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Positive solutions to appease the legacy of Reggae Lane

12/29/2019

Pictured here with Ras Ovid ~ RIP

The positive spirit of reggae got the government to name that laneway

Reggae music did that... The spirit of reggae breaks all barriers globally

That's the upside
~

Gentrification

This did not turn out well for the part of Eglinton West considered as Little Jamaica... most, if not all of the businesses are closed or in the process of shutting down with what I understand, zero compensation, either from the government or Metrolinx

“We have no budget”

The colonial machine rolls on, gentrifying another black community with zero plan, from day one / ground zero, to compensate the businesses nor the families that made that part of Eglinton, an international legend

The area is synonymous with reggae music with many great artists passing through and making it the hub of the culture for a time. Record shops, posters, flyers, dances... meet and greet, artists and some fans

It was a happening spot

Now it is gone

Buried under politricks and construction

This is the downside for reggae culture in the area

~

In the years to come, no one but Caribbean Canadian people will reminisce on what was

Reggae is the unification of the sentient beings of this planet and a connection of a loving energy. Reggae cannot stop this juggernaut of legislation and construction that did not include the input from the business owners or the affected families

Reggae however stands its ground always as a beacon of positivity for the community

Reggae Lane is a child of Reggae

My suggestion to the community is to rally around this FOR the community, without negative politricks... for the families, for the businesses who have lost greatly, for the veteran artists that have contributed so much and never properly compensated, for the up and coming performers and those that still do it today

Reggae Lane is much more than a place off Eglinton; it is a vibe that can be used for the good of the Caribbean as well as the Canadian community who have been gentrified without compensation

Reggae Lane is more than a place

Reggae Lane, no matter its humble or sordid beginnings can be used to bring respect to all involved with cooperation of reggae fans

It can be a path to bring some semblance of respect and a program to generate income for a community that has been deliberately decimated by gentrification

How?

How do we earn from Reggae Lane when the colonial racist has never allowed reggae to be included in rotation on Canadian radio or exported Canadian produced reggae music

Ever????

We the people

We the reggae people

I believe that there are enough talented and capable humans in the community of reggae who could make this uplifting for those aggrieved by the nature of colonial existence in this country

It can take an honest look at this colonizer system and possibly bridge gaps to the blatant racism of the Eglinton gentrification

Cooperation

First with the Caribbean community and with reggae fans of all nationalities

Then with the government... not likely but got to keep an open mind... maybe

Reggae heals the planet through truth and love

We see all of the bullshit tokenism, ie; murals, speeches and apologies yet ZERO fiscal investment to compensate the talent or the people

Colonialism alive and well

Maybe there is a chance to heal the cavernous fracture that is Eglinton West, once Little Jamaica, into something more positive than it is viewed today

We reggae people must be willing to stand apart from the colonial corruption, yet unite with the guidance of truth and integrity

Or, accept this path, like the dinosaur, as all good things come to an end eventually

An interesting parallel is also what is happening to G98.7FM

I have zero insight to the inner runnings of that station, except for what I read and it sounds like they have a massive debt situation which usually leads to shutting down a business

Black, Caribbean, Jamaican, African culture/s struggle hard in this colonial environment. It may be time for some to recognize the inevitability of removing 'urban' culture from white Canada deliberately, focussed more on spending with our own businesses as Marcus Mosiah preached over 100 years ago

Because it works

We speak of it privately among ourselves yet here I bring it to the fore... Some of us get that we are not viewed as “equals” by those who govern this country yet we do not care to be anyone’s equals as we stand in our own grounds and see the reality of this situation

The consistent abuse by the Canadian government to the Native population for a century and a half, tells the only story we need as it pertains to equality

We can pretend to get along as these hypocrites do, yet we continue to grow fiscal opportunities within our talents, for our children
Reggae is a global energy

An ‘element’ not posted on the periodic table

Still an element that moves the planet on a spiritual plane

We do not need permission from any guy to play, perform, sing, dance, produce or promote the music and the culture. We have done it for over sixty years now without support from mainstream media {consistent radio airplay} and deliberate blocking in countries like Canada and the US. Yet it still thrives and grows the positive psyche of the planet

We cannot be curbed

I am grateful to have ownership a Reggae Lane design

My brand

Through all of this, even with the negative press, a black man, a born Jamaican owns a Reggae Lane trademark

It came about when I asked why the Reggae Lane committee wasn’t being paid for our work

I was told, “We have no budget”, and so I requested Marlon Tygon Cowan to design what you see in that logo above to raise funding not only for the committee, but also as a fundraiser year round for reggae music. A Canadian contribution to the world of reggae

I believe that it is historically, the first roadway on planet earth, named after Reggae Music

That’s Guinness Book of World Records worthy

It is a global milestone

Certainly not as noteworthy to the ‘gentrifiers / colonizers, as they collect their kickbacks but a big deal to me and the fraternity of reggae if I am correct

The gentrifier isn’t as interested in this fact as Reggae Lane, some might have thought, was a distraction from what is truly happening on Eglinton West, this massive gentrification. No, it will not be used as such. What it shall do, is shine a light for all to see as well as to hold up the mirror so that the gentrifiers can see their reflections

That’s reggae talk

Truth

I resigned from the RL committee

I realized that we were working at cross purposes. This Reggae Lane thing meant more to me than it did to others so I went my merry way

Neither reggae nor Reggae Lane will be used in a negative way on my watch

There is a truly negative stigma by many about Reggae Lane, based on various factors which include its placement down the “crack alleyway”, the way the businesses and families were treated by this process as well as the ongoing gentrification. All we are left with is a couple of murals

{Exceptional works by Adrian Hayles, the mural artist, capturing a vibrancy to the great Canadian reggae history}

No sir

I who care for reggae music will walk a positive path for the culture as I always have and allow Reggae Lane to do positive for I n I community

Reggae Lane is a child of reggae as I said previously so I n I will defend against babylon as a reggae soldier must. My band IBADAN rehearsed down that “crack lane” many moons ago, so I do feel a sense of pride that I rehearsed on a part of a historical space

I have or want no war with Metrolinx or the government, as that is a colonizer strategy to keep I focus away from I n I community

We must begin to learn and to adapt

I n I focus is glorifying reggae music and reggae culture to the max as it is freedom music and I am grateful to be a humble soldier in this worldwide reggae army

JuLion, the Canadian Reggae Defender

~

David Kingston hosted a reggae radio show from 1981 – 1992 approximately, 27 years ago, on CKLN 88.1FM, a conscious idrin. When I discussed some gentrification topics with him, he sent I man this poem, adapted from the famous Joni Mitchell chune “Big Yellow Taxi”

Appropriate

With greeting to JuLion King, and apologies to Joni Mitchell

They paved paradise
And put us in a parking lot
With a painted mural, an alley
Where it once was a hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put us in a parking lot
They took all the dreads
And put 'em in a dread museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to seem 'em
No no no
Don't it always seem to go,
That you don't know what you've got til its gone
They paved paradise
And shoved us in a parking lot
This is the sentiment of many reggae people

I know, the gentrifier does not give a shit, yet I get to share a story that one won’t ever read in the mainstream... a perspective of my own

~

This tune selected for this piece is “Youths Of Eglinton” by Black Uhuru, whose leader singer, Mykal Rose is brothers with the owner of RAPS on Eglinton, released in 1981, addressing gun violence in Toronto, Jamaica, England, Africa

Reggae consciousness

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What is Sleep? ~ Written from feel

12/28/2019

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Art by Neal Adams

Everything is timed around when you / we need to sleep

How many hours do I have left before I have to fall asleep?

4:00pm, a quick after work beer or 2 or 5 before I head home

No it’s too early for alcohol at 4:00pm, I’ll hit two Guinness and spliff at about 11:00am as I unwind for bed

7:00pm, I have four hours of TV before I go to bed at 11:00pm

8:00pm, just got in from the gym, eat a solid meal, eat a light meal, catch some YouTube docs, hit the hay at 11:00 precisely to achieve the required sleep cycle the body needs to recover from the workout that day, in order to function properly the next day

How many hours to bed time?

How much sleep did I get?

Was it restful sleep?

Sleep

Is it just rest?

Is it a connection to the cosmos?

You go into the sleep dimension and come out each morning with ideas, energies, and sometimes mass confusion

What is sleep?

Where is sleep?

I like it

Sleep is definitely my friend

“Life is for the living”... We seem to only count the awake time as being alive but sleep is a portal not even we ourselves can control, yet we are still very much alive and sometimes quite conscious in dream state when vivid images and events occur

Why do babies sleep so well?

I feel like it is a sense of deep comfort. Safe, comfortable, warm, loving space created by a loving home

When things are going well and one is happy, sleep is an easy thing

When stressed, sleep becomes a fleeting friend

The spiritual realm is in your sleep so one must manifest that loving energy while awake, as it will transfer into your sleep psyche and create that warm, loving space, leading to better sleep

The hamster wheel has us all

I write as you can see here, a bunch of thoughts. No answers or solutions yet aware that a stronger spiritual energy must occur while we are awake in order for us to sleep well, like a baby, every night

Individual vessels

Only you control your space, no matter the level of discrimination is faced globally

Be conscious of this truth and find it within yourself

The portal of sleep sets the awake state as the awake state affects the sleep

The lies, anger, deceit, vengeance, sarcasm, hate, fear, bad vibes during the wake state ends up in your nightmares

Your sleep is yours to use in your own spiritual world

Your spiritual well being is only on you. It cannot be legislated nor explained as it is all feel

This one again is written from feel

~ ~ ~

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Art is Life ~ Life is Art

12/25/2019

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Illustration by Frank Morrison

Coming to grips with the “art life”

I’m an artist

What does that truly mean?

It means all aspects of my life are carried out through a lens in my mind’s eye, that guides my every step, conversation, emotion, style, love, quiet...

I need quiet

Music is a lovely muse

Art is truly life itself

It is unique only to you

Singer, dancer, illustrator, athlete, player of instrument, chef

It cannot be accurately described or defined

No one but you must guide your art

Opinions, criticisms and compliments are necessary... in this way you know that your art moves the choice of the opinion and the need to verbalize or write about the art

The more opinions, positive or negative, is how much your art impacts the world

Making art for opinion is giving someone else the pen to write in your own book

It is not arrogance

You were brought here for you

Do you

No one else is you

Art is everyone and everything

All in varying degrees

Not everyone is Michael Jackson, Chopin, Picasso, Marley or Pele

Know your role

Know your lane

No matter how gifted or limited in talent, please display your art

Life is art

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To Donate to the blog:

If you wish to encourage the writing, I ask those who wish to donate to do so

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This performance from our Youtube channel features a vibe from a Feel Reggae performance by Michie Mee

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Bullying

12/11/2019

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Bullying is nature

It is nature itself

Predator and prey

In all of the oceans, every animal becomes both every moment of their existence. Fish eat plankton, big fish eat small fish, octopus eat lobster and fish, eel eats octopus, orca eats whale, orca eats whale and shark, shark eat orca... you get the picture

Nature

It is possible that we are tackling this bullying issue with the wrong message/s

It may be possible to create a different narrative if we accept the nature of this subject of bullying if we speak the truth of the innate, instinctive nature in all living things

We are built to bully

Insecurity and fear probably play huge roles in both predator and prey for humans

Insecurity and fear fuels the bully. The bully, surrounded by his or her clique, notices what the prey is wearing or hair style or whatever ‘flaw’ that they know that the crew will laugh at. Each day is a new day for entertaining the immediate clique, classroom, work environment, sport/s arena etc;

The more competitive among us are lauded over for the ‘killer instinct’ so in a place where we need to call on those energies, our goal then is intimidation. This plays out in any and many scenarios daily

If we strive for anything where there is competition we dig down, work harder than the rivals and express great pride if we win and celebrate the accomplishment. Each ‘victory’ hones those skills and to the vanquished, the victor, with all of the aggression and drive can sometimes now be viewed as a bully. Sometimes we need to bully if we want that win. At times we need to embrace that bully mentality

If we speak honestly of the bully within we may create a more effective narrative to our children

“Do not bully” is not an effective alternative because it is not working

We compliment the behavior and trait yet “don’t bully” in the next sentence goes against nature?

Thought

Speak the truth to ourselves first before we speak to our own children

The “don’t bully” scolding loses credibility if your children have ever felt bullied by you in any circumstance or older siblings in the home bully the ‘littler’ ones which is prevalent in many families... not to mention sexual abuse by parents, aunts and uncles, family friends, boyfriends and so on. Bullying is in all aspects of life

It is natural

It is necessary at times

Sometimes the bully needs to be bullied right back

As a youth growing up, I didn’t like being bullied by others so it increased my lion vibes to where I became confident that trying to bully me was detrimental to the opponent. I became stronger because I was bullied. I stepped up and met that challenge and am most grateful today that most around me don’t try and those that do, meet “the dragon” {the name I give to the spirit that rises inside me to confront bullies}

Though bullying lessons were painful at times, I am grateful for the dragon. He protects me and many in I n I circle

Own the behavior in self

The message is more effective to our children if they see that you acknowledge when you use your bully on a total stranger in a public space or against the child, public or in private. Our messages are useless if we don’t admit to our own bully within

Their nature, their DNA and your behavior, are stronger messages than “don’t bully”

Why would they trust this silly message with inconsistent behavior coming from their mentor/s?

Connect with your inner bully and accept it. In this way we can better control our urges to unnecessary aggression to vulnerable people within our environment and teach realer messages to our children

Your inner bully needs to be confronted before you can deliver that truth to your own children. Without this truth we are spinning our wheels with this issue

Bullying is an individual choice

I’m pretty sure it can never be stopped yet it can be modified to a personal choice

Personal acceptance

The current message is hypocritical and obviously, totally ineffective because it is wrong. It focuses on the act as opposed to the reality that it is a natural thing

Bullying is constant

Every day

The solutions I believe are in changing this useless narrative and owning the behavior. The hypocrisy of the message is seen and felt by innocent children who realize that the adult is totally full of shit. Their innocent minds can see right through the dumbass messages we regurgitate without question. We are sheep to this idiotic narrative

You as an adult, you have never faced your own bully. You have never labelled it or acknowledged it so your children see you as a fraud. They will NEVER hear your hypocritical lecture on a topic they instinctively know that you know nothing about
Bullying can NEVER be stopped

Yet it can be acknowledged differently and possibly change the narrative to a far more effective message that can resonate with ourselves and to our children

Again, I write from feel

The folks who make anti-bullying laws are our biggest bullies

They make hypocritical treaties with Native humans, they publicly abuse black people making laws about slavery, free trade, peace keeping forces, abusive murder of innocent, UNARMED black people, when women can vote or speak, how to wear your hair, female birth control, women’s bodies and how they must use it.... again you get the picture

Our “law makers” are our biggest “enemy” as it pertains to bullying as they are the biggest assholes and bullies and for some reason we are asking them to make anti-bullying laws? Why would they? They profit every minute with bullying tactics

The law

There were laws that forbade women and black people to read or to vote. The SAME people run your government today
Anti-bulling laws from the bully that is government is a futile exercise as any child can see and feel the hypocrisy

Protect the village yourself

The government does not care one iota about the children except for the anti-bullying grants that they pay to themselves, while our children get rap sheets and become victims to gun violence, so the premiere of Ontario can give the police $25 million more to the police to bully better

~

You

Me

Do it in your circle

Come to grips with your own bully. Ovastand its place, its nature and when to break it out and when you are being abusive

No, we can’t save the world but we can change our immediate space in our families, or villages, our children’s school/s

Protect their lives

~

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If you wish to encourage the writing, I ask those who wish to donate to do so

The fiscal encouragement would be greatly appreciloved

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etransfer: canadianreggaeworld@gmail.com

~

This tune resonated with me, as Buju as is creating the narrative of a "Steppa" being a person of integrity... not a shotta or a petty thief

We do need more Steppa's inna de world

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Black Survivors ~ Equal Rights & Justice

12/9/2019

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Illustration By Adrian Hayles of actress / model Stacey McKenzie

Systemically targeted

Not playing the blame game, just pointing out what is directly in your faces. If I can plainly see this, because they aren’t trying to hide it... it has never been any different... there is an agreed upon systemic abuse of the youth in our society

Money away from social programs to money for the police by the same premiere of Ontario

Our children are now attacking our children

And we turn blind eyes because we chose to

Parents of children 12 – 14 – 17 – 20 years old, are terrified daily / nightly, of other people’s children attacking them and at times taking their life

This is the message that these children are sharing obviously because this is what is being manifested right now. They are following blindly because we don’t have another effective message to guide them

Us lazy parents now need to parent

“We need protection from our own children” is what we all saying at times and the police have a program in place to facilitate just this

Watch certain children’s behavior during high school, give them enough charges, create a long standing relationship with these youths, who are now easily expendable in the eyes of the law and the public perception, this media, driven madness, rinse and repeat

14 – 17 year olds already have rap sheets

At the beck and call of this system for the rest of their lives

“They” have succeeded in turning us against our children and our children against us, very seamlessly

“Those animals” are someone else’s children so black people differentiate among ourselves, not realizing that we are criminalizing ALL black children. EVERYONE!!!

Forget about black children... These are helpless human children that we can give some information/s about the road ahead. It’s like as adults, we can’t wait to have the younger generation fail more than we did

I believe that they are smarter than us

They have us, plus their ancestors... they are better than us

We need their innocent eyes and souls... we must learn to trust them... they have seen more than you through you and your ancestors on both sides of mom and dad in spiritual time

Yes, experience is also HIGHLY necessary

We NEED our elderly... We need them guiding us as age creeps up and how to travel that journey... to teach a necessary wisdom that they have to impart to us because they were given that message, specifically for us

Protect your elderly

Sounds like confusion to me too yet it “feels” right to me

BUT WE MUST HAVE BALANCE

Yet no balance is forthcoming as the system seemingly is too far in motion for there to ever be a change

Corruption is easily paid for

At any price, full control is worth it

Yet maybe all I am capable of doing, is articulating the thought/s; as usual, a query to the universe. Maybe someone else has the solution to this and other questions, trying to minimize the constant abuse

Shining a light does nothing when it is the police... a situation directly instituted to do exactly what is happening now

No one doesn’t not know

We just recognize the futility of that information

It is also clear that if there are any collective, constructive moves to elevate the black community is lead with aggression from said system. It is the programming. The attacks on the so called Black Panther movement proves the point

Black Panther was probably chosen to intimidate “whitey”, focussing on militant behavior, to force equally rights and justice

It is viewed as militant to not think one self inferior to any other one

I’m not preaching or speaking militancy, I hope that I am affecting a thought process to elevate no matter the physical or spiritual abuses thrown at the process by said system

We have clearly seen the process played out. There are memorable speeches by Haile Selassie I, Marcus Garvey, Dr. King, Malcolm, Patrice, Rev. Farrakhan, Marley, Tosh, preaching equality and love, with busts and statues around the globe yet the message/s of pride in self through self reliance are still repeatable today

We are willing passengers in this ruse because any sort of change to it seems futile

Yet they all speak the same message

Self

The message

Self

It is an individual one

They are speaking to me

Just me... I don’t always quote their words, but I try to do how / what they do

The responsibility of this is self

That is their message I believe

We are forced to evolve beyond the systemic brutality

I ask questions

I shone my light

I hope the right solution is taking that light and passing it on

To Donate to the blog:

If you wish to encourage the writing, I ask those who wish to donate to do so

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Cynicism

12/9/2019

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Once you are burned by the right relationship, or by a series of wrong relationships, your chances of being in a successful partnership in future times is highly limited to impossible

Cynicism

Always waiting for the other shoe to drop because experience teaches that it most definitely will

You will impose said cynicism on all future and potential love interests which is akin to pouring hot liquid on said potential partner or relationship/s and expect them to not feel it burn

Doom

"You men" or "You women" won't help you to build trust

Young or old, the cynicism poisons your own soul

I know because I have lived it... I have said "you women" to my partner at the time... it is what I was taught by this time in which I live... Our problems in the relationship I made about her and her perceptions, hence "you women"

I poured venom in her soul without a second thought

I had no wisdom

Is there a solution

Most definitely

The soul connection

You start first with yourself... if your energy is dark you may not be enticing to someone with sunlight in their soul, no matter how physically attractive you may be

Work on your own sunlight

If your focus is only on your target lover, and not on self, trying to maintain an uplifting relationship is an impossible task... You tend to expect your partner to live up to your need to pacify or to entertain or to make you feel secure... None of that is their job/s

I'm fully aware that there are some truly horrific, abusive relationships that folks have experienced, so trust becomes an issue and being gun shy, or wary of the next relationship is very natural and at times, life preserving when one is coming from domestic abusive situations

No arguments there

This is a natural reaction to being burned yet taking it to the next relationship, infused with constant cynicism from the past, will automatically doom the next coupling

The solution is to heal one's own soul

Learn to love the things about you that make you shine, even if a past partner tried to stifle it / them and made you self conscious of the joyful things in you

Create your own shine

Love you

Loving a partner is about the joy you feel inside whether you are with your partner or not... the love is transcendant... a love high

A love high

A higher love

Cynicism

I won't allow it to take my love

To Donate to the blog:

If you wish to encourage the writing, I ask those who wish to donate to do so

The fiscal encouragement would be greatly appreciloved

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Colonialism & Reggae

12/5/2019

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As usual I get a quick reminder from Donna Makeda that it is “story time”

I have written a lot of words over the years of doing this and do repeat myself at times, sometimes because I forget what was said in my last piece and at times because I believe some things need repeating

This is one of those times to repeat a message

I have made a few changes to suit this time yet the info below was written in 2014 and submitted to ReggaeXclusive

I apprecilove those who take the time to read I writing
~
co·lo·ni·al·ism
noun
1.
the control or governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people.
2.
the system or policy by which a nation maintains or advocates such control or influence.
3.
the state or condition of being colonial.
4.
an idea, custom, or practice peculiar to a colony.

~

Knowing one’s role within said colony may aid in finding solutions to the issues that seem insurmountable to date. The ‘colony’ is one of hierarchy where there are ‘royals’ to be bowed down to and reggae has no place for bowing to any human being or false idols for that matter

The essence of revolution is a breaking away from the normality of “the system” whether physical or mental. We are all members of the colony yet totally unaware of our roles as the slaves to the system. We all think if we work just hard enough or our luck turns we are out of the rat race. An effective illusion

In order to maintain subservience we are given a myriad of distractions which are actually a series of stimuli that keep our eyes downward never allowing us to truly look up to avoid the obstacles, so always forced into a reactive state, constantly falling from one chaotic moment into the next. Short of rent this month constantly facing eviction notices, payday loan habit that does not really work because you still have the same amount of money, need a visit to the clinic for a possible std, driving a vehicle without insurance for a month or two because public transportation can’t get you to your job and you have a family of five with 3 children under the age of ten years old, bill collectors calling constantly, going through separation / divorce with no aid from deadbeat husband, vindictive mummy keeping children away from an invested father, money earned does not meet bills to be paid, ridiculed for being different, human rights violations in all countries on the planet, global warming, rising unemployment, lonely singles targeted by a need to online dating, the rising oceans, occupy Toronto, occupy LA, occupy NY, racism, sexism, murder rate, revenue Canada, the IRS, federal / provincial elections, alcoholic, drug abuse, parent teacher meetings, hockey / soccer eight days per week, the IMF, the World Bank, lost millions / thousands in the stock market crash, eight hundred thousand dead in Rwanda in the space of one month, 911, Al-Queda, Afghanistan, North Korea, Pakistan, Iran, The Eagle, The Tiger, The Bear, teen suicide based on poor self esteem, child abuse, domestic abuse, riots in China... There are hundreds of issues that are quite unique to many folks that are not mentioned here and at times we all face all of the above and more, all at the same time

“Governing influence and keeping one dependent”

Distractions... Life

The ‘colony’ is led by buckingham palace and everyone else falls into designated slots below the ‘royals’, each more important than the next one beneath it. It is believed that in this way, it gives the lower tiered folks a goal to shoot for in order to achieve a higher standing. So we work in jobs that barely cover the bills, create side businesses, work two or three jobs, try to save and invest in a home or rrsps, and yet never seem to be able to leave the treadmill as there is always a crisis that eats away at the savings. So every Wednesday and Saturday we spend a few ducats on lottery tickets HOPING for the miracle! One good hit and we are right out of our issues! And the lottery and gaming commissions make billions because we remain dependent

Another great illusion {I bought lottery tickets in the past too}

The “system” of the colony is a powerful one as it allows its fiscally more viable members to revel in what they have with only sympathy / empathy to offer to the have-nots, believing that it is their right to be ‘better’

We are kept dependent on this corrupt system. They maintain control creating that dependency

The ‘colony’ isn’t a place of upliftment. It is a sweat shop for the 99%

Jazz, the Blues, hip-hop, reggae are the ‘news sources’ to those who do not live in that mental or physical ghetto. With artists like Marley, Tosh, Spear and Culture who painted vivid musical images of knowledge, pain, poverty, love, upliftment and hope, reggae infiltrated into the psyche of many around the globe hence the continued growth of a fan base for this genre

The objective is to keep us dependent. By definition, it does what it does! Pretty redundant couple of sentences here yet even within that, we all get up and follow this “system” the very next second. Yes we are all victims

This is how I learn to truly apprecilove what reggae music does for me. I am grateful for the energy reggae music provides for me and billions of others around this planet. As with the above verbiage, reggae identifies the issues in communities, towns, governments and countries, then touch on relationship issues, spiritual reggae tunes tend to set us just right, then there is the defiance to said system hence the genre, though quite popular gets no airplay on mainstream radio and the privileged few never wonder why – or more accurately – never crosses their minds why reggae isn’t on radio because the hierarchy of the ‘colony’ insists on reggae “knowing its place’ at the bottom of the heap like the people who invented it. Many in the dancehall speak / rhyme just as powerfully for those who seek a differentiation yet it is all REGGAE to me

The thing is, reggae does not care! It keeps blazing and inspiring love, thought and camaraderie from nation to nation. This powerful music comes from a black nation and is appreciloved by all nations and throughout our anger, pain and resentment, the genre seems to speak truth yet search for a solution/s for “equal rights and justice” four words that don’t work well within the ‘colony’

The colony’s system of distraction to create dependence is well orchestrated while the genre of reggae pushes the conscience of a planet towards equal rights and justice

Yes I, “Reggae for Life”

JuLion
www.canadianreggaeworld.com

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CRW Newsletter ~ December 2019 ~ Buju, Exco, Akae Beka R.I.P.

12/3/2019

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Buju Banton

Another year of reggae from I n I perspective in this 2019

The thing that impacted me most was Buju coming out of jail. Reggae music needed his insight as well as his conscious voice and truly a change in the VIBE of the culture

Reggae seemed to become a very pasteurized vibe so the Gargamel was needed to bring that old skool, ghetto truth with an emphasis on the bass and a feel and need to jump when his music is played

This is I personal opinion

“Country for sale” is a track that I am extremely grateful for based on Jamaican government officials selling out the country since Independence, 6th August 1962

It isn’t like the native Jamaicans can do one single thing about lost resources for decades but to hear an artist not only mention it yet make an iconic tune, gives some an opportunity to hear those words and possibly start that thought process in the people

Here are some things synonymous with Jamaica that I don’t believe is owned by the country, nor do the people benefit a dime from it
Alcan & Reynolds bauxite, the beaches, the hotels, Red Stripe beer, Blue Mountain Coffee, Appleton Rum, J. Wray & Nephew rum, highways built by China, GANJA, Reggae Music and I am sure there are a few more resources being taken

The Gargamel is / was needed

“Steppa”

An effective tune speaking to gun violence in Jamaica, Africa, Canada within the black communities

Nuff man mek gun tunes, yet this one resonates like no other

Blessings Buju...

Exco Levi ~ Wah Gwaan

Five time Juno Award winner, released a big tune this year. One day listening to our local urban station, G98.7FM this song came on and I immediately started skanking

Big love to Exco for maintaining levels of excellence within the reggae fraternity, consistently, year after year

Vaughn Benjamin ~ Akae Beka ~ Midnite ~ R.I.P.

Historian, scholar, supremely versed with the history and nuances of the Bible, RasTafari, humble soul, passed away this year

The world was elevated with his life and lyrics and still so even with his passing

Vaughn Benjamin is a true gift to this planet

Photo’s and footage here is from his show at The Opera House in Toronto 2016... Ites up Jordan Parris for bringing Vaughn to Canada

Reggae Merchandise

Reggae For Life ~ Reggae Lane ~ 876ers

Delivery any place in North America in all colors, styles... mix and match colors, logos, hoddies, T-shirts, tank tops

If you apprecilove the reggae works brought by CRW please purchase a shirt and support the vibez and energy that we bring

To see more and to order see:
http://www.canadianreggaeworld.com/reggae-for-life.html

https://www.rastafarirootzfest.com/

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Positive solutions to appease the legacy of Reggae Lane

What is Sleep? ~ Written from feel

Art is Life ~ Life is Art

Bullying

Black Survivors ~ Equal Rights & Justice

Cynicism

Colonialism & Reggae

CRW Newsletter ~ December 2019 ~ Buju, Exco, Akae Beka R.I.P.

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