By: Joseph Cunningham

He has been heralded as "the genius," but for what? That was the popular question two years ago when this kind of adoration was bestowed on a Jamaican teenager, who was new to the fraternity of music producers.

Many had reservations, but YardFlex interviewed Steven McGregor on Friday morning and cleared up all the misgivings. For starters, there is an obvious self-confidence that has propelled Steven McGregor ahead of his fellows in the new generation of Jamaican music producers.

He is also currently the most popular producer in the reggae industry,
delivering the kind of rhythms that make music students think of the
peculiar sounds of the likes of Swizz Beats. I asked the youth, age 17, turns 18 on Sunday; if he were to handpick artistes for a special rhythm, what would be his thought process?

Steven said, "While I take into consideration the type of artiste it is, no matter how famous the artiste, I always reserve the right to input my creativity in a significant way."

What is his source of confidence? He is a son of Freddie McGregor, and was exposed to music as a much younger boy. He virtually lives in the Big Ship studio, the McGregor's home studio where he has built over 500 rhythms.