Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire Stars in New PBS American Masters Documentary.

Grammy-nominated Jamaican-American music producer, DJ and MC Walshy Fire is the subject of the new documentary Walshy Fire: Pull Up, now streaming on the PBS website (www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters) and YouTube, from American Masters and Firelight Media.

Caribbean-American director Alicia G. Edwards takes an intimate look into Walshy’s life and work, from his childhood in Jamaica, to his upbringing in Miami, and his current role as the frontman and MC for global music juggernaut, Major Lazer. Following him around the world, from Miami party nights and recording studios in Brazil to the main stage at the world’s biggest music festivals, we see how his electrifying performances celebrate his Caribbean roots. 

Alicia Edwards, speaking on the documentary said, “He’s on a major, major platform but there’s no part of him at all that acquiesces or assimilates. I think I’d be hard pressed to see anybody else in pop music in general that’s blending cultures the way that he is.”

The 10-minute film is the latest episode in American Masters and Firelight Media’s series In the Making, which follows emerging cultural icons on their journeys to becoming masters of their artistic disciplines. For more episodes from the series, subscribe to the PBS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PBS

Walshy Fire is an international DJ, MC and producer; ambassador for Caribbean music and culture; and one-third of the massively-influential, reggae/dancehall-inspired EDM outfit, Major Lazer, alongside Diplo and Ape Drums.

While performing on some of the world’s largest stages and contributing production to Major Lazer’s albums, he has used his platform to shed light on rising talents within the Caribbean, helping launch the careers of Chronixx, Jesse Royal and Koffee, whose signature hit “Toast” he co-produced, among others.

In 2014, Vice tapped him to host Season 2 of its Noisey Jamaica documentary series, exploring dancehall and the “reggae revival” movement then taking the island by storm. When not touring with Major Lazer, Walshy balances his time with solo DJ events around the globe, including his signature Rum & Bass concept, one of Miami’s most popular weekly music events. He released his debut solo album, Abeng (Mad Decent), a groundbreaking fusion of Caribbean and African sounds, in 2019.