Takana Zion is a young singjay sensation from Conakry, Guinea in West Africa. As a youngster he was very interested in history and quickly became deeply concerned by the inequalities and injustices that plagued not only Guinea and the rest of Africa, but also the entire world.
Takana also loved music and singing. He quickly realised that music can make a powerful ally and decided to use it. In his first foray onto the music scene in Conakry he experimented with Guinean rap and dancehall. After coming into contact with the music of Peter Tosh and Culture’s Joseph Hill he become more and more attracted to, and involved in roots reggae. It was not long before his talent was recognised and after making an impression on managers and producers alike he moved to Bamako, Mali.
In Bamako Takana met Brother Sam (Ghanaian rastaman and spiritual guide) and took a step back to reflect on his life and the future. He began to slowly but surely develop his craft as a singer and performer by regularly performing on stage and recording songs. He met established reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly and recorded two (as yet unreleased) albums. Takana also eventually met and joined forces with Manjul. This union led to the 2007 release of his first album, “Zion Prophet,” produced by both of them in Manjul’s Humble Ark studio in Bamako.
Takana Zion’s first performance in Europe was in Paris in 2006 where he was invited to open for Tiken Jah Fakoly. It was here that he met Pierpoljak, a French reggae star, who gave him the opening slot for two of his own concerts. In 2008, after critical acclaim, the album “Zion Prophet” was re-released on the Makafresh label (a branch of Makasound France) and Takana began performing and touring regularly across Europe. Takana’s second album, “Rappel a L’ordre” (which means “call to order”)was produced in Paris with Manjul and was released in May 2009 on the Makafresh/Makasound label.
Since then Takana has toured extensively across Europe and is now awaiting the release of his highly anticipated third album “Rasta Government,” which was produced by Sam Clayton and Stephen Stewart at Harry J studios in Kingston, Jamaica.
“Rasta Government” will be released by Soulbeats Records on May 9 2011.
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VIDEO
http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/106327927
