Don Mafia is a happy man these days. When we caught up with him, he was seated under a tree in a compound adjacent to Rebel T headquarters, chomping on an apple and cracking jokes with his manager Dozer Williams. He was in a pair of sunglasses, an apt accessory given the fact that he believes his future is so bright, he has to wear shades.

don_mafia.jpgMi hot! Busy! Mi de pon nuff show, he exclaimed. Mi calendar busy right now, all three show mi de pon inna one night. Rich! Hot! Reggae music we ah do, no animosity and the people de love it, ah mad ting, mad!

He appeared at the recent Starjam show at the Aquasol Beach park as well as Hype 2K7 featuring Rik Ross, Bounty Killer, and Mavado at Font Hill Beach park in rural Jamaica.

Bounty fans dem inna Mafia World, dem understand the ting, and Beenie fans dem love me same way. I am hotter than before ever since me start link with Rebel T, he said.

Mi ah circle the 14 parish dem, dem and dem spouse tek the Mafia house, but mi gone with the world, he quipped, a thinly veiled reference to the dispute he had with former friend Beenie Man over the origins and ownership of Mafia House Productions.

Mafia World ah happen, mi picture de pon nuff flyers, me ah perform all over the place, mi a lock show, Dozer ah mi new management. Beenie picture is back on the wall at Rebel T, him call the boss and say sorry, and admit how he was wrong, management ah negotiate with him right now about couple million, so till the cheque clear, mi just a easy, he said.

A jovial person, it is hard to tell when DM is cracking jokes or being serious. To him, it appears to be all the same, but he did inject a note of gravity into the interview.

Right now, me nah support no bad vibes inna the music, as an artiste, yu have to defend your rights but that doesnt mean we no respect and love every artiste, but me have to get that respect too. Beenie Man is Beenie Man and Don Mafia is Don Mafia but we dont have to be enemies, he said.

DM also has a new single called Looking a Hype featuring Tru Blacks and he will be aggressively promoting it this month. He will also be performing at a show called Real Patriot on April 6th in Mandeville alongside Bounty Killer and Mavado.

Maybe its a Mafia World after all.

-- Edited by "STAINLESS" at 17:00, 2007-04-08