News: UN-COVERED! Performers, public weigh 'do-overs'

A NUMBER of popular Jamaican entertainers have built their careers by covering other people's hits. Some see them as vocal geniuses, others as lazy followers. However, what is rarely considered is the legal backlash.

Carlton 'Ghost' Hylton, came to the forefront in 1989 when he covered Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly. Since then, Ghost has done a plethora of covers. He says it is easier for a new artiste to make his mark by doing over a hit.

"I didn't have a choice about it then. As a young artiste who did want to buss, no one didn't want to hear your song. They would think it was a flop. So you had to sing songs that the producers wanted to hear and that was singing over people song, and that was how you would get on the riddim," he said.

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