‘This tragedy cutS deep’ Dean Fraser says Ras Ajai was ready to take on the world

Award-winning saxophonist and elder statesman in the music industry Dean Fraser is among those mourning the death of singer and actor, Ras Ajai, and is calling for “nonsense like this to stop”. 
The 43-year-old entertainer was shot and killed in Waterford, Portmore, St Catherine, on Saturday night, hours after arriving in the island.
“This tragedy cut deep,” an emotional Fraser, who is on tour in Europe told THE STAR. “This just doesn’t seem real, but it happens every day and we as a people need to stop this nonsense. We are destroying everything.”
Reports are that Ras Ajai, whose given name was Brian Todd Boucher, was in the island to visit family, in particular his daughter, and Fraser spoke of the close father-daughter bond. 
“He was just going to check his daughter, someone he spoke about in every three words,” said Fraser, who is also very close to his own daughter. “And less than three hours after he landed, tragedy struck.”
Fraser, who explained that he and Ras Ajai have been friends for more than 12 years, had only good things to say about his work ethic, as well as his abilities as both a singer and an actor. Ras Ajai is known for his role in the Paramount 2024 biographical film, Bob Marley: One Love in which he plays political enforcer, Claudius ‘Claudie’ Massop. 
“This bredren had real raw talent,” said Fraser, who is an in-demand producer as well as musician and musical director on many international projects.
“Ajai has been working on his craft for all the 12 years that I know him. He was ready to take on the world not only as a singer, but as an actor … the only two other Jamaican singers that I know of who succeeded in doing this are Jimmy Cliff and Bob Andy. He was in that league,” Fraser said.
He described the entertainer as “one of the smartest and most talented artistes he knew with a vision of becoming a superstar”.
Ras Ajai, who was born in St Catherine, grew up in Waterford. Armed with message songs which he labelled, “ghetto gospel”, he officially launched his music career in 2012. In 2018, he signed with Sean Paul’s Dutty Rock Productions and has toured with him to various places across the globe.
“Ajai was on his way up,” Fraser said. “Bwoy, we are living in sad and serious times.”
Among Ras Ajai’s songs were Need You Now, Want Me Too, Who Feels It, Rukumkum and Let’s Be Honest.