In the summer of 1996, as Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz football team marched to historic qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France, the soundtrack for their home matches included the Lalabella riddim.
One of the tracks on that rootsy beat was Are You Satisfied by American singer Ras Shiloh. It was a breakthrough hit for Brooklyn. New York-born artiste whose roots are steeped in North Carolina.
Ras Shiloh is still in the game, and on July 26 his latest album ‘See It Deh‘ will be released by Reggae Vibes Productions out of New York City.
There are different titles on various discographies for Ras Shiloh, which makes it difficult to track how many albums he has released and when they were issued. There is no confusion, however, when it comes to the message of his music.
“I don’t really rate albums yuh nuh. Is jus’ di energy an’ vibes…dis album can stand up with any of dem,” said Ras Shiloh in a thick Jamaican patois.
Three songs from See It Deh have been released — the title track, ‘Tears From my Eyes‘ and ‘On my Ship‘. They are driven by the doctrine of Rastafari, which he embraced during the early 1990s.
It’s been almost 30 years since Are You Satisfied hit charts in Jamaica and the reggae Diaspora. It was followed by Child of A Slave, another well-received song produced by Penthouse Records.
Getting another hit single has never been a priority for him, stressed Ras Shiloh.
“Wi neva think ’bout hits, wi jus’ a think ’bout positive message an’ something strong fi di people. Wi do wi best an’ Jah do di rest,” he said.
Ras Shiloh was raised in a Brooklyn where multiple cultures blended due to that borough’s diverse populace. While he embraced the growing hip hop culture created by black Americans, he was more taken with Jamaican dancehall culture that was also dominant in The Bronx and Queens, other New York areas with large Jamaican communities.
In the early 1990s, Ras Shiloh met Tony Rebel, one of the leaders of the roots-reggae revival that took place in Jamaica that decade. It was Rebel who introduced him to Jamaican audiences on a show in Kingston in 1995, touting him as a successor to Garnet Silk, the charismatic singer who died in a fire in December 1994.
Tony Rebel (Jah is Standing by My Side) and Everton Blender (Ghetto People Song) also recorded hit songs on the Lalabella, which was produced by Rebel’s Flames company.
“We have a whole heap of great memories on di Lalabella…big up Tony Rebel! It was whole heap of great artiste in one camp a hold some energy an’ some good vibes. I will neva forget those days,” said Ras Shiloh.
By Howard Campbell for worldareggae.com
