120 per cent.
We did the filming in two and a half weeks, working 22 hours every day. We had a night shift and a day shift.
So those who had night scenes would sleep during the day and vice versa. But Spragga was in most of the scenes, so he was only able to take a quick nap in-between scenes,” he noted.
It was in the 2002 film, Shottas, that Spragga Benz made his first debut on the film scene. Shottas, written and directed by Cess Silvera, also starred Ky-Mani Marley, Paul Campbell and Louie Rankin. A legendary movie that has a sequel, Shottas 2.
After “Green Card”, the second movie project for Spragga, here comes “Second Chance”, where Spragga Benz is not the only dancehall rep, as veteran selectors Tony Matterhorn and Supa Twitch also have roles in the film.
Currently in the editing room with his team, James is “pleased with what [he] is seeing”. He is also planning to host premières/meet-and-greets in at least three states in the US, and ideally, would want to have one in Jamaica as well.
“We are looking at August 7 to host a première in Ft Lauderdale, which is the predominantly Caribbean city in Florida, and we have to go where our biggest support is.
However, we are exploring having Second Chance shown on either Netflix or Amazon, as we believe it will take some time before cinemas, which are due to open soon, start attracting large audiences again,” James stated.
