During his first experience in a singing contest he did not make it pass the preliminary, however he realise that the genre of reggae was most appealing to him. The musical Journey for Easy.B continued at the age of 16 when he entered a local talent show called, “Richard Stoute Teen Talent Contest” where he performed two songs “Moving Unto Zion and “You Shouldn’t Go Away”. Even thought Easy.B did not place he says “it paved the way for me becoming a singer, performer and songwriter.”

Easy.B was persistent to be involved with music and continued to enter reggae competitions, though he did not immediately became a favourite of the fans. “It was my conversion to the Rastafarian faith that changed my music. My inner spirituality and allegiance to “JAH” and my constant praise to him through song writing and singing as well as commentary of events in society and the world change for me forever.”

He was recognized in 1997 by fellow artiste and Disc Jockey Shakey Ranks and given the opportunity to perform at his first concert (Everton Blender), with the band “Black Amali”. “People who knew me as Marlon were amazed to see I had transformed to a Rasta, Reggae artiste called Easy B. From that time, he performed across Barbados, at the National Stadium to the Queen’s Park, Sugar Hill, Clapham, Hero’s Square, just about anywhere the public wanted him.

“I recorded my first song with Lil’ Rick (Chihuahua Business Man) after hearing his request for new artiste to record and have their music played on the ‘Guinness Rush Hour’. 'Hand Me De Sickle' was made my signature song and Bajans referred to me as 'Bajan Capleton' since my style and vocal ability mirrored that of the Jamaican reggae star." Easy B first collaboration with a Jamaican artiste came in the form of a dub-plate with Jamaican singer Yami Bolo for Lil’ Rick (Chihuahua Business Man). This took him to a higher level, with a string of recordings since. He then began to perform at reggae shows in Barbados which featured some of Jamaica’s most prominent reggae artiste, like Capleton, Anthony B, Norris Man, Glen Washington, Lexus, Baby Cham, Elephant Man, Half Pint, Courtney Melody, Admiral Tibbet, Culture, Luciano just to name a few.

EASY B - HIGHEST RASTAMANIt was then that Reggae music was fully in his veins, but he Easy B contributed to the local Crop Over season and entered a Calypso tent called the “Lion’s Den” where he sang originally penned renditions of ‘Freedom and Haile Selassie.’ “I was beginning to cross over into new art forms of music.”

His greatest achievement came when he was invited to appear at the 24th Annual Reggae Geel Festival in Belgium. This being his first European tour and collaboration with a Dutch Rastafarian reggae band ‘Rebel Souls’. “I conquered all performing to thousands of Belgium, French, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Swedish, African, Indian, Asian and Caribbean fans for the first time and was well received.” Journalist Antoine Legat of “De Morgen” a Flemish quality newspaper with thousands of readers across Belgium had many good things to say to the Barbadian reggae artiste and translated his report on his performance at the “Reggae Geel“ in which he was quoted as saying “On Friday the 2nd of 2002 there was one act to admire then. Easy B doesn’t come from Jamaica but Barbados. You would never notice because what he does can be considered as being 100% pure reggae. Easy B keeps in the middle of being a singer and an entertainer. He fires people up with his jive-talkin’, the lingo that contains all the clichés (mainstays) of the style: It was the very first very first Belgian (European) concert of Easy.B and his first cooperation with the solid Dutch rasta rockers of Rebel Souls, but that was not to be seen either they played as if they had been together for years. We noted a magnificent version of Graveyard Digger. More fire was not needed with this excellent opening move”. “Reggae Geel “also featured artist such as Anthony B, Bushman, Admiral Bailey and English reggae group Ras Ites. ";I

Easy B's music is influenced by the music he heard as a child, since his grandmother was a devoted Christian, he grew up listening to Gospel, Jazz, Blues, Pop and music that was played by Reddifusion a popular radio station at that time. While his song writing skill was developed by his essay writing.

“It’s not an easy road,” crooned Jamaican reggae artiste Buju Banton in a 1995 hit.

While Buju may be facing his own troubles of late, local reggae counterpart Easy B can easily identify with the sentiments of the popular song, as he tried to navigate the difficult waters of the Barbadian music industry for just over 10 years. Jaded by the treatment from some in the entertainment arena, Easy B - real name Marlon Brathwaite - has decided to step outside the boxed rock; and is now actively casting his sights to the north. “I’m not saying that I am not checking for what is going on in Barbados, if there is any development in terms of boosting or promoting reggae music I will be there, but I really don’t study Barbados, I study outside,” the artiste stated as calmly as the breeze that blew through his “chill out spot” a few feet away from his Kingsland, Christ Church home. “People here see me in person and do not want to take a chance with me, but there are people overseas who will.” Easy B has recently booked a spot at a show in Reigen, Austria and leaves the island on September 23, with the hopes this gig will create additional avenues to expose his talent.

It would also be Easy B’s first major show since he opened Belgium’s Reggae Geel (pronounced Heel) in 2002.

“I’m the only Barbadian that went there ... and I performed with a backing band and everything,” the 30-something year old singer/songwriter proudly recalled. Along with his impending travel, Easy B is also working on his third album, set for release at the beginning of next year. The reggae artiste released his second album: Highest Rastaman (although first official album) on January 01 this year. He told Barbados TODAY that of 13 tracks featured, only one – Fairer Than a Rose – received rotation on local airways. This was also the tale of Special Vibe, an 18-track album Easy B created with English producer Norman Newton.

“When I did Highest Rastaman, I knew for a fact that I would not do so many tracks because I knew [radio station] would not play all,” he said. Easy B has decided to place more effort on promoting the forthcoming album outside of Barbados, with increased emphasis on online music stores. It is also a step he thinks other local reggae artistes should consider, believing they may be too skeptical to take the plunge. “I meet a lot of DJs through the Internet and where they are, they are really popular and are interested in reggae music from Barbados, but there is still a problem with selectors coming here and wanting to meet with the artistes and they don’t really check,” Easy B asserted. “I had a selector coming from Germany three weeks ago, and he sent me a message through MySpace and told me he would was coming to Barbados and would like to meet me... I went to meet him and I sent out messages on Facebook to other artistes telling them [about it] and I ain’t get a response from nobody, and I find that funny because you are going to run down a DJ here when people in Europe want to hear our music? Once they like what they are hearing, it gets the same forward as the Jamaican artistes. I proved that for myself.”

He understood the fears that international producers may exploit the music, but firmly rebutted the argument: “Anything is possible, because people could be taking the music and stealing it, but if they go on the Internet and search for your music and download it, isn’t that the same thing? What can you do?”

Easy B admitted that while a bit apprehensive at first, he was glad he took the plunge to work with producers outside of Barbados, while still having the greatest respect for Elmore Radar Roach, who he said was the first local producer to “really take him seriously”. “There are a lot of producers all over the world and they hear your music through the Internet or through ReverbNation ... [and] at first I didn’t take them seriously, because I was thinking like the other artistes: ‘this man gone come now, and steal my songs. I gine sing ‘pun de riddim and I ain’t gine hear nothing from he again and he gine tek my song and make money off of it.’ “But it really isn’t like that. You trying to be known as an artiste, and they are trying to be known as a producer, so help each other and I got some really good recordings from those guys...”

Easy B was of the strong opinion that “something, someone or some group of people” are fighting the progress of the music he fell in love with as a 12-year-old Combermerian, transfixed by the images of a dub concert played on VHS. Always a good writer, and at one time a member of the Christ Church Boys School choir, Easy B began his music career with a rude dancehall persona. It was later shed for the conscious vibes. I hit the phase where I did not want to live a life towards badness, so I stepped out of badness in this life and started down a conscious life and grew my locks. That was around 1997 I became officially known around 1999 ... and I got on my first show through Shakey Ranks.” Since then, Easy B has been through the highs and lows of the music business, even taking a break in 2005, taking odd jobs to make money before his return to music in 2007.

The artiste wants to ensure he is always a reggae force to be reckoned with. He painfully remembered the “fallen soldiers” he has worked with in the past, such as Mark Shakey Ranks Alleyne and Ras I.Bo. The memories also serve as a catalyst to aim outside of Barbados: “I remember watching Jessie James on TV singing Dub is the Force. He was the first person to put energy behind dub and I never heard anything about him again. He believed this was the same fate meted out to Alleyne. “After Shakey died no one paid a tribute or anything to him. That happened in 2005, around Crop-Over time, and five years later, I don’t hear anybody mention that he passed away,” he said, shaking his head.

“It keeps convincing me that people don’t want to see reggae getting to a point where people may believe they can make a living out of it and survive and push it to a level that the whole world can see that Barbados has reggae artistes too. But it looks like we keep trying and just look like amateurs.”