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Jah Sun and the We A Dem Band

What:

You know him as Jah Sun, the dread-locked reggae singer from Arcata, but once upon a time he was simply Jason, a Texas teen rapper with a shaved head and an attitude. In advance of his Friday show at Humboldt Brews we had a chat about his life before Humboldt how he got into reggae and where he’s going with it.

When did you move here?

We moved to Arcata when my wife was pregnant with our daughter Tasia and she will be five in July, so 2005.

Before that?

I was living in L.A.

Are you from California?

No, I’m originally from Austin Texas.

Is that where you got going in music?

It is. I started in the ‘90s as a rapper, a hip hop MC. I did well, winning all kinds of freestyle battles. I played SxSW; I actually talked to Blue Note Records and almost had a deal there. I was one of the first rappers in town with a band incorporating live instruments and a DJ. We had a standup bass player and drummer. When I started it was all rap — I didn’t know anything about reggae or Bob Marley or anything back then. Then I discovered Bob Marley and the vibes of reggae and I turned my back on rap. Most of the hip hop at that time was being dominated by the industry and became all about bling bling and shaking your booty. I left that behind, left Texas and came to the West Coast and discovered the hippies. I went to Hawaii for a while, then to Seattle, then to Miami, then to L.A. — all that time trying to find a sound to work with and find a way to put all my influences together, the hip hop, the soul, the R&B, the rock, reggae and dancehall. I moved to Humboldt in 2005 and started getting serious with it.

Did you start growing dreadlocks when you discovered reggae?

When I was into the rap thing I was like shaved head, tattoos, chains, Timbalands. To be honest, I was on a path to destruction, dealing with some street mentality. I was born to a 16-year-old girl child, never met my father, was raised very poor — government cheese, Kool-Aid, food stamps, trailer homes down in South Texas with a young mother who didn’t really know much. When I was 10, she married a 21-year-old black man, Jack Bailey. He was the coolest dude — he became my father and adopted me and my brothers. I was adopted in this huge southern black family. That’s when the rapping hit me. I started break dancing — I was the little white kid in this Texas community. They’d wake me up when they were having parties and it was like, ‘Jason, Jaybird, show them that move I taught you.’ He was a breaker, a rapper — that’s where I got the inspiration, I wanted to be just like my dad and be part of a family. It was really dysfunctional before that. So I got into the hip hop, but living in that poor community, I hate to say it, but it wasn’t all good. We were definitely hoodlums getting into trouble. All I knew was pop culture, I knew nothing of clean living and knowledge and being pure of heart and pure thoughts. All I knew was the latest fashion and just trying to survive. Then in the early ‘90s I discovered Bob Marley. I was walking through a mall one day and I saw his video with his picture on it. I didn’t know who he was — I think it had an herb leaf on it or something, I was like, ‘Look at this guy, it looks like he gets ripped, let’s check it out.’ We popped in the tape and it activated my consciousness instantly. I made a drastic change in my life and started growing my locks. I stayed in Texas for maybe a year, left there with some baby locks and headed for the West Coast.

You said you bounced around a bit before coming here. What made you gravitate to Humboldt?

I was living in L.A., working at the Guitar Center. My partner Crystal got pregnant — we were very much in love — and we were going to start a family. I didn’t really want to raise a kid in L.A. Her mom lived in Eugene and we wanted to be closer, but didn’t want to leave Cali. I had been to Arcata before and thought it was a cool town, so we just moved there. I didn’t really know anybody. We just came and found a place.

What did you find here?

I’ve lived all over, but I’ve never found such a tight community. I love the way young people here are starting their own businesses, manifesting their dreams. There are alternative schools here that would cost thousands in other places. There’s a consciousness with people who are trying to live good and help the Earth. The area’s nice with the ocean and the big trees and all that, but really it’s the people who make Humboldt. Arcata may be a small town, but we still get plenty of art and music.

How did you fit in musically at first?

To be brutally honest, I tried to make some musical links when I first arrived, but it didn’t happen much. The family aspect, the community aspect was there, but trying to link into the music scene was hard. Everybody was busy with their won thing, so I had to try to stand out on my own for a while. For the first year living here I was flying to L.A. every other week to record and mix. Finally I created a music family here with Ishi Dube and Universal Balance. We created the Lion Camp a few years ago and that started taking off a bit, getting some recognition. Since then Ishi and I have done some collaborations and recorded together, done some shows together.

I know at the same time you’ve been reaching out internationally.

I’m trying not to get cast as the local guy. I just finished an album with the Far East Band…

That’s the German band that tours behind Gentleman, right?

Correct. And, yes, I am reaching out globally. I’m working on an album right now with Special Delivery, one of the big production crews from France. I just finished a combination with Alborosie, the Italian reggae artist. He’s doing big things. And I’m shooting a lot of videos. I’m getting great rotation in Jamaica on TV and radio with one of my songs, “Jamaica,” a tribute saying thank you for sharing your culture and your music. The theme is a kid in a classroom doing world culture day — we featured a classroom full of kids at Laurel Tree Charter School.

You’re playing this weekend with the We A Dem Band. Who’s that?

I’m so excited. I have not played a live show since Earthdance. This will be my first hometown show since September. I vowed to get off the scene for a minute; I wanted to grab some new musicians. We A Dem is the band that backed Don Carlos when he toured here, the people who backed Queen Omega and other big artists. They’re from the Bay, incredible musicians. I’m doing brand new material — I’d say 80-90 percent of the songs in my set I’ve never played before live. When I first jumped out there I was inspired by reggae and knew I wanted to do it, but I didn’t have a lot of experience with it. I released an album it had guys on it who’d played with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, it had Luciano, Yami Bolo, Junior Reed, all these big, big artists, and I’d never even played a full set on my own. I put the cart before the horse if you would — I was doing a lot of things right with my business and promotion and my marketing, but I hadn’t had the experience and hadn’t found a way to bring my true self into the music. Even though I’m proud of all the work I’ve done, I know I was green, I was learning. Now I feel like I’m on the next level and I’m eager to share it with everyone.

You chose music as your life path. Why? What purpose do you think it serves?

There are a couple of things. One, it gives me something positive to do with my time, a way to be creative. As I get older and wiser, it’s not like I’m trying to preach or tell anyone how to live, but I have experiences and ideas that mean a lot to me. As I learn to be a father, learn how to be a good member of my community, there are things that I’ve found to be true. I try to put that into the music and share it with the world. If anyone finds truth in it and it helps them, that’s great.

Bottom line, music saves lives. A lot of society is surrounded by dysfunctionality. People are disconnected from their divine purpose and higher selves by the dominance of religion, brainwash education, low nutrient foods and on and on and on. I have found glimpses of the divine through conscious music, through art, through gatherings.

I try to put what I’ve learned into the music and I know it works. Music can heal the emotional scars you find in our society. There’s a lack of love and that is the vibration and current that should flow through all living beings. The music is here to spread joy, to spread love, to uplift and inspire, and also just to have some fun. ‘Forget your troubles and dance’ as Bob Marley would say.

interview by Bob Doran - March 2010

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