Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys says she wanted to be on the remix of the hit Ghetto Story because she liked the song and she could relate to what Cham was saying in the song.

"It's kinda interesting how the collaboration happened. The label didn't come to us, neither did Cham. Actually, we (the artiste and her management) went to them. It's like combining two worlds like that, and it turned out perfect. We approached Cham to be on the remix, and I felt ecstatic about it. We all have our own story of how we were raised and what we saw while we were growing up. I like the way Cham rode the rhythm and I liked his flow. He was really being honest and truthful, and I wanted to tell my story. I appreciated his story," Keys explained.

A video for the track was shot in Kingston earlier this week, which saw the Grammy-winning artiste interacting with residents in the Sherlock area of Duhaney Park, where Cham is originally from, as well as beeston and Hanover Streets downtown.

Keys remembers her own childhood growing up in the inner-city areas of New York. The experiences that she faced were similar to those that ace dancehall deejay Cham himself experienced, which became the showcase for the Billboard-charting hit and local chart topper.

"Growing up for me was a lot of different things, and that's what I think made me who I am. I grew up around so many different styles, the grittiest, the dirtiest, the ugliest, the hard times and the struggles. I also saw a whole positive side. I grew up seeing both sides, where the negativity motivated me to see the positives," Keys explained in an interview with this writer on the set of the video shoot.

Keys, whose credentials include hit singles such as Fallin', You Don't Know My Name, Karma, If I Ain't Got You and A Woman's Worth, was thrilled about being in Jamaica again. She had performed in the island two years ago at the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay. "I love Jamaica and the people are so warm," Keys gushed.

Prior to teaming up with Cham, she had worked with Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley on her Unplugged album. She also performed with Julian Marley in Rome on a concert arranged by music mogul and record producer Quincy Jones.

"I have done shows with a number of reggae artistes, but this is my first record with a reggae artiste," Keys said.

Keys whose most recent album was the multi-platinum selling The Diary Of Alicia Keys, says she is working on her third studio album. "I am working on my album right now, so you can look out for that sometime next year," she said.