The show is celebrating 2 events in the Seattle-area indie music scene – the release of Dub Lounge International’s 3rd album, Behold and the beginning of Acorn Project’s spring tour. The event promises a fun mix of rootsy music and dance tunes to get you moving. DLI, for example, has featured Ezra Tosh (cousin of Peter Tosh), Winston “Flames” Jarrett, and Puddu Dawes (from Revelutionary Dream Band) on their past albums.

• When: Friday, April 29.
• At Nectar Lounge, 412 North 36th St in Seattle, WA (map)
• Doors open at 9pm.
• Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door.
• Venue phone: (206) 632-2020.

About the acts

Dub Lounge International pays homage to the traditional forms of roots reggae, rocksteady, and live dub music as it was originally played and heard. Their blend of organic roots fulfills fans of many traditional Jamaican music genres. This event will mark their return from a West Coast tour and will be the CD release party for their 3rd album, Behold.

Bellingham, Washington’s Acorn Project are kicking off their spring tour with this show. Acorn Project boasts deep electro-funk grooves and sonic instrumental exploration, interlaced with a provocative indie-rock songwriting ability. A staple on the touring circuit of the Pacific Northwest, the group spent the past 3 years expanding their region and is a recognizable touring machine on the West Coast, British Columbia, through Colorado and the Southwest.

The Fabulous Party Boys are a young quintet of University of Washington music school veterans. They’ve been tearing up venues around the state with their brand of jazzy, experimental funk. They are not one to be missed.

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The action flick is heavily rooted in Barrington Levy’s Gangsters soundtrack, which includes performances by Vybz Kartel and DJ Khago. The movie aspires to show the gritty reality of Jamaican inner city criminals via the arc of one character’s immigration to Philadelphia. Barrington Levy will lead as a Philadelphia criminal kingpin, alongside costar Paul Campbell (who fans will recognize from Shottas and First Sunday) as a cold-blooded Jamaican assassin who travels to the States to take out the competition. The story reaches a fever pitch as Campbell’s character targets rival gangsters, drug dealers, and other criminals.

Gangstas is being produced by Platinum Camp, in association with Black Roses Entertainment and Augustus Films. Wyclef Jean and Twin of Twins are also named as leading the project. The film’s creators promise a uniquely Caribbean flavor by injecting the action thriller with “a dose of voodoo and a hint of comedy.”

Shooting for Gangstas is scheduled to begin in April 2011.

Get cast as an extra in Gangstas

Augustus Films, led by Daddy Bigg$ and Caesar Augustus, are currently casting local talent for roles as extras. If you’re interested in appearing alongside Barrington Levy in Gangstas, you can reach them at platinumcamp@gmail.com, follow them on Twitter or Facebook, or call 917-720 CAMP for more information.

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Created over the course of 7 years, The Upsetter tells the tale of Lee Perry’s life, through 70 years of ups and downs, in Scratch’s own voice. The movie is the compilation of exclusive interviews that the reggae artist provided to American filmmakers Adam Bhala Lough and Ethan Higbee in 2006 (when Perry was living in Switzerland). The documentart film mingles the story of Perry’s creative life with 30 years of Jamaican music, including dub, reggae, and Rastafarian culture. It includes music tracks and archival footage selected from every stage of Lee Perry’s life.

The movie includes an hour and a half of exclusive interviews, rare studio recordings, and live shows. Now 74 and still recording music and touring, Perry will be known for his Black Ark studio, for pioneering so many aspects of dub music, and for his eclectic creativity.

You can learn more about the movie at TheUpsetterMovie.com. You can also register to be notified of the DVD release from the same site.

The Upsetter was an official selection at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, The SXSW Film Festival, The Athens International Festival, The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and the Melbourne International Festival.

Here’s The Upsetter screening dates and times:
March 25 – April 1 :: Los Angeles, CA @ Downtown Independent
April 1 – 8 :: Portland, OR @ Clinton St. Theatre
April 2 :: Long Beach, CA @ Art Theatre
April 3 :: New York, NY @ Maysles Cinema
April 5 – 6 :: Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theatre
April 8 – 10 :: Columbia, MO @ Rag Tag Cinema
April 10 :: Taos, NM @ Taos Center for The Arts
April 13 :: Houston TX @ Alamo Draft House
April 13 – 14 :: Boston, MA @ Regent Theatre
April 15 – 17 :: Detroit, MI @ Burton Theatre
April 15 – 17 :: Eugene, OR @ Bijou Art Cinema
April 15 ::Sante Fe, NM @ Center for Contemporary Arts
April 16 :: Providence, RI @ Cable Car Cinema
April 20 :: Portland, ME @ Space Gallery
April 22 – 23 ::West Hollywood, CA @ Dem Passwords Gallery
May 13 – 14 :: San Francisco, CA @ Red Vic Movie House

Thanks to ForwardEver for telling us about The Upsetter movie.

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The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival is pleased to announce that Vusi Mahlasela, Brigadier Jerry, The Cables, Duane Stephenson, Saritah and Jah Love Sound System have been added to the ever-growing list of artists performing at the festival’s 18th annual gathering taking place June 17-19 at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds located in Boonville, California. These artists join Midnite, Anthony B, the other dozen artists that were confirmed to perform earlier this month.

Vusi Mahlasela was born in Lady Selbourne, Pretoria in 1965 and grew up in Mamelodi, a township famed as a cradle of culture which has produced many of Black South Africa’’s greatest musicians and writers. By the age of seventeen, Vusi was a seasoned performer. He had soon tired of singing cover versions of popular songs and discovered that he had a flair for composition and begun to write his own music and lyrics. He found himself drawn to themes with social and political significance and he became much in demand at political rallies and cultural events. Over a musically and socially consequential career, South African singer-songwriter and poet-activist Vusi Mahlasela has successfully followed his muse and continued to give back to his country. – More

While his introduction to an American audience probably came from his 1985 release of “Jamaica Jamaica” on the RAS label, the Brigadier Jerry had been building a major following in Jamaica by appearing live on the mike, first on the original King Stur Gav Hi-Fi system and later over the Twelve Tribes’ Jah Love Muzik Sound System and releasing occasional singles for the local market. One thing about Brigadier Jerry, he chats pure consciousness on the mike, even when the prevalent vibe in the dance was slackness. A longtime member of the Rastafarian Christian sect “Twelve Tribes of Israel”, Briggy takes every opportunity to teach the youth about righteous runnings and has recorded many tracks pointing out the error of certain ways. -

With the classic recordings “Baby Why” and “What Kind of World” the legendary Jamaican harmony vocal group The Cables secured their place in music history. The Cables burst on the scene in 1965, when Ska music was the rage. Founded by lead vocalist Keble Drummond, along with harmony singers, Vince Stoddart and Elbert Stewart, The Cables released “Ska Days” in 1966. But it was in 1968 when the group rocketed to stardom when Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd took them into Studio One recording studios. The Cables brought with them the lyrics and the upbeat, lilting melody of “Baby Why”. Over the years persistent demand for the group has resulted in The Cables reuniting for numerous international festivals. Today, the group is a quartet, consisting of original members as well as Owen “Bobby” Dockery, tenor, who joined the group in 1971.

Singer/songwriter Duane Stephenson greatly impacted upon Jamaica’s musical landscape with the release of his stunning introductory album “From August Town” on Cannon/VP Records in early 2008, demonstrating that the heartfelt lyrics, sincere vocals, insightful commentaries and deeply rooted spirituality that made roots reggae a global force lives on in the 21st century. Following the release of “From August Town” Duane performed on several major stage shows across Jamaica, including Reggae Sumfest and the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival and toured throughout North America, Europe and the Caribbean with Dean Fraser, the celebrated saxophonist and leader of the Blak Soil Band that supports Tarrus Riley, as well as the producer of “From August Town”.

South Korean born and raised in Western Australia, Saritah is a hard-working independent artist who has built a solid fan base across the country. Her releases to date include the debut album ‘Gratitude’, ‘These Days/You’re The One’ EP and most recently the extremely successful, inspiring and relevant album Ancient Forward. On Ancient Forward, positivity and affirmations sit organically beside the serious. Driving rhythm sections and programmed beats give way to space and melody; earthy textures create a worldly yet intimate album that for the listener, is a joy to hear. It is an album that flows and ebbs in a dynamic, colourful style that Saritah has cemented, as her own. An accomplished recording, it confirms Saritah as one of Australia’s most talented and exciting artists, with something to say.

Jah Love Sound began in 1974, but it wasn’t until the early ’80s, when selector Ilawi teamed up regularly with Brigadier Jerry, that the sound started to take off with the masses. It is the product of two musical inspirations coming together, taking parts of “Jah Mik” and “Jah Love Sound” to create “Jah Love Sound.” They were the best combination as selector and dj around at that time. Jah Love Sound (aka Jah Love Muzik system) was run by the Christian Rastafarian sect, the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Now based in New York City, Jah Love Sound continues to bring its unique brand of conscious Rastafarian roots music to the people both in local clubs throughout the area as well as at festivals world-wide. Look for them in the dancehall on Friday night.

Additional artists confirmed for Sierra Nevada World Music Festival 2011 include:

1. Toots & The Maytals
2. Steel Pulse
3. Rebelution
4. Midnite
5. Anthony B
6. Horace Andy
7. Vusi Mahlasela
8. Collie Buddz (who recently released his Playback EP as a free music download.)
9. Pablo Moses
10. I-Octane
11. Romain Virgo
12. Brigadier Jerry
13. The Cables
14. Duane Stephenson
15. Kora
16. Rupa & The April Fishes
17. Saritah
18. Taj Weekes & Adowa
19. Indubious
20. Jah Love Sound System

SNWMF is a 3-day Summer Solstice and World Peace celebration that promotes conscious music – music with a message of peace, unity and brotherhood that transcends divisions of race and culture. With 2 stages, an authentic ‘late-night’ Jamaican dancehall, international arts & crafts, a massive food court and an extensive schedule of children’s activities, Sierra Nevada has something to offer people of all ages.

Early Bird Tickets Almost Gone – Less than 100 discounted ‘Early-Bird’ Tickets to SNWMF 2011 are still available. These may be purchased online and via mail order through February 28th or until all Early Bird tickets are sold, whichever comes first. At the current pace, we anticipate that all Early-Bird Tickets will be gone before the end of this weekend, so if you want to purchase tickets to SNWMF 2011 at a discount, make sure to place your order right away. As always, children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Limited on-site camping is also available for festival goers.

The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival typically features dozens of the finest reggae and world music bands, and 2011 will be no exception, as many addition artists will be added in the coming months. For additional information, please log onto www.snwmf.com, or call the hotline at (916) 777-5550.

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Lee Scratch Perry built his fame with his amazing work behind the mic and behind the mixing board. In addition to his solo reggae performances, he also worked with a range of artists including the punk pioneers The Clash, hip hop pioneers The Beastie Boys, and Paul McCartney. Perry’s success led to more creativity and eccentricity: in the 1970s he created his own dub music studio, The Black Ark, which cemented his role as a progenitor of many great dub and reggae sounds, albums, and productions.

Lee Scratch Perry’s prolific output made him rich and famous, but Kingston, Jamaica’s streets were the scene of politically-motivated gang warfare. Lee Perry’s success shone a spotlight on him, and gangsters flocked to that light like moths to a flame: Perry was threatened and extorted by criminals and police alike, but the reggae artiste continued to create new works. Lee Perry formed The Congos, a Rastafarian reggae band, and created his magnum opus, Heart of the Congos, in 1977. Unfortunately, Island Records, Perry’s label, refused to release the spiritual work and his wife left him to carry on with a studio musician (taking Perry’s children with her). Shortly thereafter, The Black Ark mysteriously burned to the ground and Perry left for Europe.

After that rise and crash, Scratch Perry spent a decade in Europe exploring various substances and continuing his unrelenting creative streak.

Finally, Lee Scratch Perry gave up all toxic substances, became a vegetarian, and married a Swiss woman. He spent the 1990s rebuilding himself and his career, reemerging on the international reggae music scene. Most recently, in 2008, at age 70, Perry’s world tour included such diverse locations as the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Brazil, Japan, and New Zealand.

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On Sunday, February 27, 2010, dub poet Infinity will perform live at Sullivan Hall in New York City. King of Zulu Entertainment is presenting this “dubmatic” night of entertainment in celebration of Infinity’s birthday.

Dub poet Infinity is a Jamaican Rastafarian who continues the dub poetry traditions of Mutaburuka, U-Roy, and Big Youth. He frequently performs at Francois K’s Deep Space nights in Brooklyn, appearing alongside Dub Gabriel, Dr. Israel, and DJ Kiva.

The dub poet will be accompanied by live dub reggae music from the Super Hi-Fi Reggae Band. The evening performances will also feature Asia J, Hamiba, Kefaibra & Hatneema Shemzura, Kate Hess, and Jah Rico. Additional music will be provided by Soul Selector with soundtracks by King of Zulu Entertainment.

Dub event details:

• Sunday, February 27, 2011
• Tickets are $10
• Sullivan Hall at 214 Sullivan St New York, NY
• Doors at 8pm, show starts at 9pm.

Directions to the Infinity dub event at Sullivan Hall:
Take the A, B, C, D, E, F, or M train to the West 4th Street station. When you leave the station, walk up West 3rd Street 2 block sand then make a right turn on Sullivan Street.

You can learn more about Dub Poet Infinity at his Facebook page.

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Free Expressions from Etana

Etana‘s Free Expressions is a 14-track album that display the artist’s unique brand of pop reggae, soulful vocals, and personal lyrics. Etana’s powerful voice and perfectly complements the progressive one drop riddims and rock-flavored instrumentation on this album through the variety of musical moods that appear on these tracks. Etana’s debut The Strong One garnered multiple hits and established Etana as a fresh new female voice on the international scene. Her sophomore effort will elevate her to an even broader audience with infectious hooks of I Know You Love Me, My Name Is (a remake of the hit by Japanese artist Pushim), Free and the first single, Heart Broken.

The Free Expressions album is on sale for only $10.99. You can get the album here.

Danve & Sweep from Elephant Man

Elephant Man‘s Dance & Sweep is 13 tracks of pure dancehall party music to turn up the heat. Dancehall’s #1 entertainer is back in action; bringing the fun back to dancehall and living up to his moniker the “Energy God”. Elephant Man is the ultimate party starter, whose spirit and humor on the mic have made him a staple of Jamaican media and an icon of dancehall reggae. Loved and revered by friends and fans, Elephant Man is defending dancehall, single-handedly battling blah parties and bad vibes with the songs to get the party started and keep it going. Elephant is bringing the heat in 2011 with the #1 hits Nuh Linga,Dance And Sweep plus the new hit Wine & Dip.

Dance & Sweep is currently available for $9.99. You can get the album here.

Songs for Reggae Lovers 4
Songs for Reggae Lovers 4 is 30 (yes, 30) top reggae love songs, including both old and new favorites. Songs for Reggae Lovers 4 aims straight for the heart; presenting 30 top hits from reggae’s brightest stars, all singing about love. This Valentine’s Day collection showcases old and new favorites including the latest hit (and exclusive track) Just the Two of Us from rising UK vocalist Gappy Ranks. Designed with collectors in mind, this disc gets better with each listen! Other feature tracks include the #1 reggae classics Everything I Own by Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson‘s I’m Still Waiting, John Holt‘s Love I Can Feel and tracks from the Mighty Diamonds and Marcia Aitken.

Songs for Reggae Lovers 4 is available at a total price of $12.99 — that’s about 43 cents per track! You can get the album here.

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]]> http://www.dubandreggae.com/elephant-man-etana-and-reggae-love-songs-sale-at-vp-records/feed 0 http://www.dubandreggae.com/collie-buddz-playback-ep-free-reggae-music-download http://www.dubandreggae.com/collie-buddz-playback-ep-free-reggae-music-download#comments Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:36:50 +0000 dubman http://www.dubandreggae.com/?p=1214

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]]> Collie Buddz has returned to the music scene with a bang, making every track of his latest EP, Playback, available as a free download from his website. Originally released on January 18, 2011, Playback kicked off with Holiday, the first reggae single. The initial response to Playback was overwhelmingly positive, including strong support from NYC Hot 97′s DJ Enuff and Jamaica ZIP 103′s ZJ Elektra.

The Bermuda reggae singer Collie Buddz kicked off his career with his 2007 eponymous release, Collie Buddz, which debuted at the #1 position on the Billboard Reggae charts and hit the top 100 overall. It seems success is treating young Mr. Buddz very well – not only does his new 7-track album boast catchy melodies and excellent production values, it’s available for free to all of his loyal fans and the new listeners who want to hear the latest from one of reggae’s rising sons.

Click here for dates and information about Collie Buddz’s Playback tour.

Listen to Collie Buddz Playback EP

Playback has a generally mellow feel, the perfect soundtrack to a laid back afternoon or weekend morning. It forecasts the warmer weather that so many Collie Buddz fans are waiting for, with tracks like Hope, featuring guest vocals from Demarco.

But Playback‘s sunny, casual sound belies the effort that Collie Buddz put into it, having spent 3 years crafting every track. “The EP was entirely written, recorded and engineered in Bermuda with my brother Smokey at Harper Digital Studios,” Collie once explained. He had help from some top-ranked producers including Supa Dups and Baby Dee.

You can hear the tracks before you download them here (JavaScript-enabled browsers only):

Official music video for Playback EPK

Playback EPK is the first single from the new Playback EP.

The official music video for Holiday from Playback

Holiday is the 2nd single from Collie Buddz Playback EP. The video was directed by Jeff Pliskin and edited by Collie Buddz himself. The artist filmed the track on location in Bermuda, in advance of the release of the EP. This is a great track to relax to after a long day of work.

Get the Collie Buddz Playback free music download

Collie Buddz has made Playback available as a free music download from 2 links off of the official Collie Buddz website. The main music download link is here. The second free music download link is here.

These free music links to download the Playback EP come direct from the official Collie Buddz website, so you can be sure they’re safe.

The total download is 77MB so a high-speed internet connection is preferred for downloading the tracks. There are no requirements for downloading the free music tracks – no giving up your email address or anything else.

This isn’t the first free Collie Buddz music download that has come our way – last summer Slightly Stoopid shared 4 free music tracks to download, one of which was a remix of Collie Buddz’s Come Around (the other 3 are tracks from Slightly Stoopid and Cypress Hill). Collie Buddz recently wrapped up the Slightly Stoopid Legalize It 2010 summer tour with Slightly Stoopid and Cypress Hill. He’s also done some solo touring, launched a new official website last year, and kicked off his own radio station, Vibe 103. “The pieces are all falling into place, allowing me to focus on doing what I love most, making music,” explains Buddz.

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]]> http://www.dubandreggae.com/collie-buddz-playback-ep-free-reggae-music-download/feed 3 http://www.dubandreggae.com/submit-news-and-guest-posts-to-dub-and-reggae http://www.dubandreggae.com/submit-news-and-guest-posts-to-dub-and-reggae#comments Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:04:50 +0000 dubman http://www.dubandreggae.com Dub & Reggae is now accepting stories, press releases, news, and event information! We also accept guest posts.

What kind of content does Dub & Reggae accept?

We’ll accept anything that’s useful to our readers. We’re particularly interested in this kind of content:

• News related to the reggae, dub, dancehall, and reggaeton music industry.
• Press releases about dub & reggae artists, bands, sound systems, events, and concerts.
• Guest blog posts (see below for details).

News and press releases should be specific to the dub & reggae music scene (including ska, dancehall, reggaeton, and similar musical forms). We also accept content related to Jamaica.

What are the guest post guidelines for Dub & Reggae?

Guest posting on Dub & Reggae is a great way to get the attention of 15,000 dub, reggae, dancehall, and reggaeton music fans every month.
Your post can be related to any of the topics described above, and can also be based upon your personal experience. Although there isn’t a minimum length for your posts, the best articles are between 500 and 1000 words (longer articles can usually be split into a series of shorter posts).
Specific guest post guidelines:

• Your post must be completely original. No part may have been published elsewhere on the Internet. You may not repost the content elsewhere on the Internet after it is published on Dub & Reggae.
• You must be the original author of the article. We cannot accept ghostwritten, copied, or “spun” articles.
• You may include 1 link in the byline, which will appear at the bottom of the post. The link may not include SEO’d anchor text and must point to a site related to the Dub & Reggae industry. (We won’t post links to Internet marketing sites or spam sites.)

Please also search Dub & Reggae for similar posts before submitting a guest post. We’d like to avoid redundant content, so make sure you’re covering a new topic or providing a fresh take on things.

Can I advertise on Dub & Reggae?

Yes, we’d love to work with you! You can read more about advertising on Dub & Reggae here.

How do I submit my content or guest post to Dub & Reggae?

If your content meets the guidelines defined above, please send it to dubman at dubandreggae dot com. You should include the content in the body of your email – for security reasons we cannot open attachments.
We’ll usually respond to you within 2 business days to let you know if we’ve accepted your content, news, or post. If we reject your content you’re free to post it elsewhere.

No related posts.

]]> http://www.dubandreggae.com/submit-news-and-guest-posts-to-dub-and-reggae/feed 1 http://www.dubandreggae.com/rastafarian-colors-red-gold-and-green http://www.dubandreggae.com/rastafarian-colors-red-gold-and-green#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:45:26 +0000 dubman http://www.dubandreggae.com/?p=1118

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]]> The Rastafarian colors are red, gold, and green. Some people include black in that color scheme as well, but it’s role in the color scheme is sometimes disputed.

Rasta colors appear throughout reggae music and the Rastafarian world in general, whether on Rasta flags, reggae clothing, or Bob Marley posters. Any long-time dub or reggae fan is likely to encounter them repeatedly.

The 3 Rastafarian colors each have symbolic meaning in the Rasta religion:

• Red, the color of the blood of the people and the Church of Triumphant (the Rasta church).
• Gold (sometimes simply yellow) for the wealth of Africa, the Rasta homeland.
• Green for the land and vegetation of Ethiopia, the promised land.

The Rasta color scheme – red, gold, green – is also the color scheme of Ethopia’s flag in the 1800s. At that time the flag also included the Lion of Zion, the promised land. Ethiopia is the promised land in the Rastafarian belief system; it Mount Zion, heaven on earth. Some Rastas interpret the need to repatriate Ethiopia as a spiritual, rather than physical, directive, and achieve it in part by surrounding themselves with Ethiopian colors and symbolism.

Black is sometimes cited instead of yellow in the Rastafarian color scheme – red, black, and green were the colors of Marcus Garvey‘s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Because Garvey is often cited as a Rasta prophet, it makes sense that his organization’s colors would be adopted. However, there are clear distinctions between Marcus Garvey’s empowerment movement and the specifics of the Rastafarian religion.

The Rasta colors symbolize not only strength but loss and longing: red is the blood that was shed by the martyrs throughout Rasta history, yellow is the gold stolen from the people, and green is the land to which Rastas hope to return.

Rasta colors have a strong tie to reggae music. Bob Marley made Rastafarianism popular throughout the world, and with it the Rasta colors red, gold, and green. The 1982 Steel Pulse album True Democracy includes the song Dub’ Marcus Say, which explained the colors. Here’s a video of Steel Pulse playing a similar song, Rally Round, live in Argentina.

Steel Pulse explains the Rastafarian colors with these lyrics:

Marcus say sir, Marcus say
Red for the blood
That flowed like the river
Marcus say sir, Marcus say
Green for the land Africa
Marcus say
Yellow for the gold
That they stole
Marcus say
Black for the people
It was looted from

Today, some take these Rastafarian colors to define an inclusive, expansive Rastafarianism, with red symbolizing the life blood of all living things, gold symbolizing all treasures that we cherish and enjoy, and green for the whole earth that we all share. But this definition reads as more of a New Age definition of connections than the more exclusive traditional Rastafarianism would seem to lend itself to.

Some Rastas claim the gold comes from the Jamaican flag, which is green, gold, and black. Others dispute this assertion, claiming that Jamaica is Babylon and therefore unholy.

It is also said that red always goes below the other colors because blood flows downward.

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