While Bob Marley showed his lady love on songs like Is This Love and She’s Gone, there was a time when hardcore Rasta artistes were reluctant to sing ballads.
Contemporary acts like Binghi Blaze stay true to the tenets of roots-reggae, but are not afraid to express passion for their queen. Which is what he does on Rastamance, a song produced by Dennis “Jah D” Fearon.
The Florida-based artiste told Observer Online that Rastamance’s message is not limited to his woman.
“I think that compliments and nurturing of our women is on the decline, not to mention in the music, so we have to do our part of honouring women and give them a Rastamance experience,” said Binghi Blaze.
Rastamance is one of several songs he recorded with Fearon, a veteran keyboardist who has worked with artistes like Culture and Edi Fitzroy.
Roots artistes were not averse to the odd love song, but Afro-centric themes dominated their music. Jamaican music went through a phase in the 1980s when women were consistently disrespected by leading dancehall acts.
Binghi Blaze believes songs like Rastamance are classic examples of masculinity.
“Only real men uplift their women and compliment them and remind them of how important they are,” he said.
From Manchester, Binghi Blaze was born Gary Williams. His music career began playing drums in his father’s church, but as he got older, he found Rastafari and has recorded a number of songs based on his faith.
Howard Campbell