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Guestlist Recommends: Anthony B
Reggae | Tuesday 25th September 2012 | Osh
Anthony B kicks political ass as a platform for societal change
There are many reasons that I like Anthony B. One of them is that he reminds me of the old days of reggae, political shake up, stories of fortune and misfortune. Reggae can unashamedly discuss any kind of political or societal issue with a refreshing frankness; particularly considering the irony and detraction which accompanies a lot of modern music, sometimes it feels like you're listening to the polluted offspring of Jane Austen.
B grew up in Clark's Town, Jamaica. Having reared himself on the likes of Peter Tosh (who once collaborated with Mick Jagger in an interesting...combination) and Bob Marley, he developed his own affinity for the Rastafari movement, much to the irritation of his immediate family. Refusing to give up his dreads, he moved to Kingston where he began his musical career as a DJ for Shaggy Hi-Power. In a collaboration with Little Devon he released his first single in 1993, 'The Living is Hard' on Wizard Records. After hopping to and from producers, he finally settled with Richard Bell, with whom he produced 'Raid The Barn', 'Police' and 'Rumour' to name a few good tracks.
You can hear Peter Tosh's influence in B's style and content. His voice is strong and proud and political.
In a resemblance of Linton Kwesi Johnson's poems, Anthony B's lyrics illustrate a desire for unity and togetherness, in the face of insurmountable odds, people should help one another. One of the common misconceptions about reggae is that it is blindly optimistic about unity and community and is often chalked up to be disconnected from reality in the blurry haze of pot-smoke. But the lyrics, and particularly Anthony B's, are not instructions on how to get along. Rather, they are reflections of the desire upon which political change is founded. B expounds upon the state of things, 'Raid The Barn' explores the greediness of society at a base level. Nobody wants to plant the corn. Everybody wants to raid the barn.
Anthony B never pretends to provide an answer to society's ills. He acts as a platform for wisdom, not the wisdom of one man, but of all people; a means to unified solution rather than dog-eat-dog capitalist politics. He tours mostly in Europe and North America but look out for an appearance in the UK soon.
By MJH Milner
