Music Banter - linton kwesi johnson

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linton kwesi johnson

I absolutely love this guy's work and he doesn't get nowhere near the respect he deserves. His music is distinctive and relevant 30 years on. I couldn't find 'Mi revalueshanary fren' on you tube :(

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny_Rotter (Post 859374)

Dub poet, Political activist, and probably one of the best artists during the second wave of reggae during the late 70's early 80's.

Thought i'de make an appreciation thread for him.

Any fans out there???

Johnny, I'd never heard of Linton Kwesi Johnson before your thread, but I definitely like his anti-racism and anti-violence songs.

I especially liked "Sonny's Lettah," about the letter from a man to his mother describing how he ended up being charged with murder after the racist police brutally attacked his Uncle Jim (?) for no reason other than the pleasure they took in victimizing others. If I understood the song correctly, Sonny felt he couldn't just stand by (understandably) and so attacked the police to defend his uncle. It was a little hard for me to understand all the words, but this is what I got out of the song!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny_Rotter (Post 861719)

You've almost got it right, but he's not reffering to his Uncle Jim, but rather his little brother. In the late 70's the British government brought in the anti sus law, which allowed the police to shake down youth merley on suspicion on how they looked. Because of the racism back then blacks were routinely targeted by the police. The anti sus law was later repealled.

Interesting. Thanks for explaining what was going on. I can see how Linton Kwesi Johnson's songs are still relevant today, like jackhammer writes, since harsh treatment of people based on ethnicity is an on-going problem. I'm thinking now of all the times that U.S. police and security guards accost or target people seen as African American or Middle Eastern more often than they target people seen as Caucasian.