After blazing on to the international reggae scene in 1996 with the incendiary single "Fire Pon Rome", dancehall reggae artist Anthony B has been an uncompromising voice for the oppressed and the downtrodden. Released in 1996, "Fire Pon Rome s" forthright lyrical stance, rebuking the island s politicians for their apathy towards the underprivileged masses, proved too controversial in an election year and was quickly banned from Jamaica s airwaves.
Anthony B s auspicious arrival on the Jamaican music scene helped revitalized reggae as a potent medium for social agitation. Clad in African garments with his trademark staff in hand, his dreadlocks tightly wrapped in a turban signifying his affiliation with the orthodox Bobo Shanti sect of Rastafari, Anthony B is one of Jamaica s most electrifying live performers and thepresent embodiment of Reggae s provocative militancy. Anthony s current critiques, on his new VP release "That s Life" which are delivered in his powerful trademark sing-jay style (a blend of classic roots singing and modern deejaying) retain the combustibility of "Fire Pon Rome" while embracing the struggles waged globally by divere peoples. "Growing up in Jamaica, that was the only wisdom I got, what I see there," observes Anthony who has attracted tens of thousands of fans in concert appearances throughout Europe, Africa, North America and The Caribbean. "Travelling the world, you see suffering is a system designed to hold people back and all kinds of people suffer. You get to see that what you are crying for, other people are fighting for the same cause. That s why music is so effective in different countries."
Born Keith Anthony Blair on March 31, 1976 in the rural sugar farming community of Clarkstown located in the northwestern Jamaican parish of Trelawny, Anthony B grew up in a deeply religious family. Singing hymns in church (as well as giving impromptu performances on the roadside in his community) helped Anthony refine his vocal skills. "My mother was an Adventist and my grandmother was a Revivalist, so I d have to go to church both Saturday and Sunday," he recalls. Anthony however, chose his own spiritual path, adopting the Rastafarian way of life as a teenager, a decision that caused dissension among his family members. "As a youth growing up, my grandmother say dem Rasta is a blackheart people and they said I had to leave if I didn t trim (cut his dreadlocks). I wasn t going to change so I went to live with my aunt and uncle in Portmore (a suburb of Jamaica s capital city Kingston)."
While still attending school, Anthony joined forces with other aspiring teenage artists and began deejaying (rapping) with a local sound system. Despite his youth, Anthony s lyrics reflected spiritual convictions and a strong social consciousness, a stark contrast to the pervasive guns and girls rhymes that dominated dancehall Reggae in the early 90s. Another deejay, Little Devon, heard Anthony s cultural lyrics and introduced him to producer Richard "Bello" Bell of Star Trail Records. Bello, a Bobo Shanti Rastafarian was also known for making uplifting records at a time when such music opposed the prevailing trends. Bello was immediately impressed with Anthony s vocals and his ability to construct song lyrics. |
Music Video: Anthony B - Sorry
