the hum / By Bob Doran

The Fire This Time

(July 5, 2007)  The Jamaicans are coming! You’re thinking, what’s new about that? Humboldt is a dread zone, a reggae magnet, and Caribbean musicians come through constantly. But this contingent is a bit larger than most with almost two dozen guys from Kingston, JA, coming in for two shows. In SoHum Friday, July 6, at the Mateel, there’s a CD release for the debut disc by Joseph Shepard , Be Yourself . And on Saturday, July 7, there’s a NoHum show at the Eureka Muni: “the First Annual Humboldt Humble Jam” with Capleton and many others, billed as “the first time outside of Jamaica [that] Judgement Yard and David House will be on the same stage.”

What exactly does that mean? Well, Judgement Yard is a compound/recording studio in August Town, a rough part of Kingston, home to the dancehall star Sizzla. The young Joseph Shepherd lives there, as do Congo Judah , Bobo David and dub plate producer John Marcus — all of them record for Sizzla and all are performing at both shows. David House is home to JA-based dancehall star Capleton , aka “The Prophet,” coming here with his Prophecy Band and a cat known as Jah Thunder .

GALLERY >

If the names sound kind of biblical, it’s no mistake. All of them are Rastafarians, and most follow the path of the Bobo Ashanti, “the Priestly Order of Rastafari,” whose members adhere to strict religious guidelines and typically wear their dreadlocks wrapped in turbans.

You might remember the last time Capleton was scheduled to play locally, a Fall 2004 show at Humboldt State that stirred controversy and was ultimately canceled. Along with Sizzla, Beenie Man and other reggae artists, Capleton had been accused of advocating violence against homosexuals through his lyrics and placed on a blacklist by the British gay rights group OutRage! as part of its “Stop Murder Music” campaign.

Capleton is known as “The Fiyah Man” for his tendency to call down biblical fire and brimstone on sinners of all sorts. Asked about the OutRage! allegations before the 2004 show, he claimed he was basically misunderstood. “When Capleton say burn’ or when Capleton saymore fire,’ it’s not on a destructive level,” he told me. “It’s not saying to go out there and kill no one or murder people or destroy people. This fire is all about the purification of humanity and the uplifting of the people.”

The Murder Music campaign was fairly successful internationally, resulting in the cancellation of many dancehall concerts. OutRage! estimates income losses for the various blacklisted reggae artists at upwards of $5 million. But all of that is over as of June 13, at least for some on the list.

A press release from OutRage! declares, “Three of the world’s top reggae/dancehall singers have renounced homophobia and condemned violence against lesbians and gay men.” It goes on to explain that Capleton, Sizzla and Beenie Man have signed something called “the Reggae Compassionate Act” in a deal between Stop Murder Music activists and top reggae promoters.

Said OutRage! leader Peter Tatchell, “The singers’ rejection of homophobia and sexism is an important milestone. We rejoice at their new commitment to music without prejudice.”

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