Ask Blackie

Back in the 1970s, when Black Power was the rage in Jamaica, it was cool to clench fists and wear an Afro. Many former radicals have mellowed, but not poet Oku Onuora who, at 58, retains the snarl of his firebrand youth.

Regarded by some as the father of dub poetry, Onuora is scheduled to appear on the Seh Sup’m poetry show today at the Village Café in St Andrew. Chatting with The Sunday Gleaner recently, he said he remains a committed revolutionary.

“Nuthin’ has changed, ’cause wi still seeing the same ’sufferation’ and oppression,” he said.

It has been some time since Onuora has performed, having taken a break from touring and recording. He does not believe his message has been lost to a generation caught up with dancehall feuds and iPods.

“Some of my original work, wi talking ’bout tings like ‘Dread Times’ and ‘Pressure’, still relevant to the times,” he said. “People mus’ listen to our work all 100 years from now.”

Onuora speaks in a fiery, piercing tone, like the inspirational warrior addressing his troops before battle. It has been 10 years since he toured and, typical of serious messengers like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, shies from commercial recording.

A Movement is the title of his latest collection of recordings which will be available through the Internet later this year. According to Onuora, his writing has never been solely for recording.

“I don’t get up an’ jus’ crunch out albums, I’m not what yuh call a current writer. I have to feel it before I record anything,” he explained.

Despite his inactivity, Onuora retains a strong fan base in Europe and the United States’ west coast where his 1984 effort, Pressure Drop, is hailed as one of the great protest albums. He remains a prolific writer, but said he turned his back on music when negative elements took over.

“Mi neva like wha’ a gwaan, all of a sudden everybody did tun bad man. Mi nuh inna dat, me’s a revolutionary, mi come fi blow down oppression!” he exclaimed.

Mervyn Morris is a professor emeritus at the University of the West Indies and one of the Caribbean’s distinguished poets. He first met Onuora in the mid-1970s while he (Onuora) was incarcerated at the St Catherine District Prison for armed robbery.

Morris played an influential role in getting ECHO, Onuora’s first book of poems, published. He is not surprised at his achievements.

“Oku has a lot of talent but that’s one thing, he’s always been concerned about social conditions and equality. He’s an activist with conviction,” Morris said.

Oku Onuora went through a phase of ‘badness’ in his youth. Born Orlando Wong in east Kingston, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1970 for armed robbery but was released in 1977 after vigorous lobbying by academics and human rights activists.

It was while in prison that Onuora’s passion for poetry and protest literature grew. He remembers reading Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver’s classic autobiography, Soul On Ice, and the writings of Malcolm X.

He also followed the freedom movement in Africa, finding heroes in Mozambique’s Samora Machel and South African Steve Biko.

With a new name (Oku Nagba Ozala Onuora is his complete name which is Nigerian for everlasting fire or light which burns oppression), Onuora hit the ground running after his release from prison, performing at high-profile events.

The following year, he cut Reflections in Red for Bob Marley’s 56 Hope Road label, which some musicologists recognise as the first dub poetry song. Along with the pioneer Linton Kwesi Johnson in Britain, Mikey Smith and Mutabaruka, Onuora helped put the genre on the map.

Smith was killed in 1983, the alleged victim of mob violence, but Linton Kwesi Johnson and Mutabaruka have enjoyed enduring careers.

Onuora is uncommitted about his plans to promote A Movement, but hopes to perform regularly at intimate events like Seh Sup’m.

“Wi cyaan seh how much show wi going do, but wi coming to blaze!”

Sheila Hylton was juggling careers as a flight attendant and reggae singer in 1980 when she stepped into a London record store and bought a copy of The album Police. Reggatta de Blanc, which included The song Bed’s Too Big Without You.

Hylton, now 54, told The Gleaner last week that she was so taken with the song’s reggae grooves she decided to record her own version on her return to Jamaica.

“One of the first things I said to myself was, ‘It would be great to get Sly and Robbie on this song’,” she recalled.

Hylton’s rendition of The Bed’s Too Big Without You, produced by the hot rhythm duo, was not only a hit in Jamaica, but reached as high as number 35 on the British pop charts. It remains her biggest hit.

DIFFERENT FLAVOUR

Early this month, Hylton returned to the recording studio to cut a song with an entirely different flavour. Alongside fellow New York City reggae acts Elvis D, a tribute to Jamaican track and field which was used by the country’s delegation to the Penn Relays which ended last Saturday.

Hylton said doing the song was a satisfying experience. She stressed that it transcends athletics.

“The lyrics are pure patriotism. I think long after the ‘Penns’ are over the song will be relevant because it covers everything,” she said.

Hylton has lived in New York City for 30 years. Though she is still active as a performer, mainly in the New York area, her recording schedule is not as hectic as the 1970s and 1980s.

Her last album, Steppin’, was released in 2006. She believes most show promoters in the Big Apple cater to younger crowds and do not give traditional reggae acts a chance.

“Dancehall is cool, but I think people are starved for reggae in different forms,” she said.

Born in London, Hylton came to Jamaica at age five. She listened to different forms of music while being raised by her maternal grandparents in Vineyard Town, east Kingston.

Her grandfather worked for Pan American Airways and was a jazz buff. She said troubled jazz stylist, Billie Holliday, was an early influence, but later she was drawn to Chaka Khan and The Police and their lead singer/writer, Sting.

Reggae Rock Band Rootz Underground is currently on a one month Spring tour of Europe. The band, which left Jamaica on March 28, has so far performed in France and Switzerland. The band will also do shows in Greece, Italy and Poland. This tour is coming off the successful internet release of Rootz Undergrounds’ last single Power to the People which was ‘livicated’ to the people of Haiti. The tour will last until the end of April, just in time for the release of Rootz Underground’s latest album Gravitywhich is slated for a summer release.

Lead singer for Rootz Underground, Stevie G, says the Europe tour is going well: “We are very happy with the reception we have gotten so far. Every time we come to Europe we win over new fans with old fans bringing their friends to the shows and the vibe is just wicked. We have only done one week of the tour so far with several stops left in France, Italy, Greece and Poland and we are really looking forward to bringing positive music to these parts of Europe.”

In France on Wednesday March 31 Rootz Underground performed at Cabaret Sauvage in Paris, while the very next day, Thursday April 1, they performed at Chatodo in Blois followed by the Garorock Festival in Marmande, France on Friday April 2. The band then moved to Usine a Gaz in Nyon on April 3 which is located some 25 kilometres north of Geneva in Switzerland.

Rootz Underground has eight more dates in France as well as two dates in Greece, two in Italy and one in Poland. This will be the first time that Rootz Underground will be performing in Italy and Greece and lead guitar for the band, Jeffrey Moss-Solomon, thinks that this is a big step for the band: “We have never performed in Italy or Greece before. This is a big step for the band as we have a lot of fans in those two countries and we are especially looking forward to Greece as we hear that since the economic turmoil there, people have been using our songs to gain strength in their struggles.”

After the release of their second studio album,Gravity, Rootz Underground will return to Europe in the summer to perform at a few Reggae festivals. So far the band is confirmed for Summerjam in Germany onJuly 2 and Roskilde Festival in Denmark on July 3. These two shows are major signposts on the reggae music calendar. There are also other shows in the works but these dates have yet to be confirmed.

Rootz Underground’s 13 city Spring Europe tour continues with great crowd support as the band spread their message and music internationally. The band’s popularity has steadily grown around the world and Rootz Undergound continues to rise in Europe.

Basseterre, St.Kitts – Grammy award winning artiste Wyclef Jean joined rising Kittitian superstar, Infamus in what many termed the most memorable musical performance in recent times.

Wyclef Jean met Infamus when he was invited to be the headline act at a Concert held at St.Kitts’ Warner Park Stadium.

The Haitian born artiste during his astounding performance told thousands that he heard a song playing the previous night and liked it.

Just as the beat for Inafmus’ first big hit ‘21 Gun Salute (We Miss You)’ began playing the crowd reacted with a massive uproar as they were thrilled to see their very own being recognized by the megastar.

Infamus entered the stage letting the viewers know that he was there to represent as he shouted his now famous line “Infamus a Represent !!!!!!”

He performed his two hit singles and did a impromptu performance with Wyclef Jean for ‘Feel like Crying’.

“I like your songs,” Jean declared. “Them tunes need to be on 106 & Park, We gotta work on that. I got to go back and talk to them people and tell them I saw something tonight.”

Jean’s statement followed with an eruption of cheers once more from the massive crowd and both artistes continued performing together with freestyles and an on the spot remix for Jean’s hit ‘Sweetest Girl’.

This collaborative performance came about after a member of Jean’s band along with his manager made contact with Infamus the night before.

According to Infamus’ Manager Diego Spanner, Jean’s manager was amazed at the crowd’s reaction when the DJ played ‘Feel Like Crying’ during his set. They then observed a young boy singing the song as if he knew every word.

“He then asked the little boy what was the name of the artiste, because it appeared to them as if it was an international song as everyone was into it,” he said. “The boy then corrected their initial assumption by boldly stating, “He’s from right here! His name is Infamus!”

When Jean’s manager managed to get in contact with Infamus later that evening he expressed his liking for the music and thought it would be good to have him perform with Wyclef Jean.

Upon Jean’s arrival to the island the following day, Infamus was thrilled to receive a follow up phone call from the international star, which confirmed the collaborative performance.

Jean’s team also highlighted their anxiety to have the young artiste record in there state of the art studio back in New York along with the possibilities of being contracted to Yclef Records. Yclef Records is a record label owned by Jean and their aim is to showcase talents from all hidden corners of the world.

Performing live on stage with Wyclef Jean has been the greatest experience in the career of this young artiste, who possess a unique singing style he expresses as “Life & Times”.

Pop-reggae artiste Kaydonica Richards has been making waves with the combination single, Picking Up the Pieces featuring Jahmali. Ever since the music video had its offficial release, it has been receiving heavy rotation on all major local channels.

The song, according to the producers, is an emotional tour de force, especially for anyone who has ever undergone heartache, or families who had to rebuild after their lives were shattered by some unforeseen event.

“Picking up the Pieces really resonates with a lot of people, especially at this time with these earthquakes, and hurricanes. I have been getting a lot of positive feedback about it from people in all walks of life,” she said.

Kaydonica made her debut performance at Christopher’s last month, performing the song alongside Jahmali. She is eyeing a number of other musical projects and recently recorded two new singles — Locked Up in a Cell and Instruments of Love. Her biggest hit to date has been Colour of Your Skin which hit #1 on Roots FM radio charts last year.

“It’s just a beautiful song, and it addresses the stigma attached to the colour of your skin, the texture of your hair, and is critical of the level of prejudice in the society. The song lets you know that none of that matters, you can be anything you want, accomplish anything no matter where you live, the colour of your skin, your background, your hair…don’t see people and judge them, it’s a song for tolerance and the spirit of inclusion,” the 26 year-old said.

The recent cancellation of US visas of the abovementioned artistes (except for Sizzla, in whose case the cancellation was not recent, as the visa was revoked in 1998) sent shock waves throughout and outside of the music fraternity, as many wonder who will be the next victim.

At first glance it seems to have been done in an almost callous way and this is surely cause for concern. An email advisory was sent to all the airlines who carry passengers to the US with the instructions not to board the artistes as their visas were in the process of being revoked. The artistes themselves claim they had no knowledge that that such a move was afoot and the US embassy, as expected, has no comment, as this is a matter between them and the individual artiste.

However, is this to be seen as an advisory, pending some investigation on the embassy’s part and at the end of the day a second advisory will be issued to countermand the first?

“The fact is that the artistes, as far as I know still have visas in their passports. The visas have not yet been stamped “cancelled without prejudice” or “cancelled with prejudice”, so perhaps the US was just being generous by advising the artistes not to travel at this time. We have to examine the wording carefully,” was artiste manager Patrick Robert’s’ take on the situation.

He, however, admitted that he was shocked by last week Wednesday’s announcement that the visas of four of the top dancehall acts were “in the process of being revoked”.

“But any way you look at it, this is bad,” Roberts said. “What is a reggae festival anywhere in the States without Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado, Aidonia and Sizzla? And then there is Buju who is behind bars in the US.”

The artistes had both their work permits and the visitor’s visa revoked and the fact is that most artistes use the US as a hub. Without a visitor’s visa they are now unable to use Miami as a connection port into other parts of the world. Artistes, like it or not, also have entourages and numerous persons to take care of. These artistes are among the top earners and shutting them down will certainly affect more than just them and their immediate families.

As the summer approaches, the next couple of month is usually their busiest periods as they travel to festival all across the US to earn their living. Many are asking why and why now? It is felt that the stand-off between Washington and Kingston is playing a role in this unfolding saga. Interestingly, both Beenie Man and Bounty Killer had a show in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday and their absence, according to informed sources, was a big blow to the promoter. It was to be the first time that the two would have performed on the same stage in Orlando.

According to Roberts, in all his 17 years of managing Beenie Man, he has never had a visa issue with the US government. “We have always had our work permits renewed without any problems,” he emphasised.

And, as the artistes grapple with the way forward, Beenie Man has already released a visa song which will no doubt strike a responsive chord with all and sundry.

USHER’S latest disc, Raymond v Raymond, is a bit like déjà vu. It has all the elements of his earlier albums. There’s the less-than-subtle autobiographical relationship track — in this case, it’s a song about divorce (Papers). And in the vein of 2004’s Confessions, a woefully apologetic Usher spills the beans about cheating on Foolin’ Around. It opens with him saying: “I know I vowed to never do this again, but it seems to be the only thing I’m good at.”

While it’s clear he underestimates his ability to do better in the fidelity department, it seems the singer has limited himself musically as well.

The Jim Jonsin-produced There Goes My Baby is instantly appealing, but upbeat club tracks including Lil Freak, featuring rap “it” girl Nicki Minaj, and She Don’t Know, with Ludacris, are catchy but disappointingly safe choices for 31-year-old Usher.

So Many Girls and the will.i.am-produced OMG border on disastrous as far as sound and lyrics go, but the real letdown of Raymond v Raymond is that those who listen to it won’t know any more about Usher Raymond, as an artiste or a man, than they previously did.

Reggae Legend, Ernie Smith in celebrating 42 years in reggae music has re-launched his website featuring significant changes to further promote his career.

The site is designed to enhance Ernie’s visibility on the World Wide Web. Producers, Performers, Promoters, Radio DJs and Sound System Operators are encouraged to visit Ernie’s website for information as well as to listen, and/ or download samples of his songs – old and new – for study/cover/collaboration.

Fans, Family and friends are also encouraged to submit photos of themselves and Ernie for review and possibly, periodic inclusion on the site.

All in all 2010 is gearing up to be fun-filled.

Ernie Smith is promoting his album “Country Mile” and will be visiting some Caribbean Islands, East Coast of the United States and Central America from late March to August 2010.

The Reggae Ballardeer recently told us “I am heartened by the responses I have been receiving from the album. I know now that my evergreen fans are enjoying it and lo and behold, I have a new crop of fans. I am blessed. It is my hope that Music Lovers everywhere will be satisfied after listening. I did try to touch on some key issues of social forms”.

Ernie is slated to perform on the 8th Annual Talent Search and Award Show at Giggles Comedy & Entertainment Centre, Long Island, on the 27th of March.

AVENTURA – Singer/songwriter K’Jon will be making a special appearance performing his hit single “On The Ocean” and signing autographs for customers at Macy’s Fashion Store at Aventura, First Floor 19535 Biscayne Boulevard on Friday, March 19, at 7pm, as an official Jazz In The Gardens pre-festival event.

The first 200 customers to make a purchase of $50 or more at Macy’s Fashion Store at Aventura Mall on the day of the event will receive a copy of K’Jon’s CD, and poster, which he’ll autograph.

Three lucky couples will be chosen on-site to participate in a Chicago Style Steppin’ contest. They’ll compete for a chance to win a pair of Jazz in the Gardens tickets and a Macy’s gift card.

K’Jon, knows how to set the scene! He has recently released his first full-length major label debut, I Get Around, a superb collection with nods to both his contemporaries, including KEM and Robin Thicke, and his predecessors, like fellow Detroiter, Marvin Gaye. According to Billboard, the Detroit native’s hit 2009 single, “On The Ocean”, has spent a record 72 weeks on the R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, surpassing Usher’s record.

“On The Ocean” has become a huge hit within the Chicago Style Steppin’ community. In other parts of the country, the elegant adult style of dance is called “jazz dance”, “The Cakewalk”, “The Ringshout”, “The Jitterbug” and “The Swing”, spawning thousands of avid followers across the United States.

K’Jon has been singing since he was eight years old- but what started out as a hobby has morphed into an incredible career. In 2004, his song, “Miami” was featured on the soundtrack for 2Fast2Furious. He has opened for everyone from Ludacris and Ne-Yo to Raheem DeVaughn.