This is my project which I wrote in 2007 or 2008. I was not an English Teacher at the time and my style of writing was not brilliant. However, i'm generally very proud of the content. Following the years gone by, maybe my perspective has changed, but have a look....
I am going to be
making a comparison between the works of ‘reggae poet’ Linton Kwesi Johnson
(LKJ) and the UK rhymer Rodney Smith most commonly known as Roots Manuva, He himself like LKJ has forged his very own style
of UK hip hop as he says in ‘Too cold’, 'I am the eclectic known for my
eccentric'
.
In making the comparison I will be looking at the ways in which the artists
document and reflect the nature of the black experience and the black identity
in
London in
the 20
th Century.
Linton Kwesi Johnson (LKJ) was born in Jamaica
and arrived in South London,
England at the
age of 11. He attended Tulse Hill Secondary School
in Brixton, and subsequently went on to study sociology at Goldsmiths University.
Prior to working as a poet, LKJ participated politically with the Black
Panthers movement and worked for the Greater London Council (GLC). Furthermore
LKJ made regular contributions to the African-Caribbean centred journal Race
Today where his poetry was first seen in print in 1974, it was later on
that he developed his poetry and performed readings sometimes accompanied by
music, this signalled the beginning of his unique concept ‘reggae poetry’.
Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva was born unto Jamaican parents in
South London. His father was a preacher and a tailor, who
believed in a strict Pentecostal upbringing. One of Roots Manuva’s first
musical inspirations occurred when he came across some people from a sound
system testing out their sound in Stockwell skate park, there were ‘these dodgy
looking blokes standing beside it just admiring the sound of their bass. It’s
just a bass thing. A volume thing…but I remember it sounded so good so rich’
.
From this point on Roots Manuva developed an interest in reggae, dancehall
deejays and hip hop artists such as Rakim. Roots Manuva began to help out on a
community music project in
Angell Town,
South London
and then progressed to release his début single in 1994 ‘Next type of Motion’.
One can see that there is a very definite generation gap between the two
artists. Whilst obviously LKJ is a first generation Afro-Carribean and Roots
Manuva a second generation. LKJ was part of the first wave of Blacks into Britain, and so
grew up in a climate of racism. Roots Manuva can be seen as emerging from the
generation that was surrounded by new social ideologies such as
multiculturalism, which gave the impression of greater potential for
racial harmony.
Strikingly both of the artists names have particular significance in
regards as to how they define their identity and their works. ‘Kwesi’ an Akan
name from
Ghana
meaning ‘born on Sunday'
was assumed after his
birth. The act of making a retrieval of ones name on the basis of ancestral
heritage signifies an act of ‘rooting’ himself as an African, a symbolic and
conscious move to counter the culture and identity genocide of the Atlantic
slave trade and the continuation of the Eurocentric world system. In contrast
the adoption of the name Roots Manuva gives a clue to his creative nature. The
name epitomises the fact that his influences are a staggeringly eclectic mix of
artists, from people like Lee Scratch Perry to Leftfield. The name implies that
he does not want to be placed in a pigeon hole or be tarnished with any
stereotypes. So not only does it reflect on the layers of cultural influence on
his identity (African,
Caribbean and British),
but encourages the idea he can use any influence and go anywhere musically and
creatively. As such, the way in which he could describe his Roots could be said
to be ‘Manuva’rable! As he himself sums up in the track 'Colossal Insight' on
Awfully
Deep
' i'm just a UK black
makin' UK
tracks
and, I got love for every one of those scenes
and them pigeon holes were never not'in' to hold me'
The medium of language is very significant in both the artists’ works
and are both influenced heavily by their
Caribbean
backgrounds. On the whole LKJ writes almost all of his poetry in the
distinctive ‘Jamaican Patois’. LKJ began writing in English, but that he felt
uncomfortable doing so because he suggests the ‘English language too dead too
sterile to communicate the violence of the [black] experience’ to the people
that he wanted to
. The work of LKJ in the
Jamaican patois has continued the oral tradition of writers and poets such as
Kamau Braithwaite and Louise Bennett. Writers use of the language both during
colonial times and in the post colonial era is symptomatic of the subversive
nature of the language, as such 'with all its historical and subcultural
implications it has an almost mystical significance for dub poets'
.
Translating the oral language of Jamaican patois gives freedom to the writer
because of the lack of standardised spelling, and so word structure can be
manipulated, and is perhaps why it also appeals to Roots Manuva. Patois and it’s style, lends it self to be
married particularly with reggae music and reggae style bass beats. For example
Dennis Bovell notes the significance of the Jamaican spelling of revolutionary
being 'Revalueshanary', this spelling reinforces the idea of revolution, that
it is not only a revolt but also a change in the 'value' structure
,
LKJ was consciously making a 'rejection of English poetic tradition'.
And
it worked.
Roots Manuva like his music, has a layered approach to language, whether
that be conscious or sub conscious he has: street slang, Jamaican, Rastafarian
and English influences, with tunes entitled 'Babylon
medecine' (Jamaican reference to babylon
as all that represented the corrupt system), i-tal visions and ‘trim (street
parlance for attractive) body’. The fact that at times Roots Manuva will slip
from one dialect to another accentuates his double consciousness. This can
further be seen in interviews with Roots Manuva, whereby he can be seen talking
in the accent of a Jamaican, a northerner and posh person in the space of a
sentence! Refreshingly, unlike some other UK rhymers he has not succumbed to
the American cultural imperialism that has invaded many of the British creative
in search of greater commercial potential.
What acts as a catalyst and gives
purpose to the creative process of the two artists? The contribution of Bass
clearly is a remarkably important aspect for both artists. Indeed it was LKJ
that coined the term 'bass culture'. As Dennis Bovell says, 'as he writes the
words he is humming the bass line'
and it was Bovell that conceived all the surrounding music. The Bass and dancehall aspects of the two
artists' music play an important role in the themes of revolution, community
and resistance, as Paul Gilroy argued, historically the Sound System 'provided
a nexus for resistance'
Sound
Systems and their Deejays in Jamaica have played the peoples music for fifty
years. In the past the people that ran the radio waves 'looked upon anything
too wild – too black- as bordering on the savage'
.
As Roots Manuva says the Sound System gives a 'community vibe' and the effect
of a 'community op'
.
The low resonance nature of the bass, is symbolic of the subversive nature of sound
system culture and also the issues that both artists deal with. Low resonance
also has the tangible effect of vibration being felt through ones body. This
quality of Bass serves to forge connectivity between artist, music and the
audience. Bass can be seen as the organic aspect of music it pulses and beats
as though it is like blood pulsing round the body to keep the human alive, LKJ
writes;
'Muzik of blood
black reared
pain rooted
Apart from the Bass, the two artists
have different triggers for creation of their work. Much of LKJ's work is
linked to events of social injustice, racism, work and poverty, life and death
and a feeling of general disenfranchisement, from the system and the Government.
As Dennis Bovell put it there is 'no fiction in his writing'
for he writes on events and actions. Amongst other things LKJ has written on
things such as the Deptford Fire (New Craas Massakah), the Brixton Riots (Di
Great Insohreckshan), and the changes of the political order away from
communism (Mi Revalueshanary Fren). Roots Manuva similarly does deal with political
issues but his rhymes are altogether more pluralistic in their content, indeed
one poem could include themes of politics, personal despair, drugs, sex in the
space of a track. Roots Manuva clearly tries to capture the moment, the current
of consciousness, and this is illustrated in some of his tracks which drift in
and out of what sounds like lyrical mayhem as he rants in a stream of consciousness,
as he says in ‘A haunting’;
'I am lost [pause] I am lost,
in this dream, this stream of so called consciousness’,
he then moves to make
salient and coherent points on being a UK black. One underlying theme that
runs through Roots Manuva's work is the theme of spirituality, mysticism and
the potential for a higher authority, and a self examination of his mindset and
psychology. LKJ conversely, looks at his situation in society from the
perspective of being part of a group, a people and the histories and experiences
of that group.
In the latter half
of the essay I shall be relating what I have thus far said to the themes that
run through the songs/poems;
There are various cultural pointers and markers that can be seen in the
works of both artists. One can see
layers of cultural influence within the music of Roots Manuva, 'A
Haunting' is full of what a could be regarded as musical paradoxes, in amongst
the use of the 'Easy access orchestra' and the cacophony of different sounds
and odd psychedelic breaks and beats, laced with a strings section that plays
with more than a hint of the ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ about it. The hypnotic
bass line, coupled with an African drum underpins the track and this could give
us some clue as to how important he regards the underlying Africaness within
him.
In the tracks
'Witness' he exclaims how;
'Breakneck we drown ten pints of
bitter
We lean all day some say that ain't
productive'
and
'I sit here contending with this
cheese on toast
I feel the pain of a third world
famine’
Here is making
reference to an English tradition of drinking 'bitter' and also what has widely
been document as a penchant for marijuana (and indeed how he sees that it
is
productive), within the same tune though he talks of the Jamaican dishes 'jerk
chicken, jerk fish'. In the track 'mind to motion' he makes a reference to
'Wray and Nephew', the fire water that is Jamaican white rum! These examples
show how as a character he is multi-dimensional and frankly, humble in giving
people a window into his life.
Roots Manuva also positions himself historically and the generation that he has
grown up in, with references to the 'Dunblane' massacre, the Lockerbie Disaster
and 'Jimmy Saville'
Musically
the different markers are numerous and Manuva has said himself in his
interviews, just how wide his musical tastes are, he is especially appreciating
of the work of bands such as 'Radiohead', yet in contrast, one can see the
presence of ragga skits in the 'Highest Grade', coupled with a humorous parody
of Craig David's work;
'i bought an ounce pon monday,
bun a little piece by tuesday,
see mi tek a quarter on Wednesday,
still i bun on thursday and friday
and Satday,
wid three grams fi Sunday'
LKJ, similarly
charts the cultural traits of the working class black in South
London from the seventies, up until today. In his work 'Yout
Scene' he contrasts the first two verses of peacefulness for the ‘bredrins’
versus the second two verses where they suffer police brutality. It charts the
hairdresser/record store hang out culture, whereby the people are talking
outside the record shop, 'Hip
City'.
'di bredrin dem stan-up
outside a Hip City
as usual, a look pretty;
dem a lawf big lawf
dem a talk dread talk
dem a shuv an shuffle dem feet
soakin in de sweet musical beat.
'
‘Dread beat an blood’
serves to show the party culture that was present around the black community at
the time, and not only did it illustrate the importance of the rave scene, long
before the rave culture of the 80's had been conceived, it was the sheer energy
of the scene;
'music blazing sounding thunping
fire blood
brothers and sisters rocking
stopping rocking
music breaking out bleeding out
fire burning'
the words are
conveying a feeling of movement, togetherness, mayhem and are delivered in a
mantra like, hypnotic style. The strength of feeling towards the bass culture
is brought to a climax in verse six ' SCATTA-MATTA-SHATTA-SHACK!/ What a beat!’
Indeed the rave scene at the time brought
people of similar musical interest, but also of social situation together and
so they shared a common experience, that being one of being oppressed by the
system and a love of reggae. Reggae historically, is political by its very
nature and is resisting the status quo, furthermore the way LKJ says
',,,bleeding out fire' is especially symbolic of the need and want mete out
retribution against governments and the system. Fire references are a thread through
much of reggae music and indicate the need for an enactment of retribution for
four hundred long years of oppression. 'Bass culture' similarly talks of the
way in which music can relax and let people let go of themselves and is
completely complimented by the forward moving thumping of the bass. Roots
Manuva also is fond of creating a togetherness through the use of his music In
poems such as New craas massakah and Di great Insohreckshan LKJ sites himself
historically, it was these events that he wrote about that could be seen as a
turning point for being a black in Britain. Indeed, LKJ could have seen to have
prophesised such an uprising in his poem 'Forces Of Victri'
'we're di forces of victri
an wi comin rite through
we're di forces of victri
now wat yu gonna do
wi comin wid wi army
soh dont yu get bawmy
wi comin wid wi plane
it gonna drive yu insane
wi comin wid wi guns
In this last quarter
of the essay I am going to address some of the broad themes that run through
the both the writers works, themes such
as politics, the world system, people and police violence, revolution,
religious/political thoughts, the state of the youth, love and death.
As already touched on politics runs
throughout the music of LKJ, though it is difficult to pick out specific
examples as almost all of his poetry has political thread running through it,
even for example his poem in tribute to his father; 'reggae fi dada':
'mi know yu try dada
yu fite a good fite
but di dice dem did loaded
and di card pack fix
yet still yu reach fifty-six'
the piece is
basically saying that once one is born black, you are most definitely in for a
struggle. Although, his father was not in England, LKJ is stating that there is
a political struggle that is on a international level, indeed LKJ himself
believes in the spread of real socialism and held interest with Marx
from his student days. LKJ can be seen to use his poetry to make political statements,
for example in New Craas Massakaah where the fire was widely believed to be an
arson attack he says;
'in spite an dem wicked propahghanda
wi refuse fi surrendah
to dem ugly inuendoh
far up till now
nat wan as dem
needah Stakwell, needah Wilson nar bell
nat wan a dem can tell wi why
nat wan a dem can tell wi who
turn dat nite af joy into a mawnin af sarrow'
Perhaps one of the
most significant of the political struggles that LKJ documented in his poetry
was the injustice of the 'Sus laws', which allowed people to be arrested,
charged and indeed imprisoned on the basis that they looked suspicious of committing
crime. Inevitably, it was blacks that felt the raw end of this archaic law. The piece 'Sonny's Lettah made clear the
despair over the law. The poem outlines how the brother of Sonny was meant to
look out for Sonny, but he got arrested. Sonny was arrested unde the ‘Sus law’
and his brother got arrested for murder as he resisted the violent brutality of
the police against Sonny. LKJ in the poem uses dramatic pauses in the music
where there is a point of great seriousness to be made. At time’s of movement
or action for example, the music symbolises and enhances the feeling of
movement and fighting.
Here illustrates the way LKJ composes
his poetry Sonny has been forceibly apprehended and been beaten and then, the
narator describes how he retaliated against the policeman;
‘mi kick one pan him shin
an him started to spin
mi tump him pan him chin
an himdrap pan a bin
[Music Stops]
an crash
an ded
[Music Starts again]
mama,
more policeman come dung
an beat mi to di grung
dem charge Jim fi sus
This echoes the
current day laws of ‘stop and search’ laws that blacks have seen once again to
be more susceptible to than whites. Roots Manuva's work on the other hand never
really appears to be overtly political, though at times he is clearly making political
sideswipes. Roots Manuva often uses himself as the narrator as a vehicle to
explore other ideas, that is to say he may look at his own state of mind or
madness as it were and move to other more general issues, for example the
rather pessimistic, heavily orchestral influenced 'The Falling' track, starts
with a peaceful orchestral intro, but opens starkly with the lyrics 'guns, bitches
hoes crack, death and disease and a baseball bat'. In many ways the whole tune
is ac criticism of today's society and the way that people have been led astray
and filled with anger 'road rage, pavement rage all kind of rage' and 'mass
futility, souls on the guillotine'. In 'Babylon Medicine' he points out that
Babylon is all encompassing.
He muses, that schools are trying to keep peoples (black children’s) history away
from them 'born,
Babylon born, anything we talk
is just
Babylon
born'
.
Roots Manuva further rhymes that 'with the knowledge of the forefather’s
history/ wi pump the black fist and bring bliss to wi'
,
the inference is that the history is being suppressed because ‘
Babylon’ wants to suppress
black pride. Roots Manuva in ‘Chin High’ charts the all encompassing feeling of
the police and state control. A wailing siren like sound, has the effect to
wake the listener up to the social situation but also gives the effect of a
police presence. One can get a feel for the aptness of the sound effect as he
rhymes that these are 'songs of war to drown out police and the tracking
device'
.
The theme of revolution, whether it
be real, or metaphorical comes up often in both their works. For Roots Manuva,
this surfaces notably in the track 'Juggle Tings Proper', so rich is the bass
in this track that the lyrics demand attention, he says 'in times like these
comrades is hard to find/The beast keeps the masses toeing the line', using
language such as comrade is clearly trying to encourage revolutionary ideas to
counteract the fact that the 'beast wants to gain control of each and every
mind by it's spirit and soul.'
LKJ states his feelings rather more
bluntly and indeed he declares war in 'All Wi Doin Is Defendin' whereby it
explains the way the 'oppressin man’ commits police brutality and incarcerates
black members of society;
'we will fite yu in di street
wi hav a plan
soh lissen management
get ready fi tek some blows'
and then he quotes
war;
'all wi doin
is defendin
soh get yu ready
fi war...war...
freedom is a very firm thing'
In 'Time Come' he
quotes examples of police brutality and potentially murder as he repeatedly
says 'I did warn u' and 'it soon come/it soon come/look out! look out! Look
out!’ He talks of revolution
furthermore in
'Reggae Fi Radni’ one can see that he pays such tribute to Walter Rodney
because of his revolutionary capacity, as he was uncovering the presence of a
conspiracy theory in his book How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. As LKJ
writes
'an all dat him want
woz fi set him people free'
However, it was not
to be and it is widely believed that Walter Rodney was assassinated by Guyanese
government forces to save their embarrassment of harbouring such a renegade
academic
'yu noh see how mi dream
come jus blown to smidahreen
the fact the dream of
LKJ was 'blown to smidahreen' metaphorically, is particularly poignant as
Walter Rodney was killed with a remote control bomb.
Religious and political perspectives
play some part in the two peoples works in LKJ’s ‘Reality Poem’ one can see his
Socialist sympathies, as he is critical of the forms of religion, mythology,
division and one gets the feeling that he believes in antiquity, influenced
perhaps in some way by the Rastafarian aspect
of his Jamaican cultural heritage;
‘soh mek wi leggo relijan
dis is di age af decishan
soh mek wi leggo divishan
dis is di age af reality
soh mek wi leggo mitalagy
dis is di age af science
mek wi hol di clarity
LKJ clearly believes
in rationality and rejects the notion of organised religion as for people 'wen
wi can't face reality'
Roots Manuva rejects the reliance on and the prominence of organised
religion on his terms rather than poltical terms in 'Sinny Sin Sins'. Roots
Manuva is criticising churchgoers for the way in which they seem to be attempting
to 'buy' their place in heaven simply by going to church and begging for
forgiveness of their sins. The backing accompaniment of ‘Pastor Lee’ preaching
like a stereotypical American gospel Preacher who cries 'Ohhhhhhhh Lord! Can
you help me for my sins'
,
parodies this idea. Roots Manuva
criticises this hypocritical nature of churchgoers by commenting on the fact
that children get beaten if they don't go and he says 'why should I turn my
cheek and get beat’
. Roots
Manuva makes it quite clear that he is not completely sure as to what he believes
in through his music, though clearly he believes in the power of music. In 'Dub
Styles' he claims 'I ain't a rapper. I am a psychic link to a parallel world'.
Come let me take you to my lyrical life, lyrical love, lyrical spirit'. These
mystical ideas in some way compliments
the ideas of the importance of 'I and I'
in Rastafarianism, in short a belief that God is in everybody and that everybody
is one people ‘united under the love of Jah'.
Death has a big role to play in
LKJ’s work, yet isn’t really addressed by Roots Manuva. In ‘License fi kill’ he
makes a list of ten people that have died under very suspicious circumstances
in and around the presence of the police. Furthermore LKJ has used his poetry
and music to write tributes to friends such as John La Rose a man that proved
to be of great inspiration to LKJ. Though Roots Manuva does talk about the fact
that one should live ones life as if that day is the last because ‘You never
quite know what is around the corner’
Throughout the essay I have
illustrated the way in which his actions and also literally Roots Manuva
rejects racial stereotypes. LKJ similarly rejects the stereotyping of
Carribeans:
'Inglan is a bitch
yu haffi know how fi survive it
well mi dhu day wok an mi dhu nite wok
mi dhu clean wok mi dhu dutty wok
dem she dat black man is very lazy
but if yu si how mi wok yu woodah seh mi crazy'
This section of the piece is making a larger profound point that
dismisses and reverses the racist views of many whites. Rather, he makes the
point iif there was any laziness it was on the part of whited that weren’t
prepared to do certain jobs,
In conclusion, the similarities that the two artists hold are
symptomatic in many ways of longer running African and carribean influences.
Whilst Roots Manuva does indeed ‘Manuva’ there is an underpinning of the vibe
that is taken from the history of dancehall and reggae music. Both artists are
influenced in their writing by the fact, that the essence of music is protest
music. As a result both have, through their own emphasis of protest, made it
clear that they will not blindly conform to societal norms and instead display
their ideas through their artform. Their music is what supports and enhances the
lyrics and guides the listentener through the journey of thinking and sonic
resonance, signified by both artists uses of long instrumental endings to their
tracks, as a signal of a means of contemplation of the message of the tune.
Furthermore both artists whether they could be seen to have hybrid identity or
not, encourage black unity and the creation of self subsistent institutions,
which they both have kept true to by creating their own record labels. A final
point to be made is that it is only towards the end of his career that LKJ can
be seen to come towards the standpoint of Roots Manuva in his view of life, as
Mike Phillips summised ‘you seem to have…more of an awareness of yourself as an
individual with a personal history rather than part of a collective’ a positive
and important point to be made
.
Academic Resources
Lloyd Bradley, Bass
Culture: When Reggae Was King, (London,
2000)
Audio/Visual sources
Dread beat and
blood : Linton Kwesi Johnson: poet and the roots / directed by Franco Rosso. (London Arts Council, 1978)
Discography
Linton
Kwesi Johnson
- Live in Paris with the Dennis Bovell Dub Band - Wrasse, 2004 (DVD).
- Live in Paris - Wrasse, 2004.
- Straight to Inglan's Head - Univeral, 2003.
- LKJ in Dub: Volume 3 - LKJ Records, 2002.
- Independent Intavenshan - Island, 1998 (Compilation).
- More Time - LKJ Records, 1999.
- LKJ A Cappella Live - LKJ Records, 1996.
- LKJ Presents - LKJ Records, 1996.
- LKJ in Dub: Volume 2 - LKJ Records, 1992.
- Tings An' Times - LKJ Records, 1991.
- Dub Poetry - Mango, 1985 (Compilation).
- LKJ Live in Concert with the
Dub Band - LKJ Records, 1985.
- Reggae Greats - Mango, 1984.
- Making History - Island, 1983.
- LKJ in
Dub - Island,
1980.
- The Best of Linton Kwesi
Johnson - Epic, 1980 (Compilation).
- Bass
Culture - Island,
1980.
- Forces of Victory - Island, 1979.
- Dread Beat An' Blood - Island, 1978.
N.B I have taken all the lyrics listing
from the anthology: LKJ, Mi Revalueshanary Fren (London, 2002) yet all tracks can be found
within the above discography.
Roots Manuva
All released on Big Dada label.
Lectures
Pictures
LKJ: www.trustthedj.com/.../Linton_Kwesi_Johnson.jpg
Roots Manuva: www.chartattack.com
Websites
LKJ speaking in Dread
beat and blood : Linton Kwesi Johnson: poet and the roots
/ directed by Franco Rosso. (London
Arts Council, 1978)
LKJ speaking in Dread beat and blood : Linton Kwesi Johnson: poet
and the roots
/ directed by Franco Rosso. (London
Arts Council, 1978)
