{"id":6542,"date":"2026-02-09T12:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T11:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/riddim.norm.de\/?p=6542"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:26:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:26:02","slug":"jah-shaka-revelation-songs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riddim.world\/mystaging01\/jah-shaka-revelation-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"Jah Shaka \u2013 Revelation Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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He influ\u00adenced the sound sys\u00adtem world like no oth\u00ader. His dances resem\u00adbled reli\u00adgious mass\u00ades, which even non-believ\u00aders describe as a spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal expe\u00adri\u00adence. When Ras\u00adta-influ\u00adenced reg\u00adgae had to make way for very world\u00adly dance\u00adhall, he was the lone caller in the desert who kept the roots flame burn\u00ading with UK step\u00adpers. Jah Sha\u00adka was not dri\u00adven by his ego, but by his self-imposed mis\u00adsion to make the world a bet\u00adter place. He died unex\u00adpect\u00aded\u00adly on 12 April 2023. Sha\u00adka fol\u00adlow\u00ader and dance muff David Katz remem\u00adbers some of his most intense ses\u00adsions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Text: David Katz<\/a> \/\/\/ Pho\u00adtos: David Corio<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This arti\u00adcle was first pub\u00adlished in June 2023 (RIDDIM 03\/2023<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As I write these words, the reg\u00adgae com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty is still reel\u00ading from the unex\u00adpect\u00aded death of Jah Sha\u00adka, the tow\u00ader\u00ading giant of the British sound sys\u00adtem scene who made such a dra\u00admat\u00adic impact across the globe. Through a career that last\u00aded over 55 years, Jah Sha\u00adka sin\u00adgle\u00adhand\u00aded\u00adly trans\u00adformed the sound sys\u00adtem land\u00adscape with a dis\u00adtinc\u00adtive and idio\u00adsyn\u00adcrat\u00adic play\u00ading style that proved high\u00adly influ\u00aden\u00adtial, ignor\u00ading the dom\u00adi\u00adnant trends to focus exclu\u00adsive\u00adly on con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary reg\u00adgae that was polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly rel\u00ade\u00advant and spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly uplift\u00ading, the music he played and the records he pro\u00adduced both serv\u00ading as forms of inspi\u00adra\u00adtion and empow\u00ader\u00adment for the down\u00adtrod\u00adden and the oppressed. At the many dances he held in diverse under\u00adground spaces, play\u00ading in a trance-like state on one ancient and archa\u00adic Gar\u00adrard turntable that was report\u00aded\u00adly built in the late 1940s, Jah Sha\u00adka would chant mes\u00adsages of encour\u00adage\u00adment as well as exhor\u00adta\u00adtions of tran\u00adscen\u00addent devo\u00adtion to Rasta\u00adfari over the micro\u00adphone, drench\u00ading every\u00adthing in delay and reverb, and adding cus\u00adtom-built effects and live per\u00adcus\u00adsive ele\u00adments to increase the dra\u00admat\u00adic ten\u00adsion; through his mas\u00adter\u00adful use of the pre\u00adamp, along with a portable syn\u00addrum and a home\u00admade siren box, he made his ses\u00adsions vis\u00adcer\u00adal and immer\u00adsive, boost\u00ading the sub\u00adson\u00adic bass fre\u00adquen\u00adcies at reg\u00adu\u00adlar inter\u00advals to stim\u00adu\u00adlate a trans\u00adportive and trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtive expe\u00adri\u00adence. Jah Shaka\u2019s dances were nev\u00ader about mere enter\u00adtain\u00adment, ego, or show\u00adman\u00adship. Instead, the ses\u00adsions were meant to uplift and inspire, to help his atten\u00addees free them\u00adselves of their men\u00adtal shack\u00adles, to dance with\u00adout restric\u00adtion and to gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly ele\u00advate one\u00adself as part of a process of reach\u00ading a bet\u00adter place, both indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly and col\u00adlec\u00adtive\u00adly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emerg\u00ading in Jamaica in the years fol\u00adlow\u00ading World War II, the sound sys\u00adtem has since become a com\u00adplex art form, in which sev\u00ader\u00adal dif\u00adfer\u00adent ele\u00adments must coa\u00adlesce for any giv\u00aden set to make an impact. To ensure draw\u00ading pow\u00ader unmatched by rivals, exclu\u00adsive mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal has always been key; styl\u00adis\u00adtic micro\u00adphone chanters have been part of the pic\u00adture since the ear\u00adly 1950s and although sheer wattage can act as a mag\u00adnet, espe\u00adcial\u00adly in Jamaica\u2019s open-air ter\u00adrain, the mas\u00adsive banks of ampli\u00adfiers and speak\u00ader box\u00ades also need to be man\u00adaged with skilled finesse. Arriv\u00ading in the UK in the ear\u00adly 1950s through the \u201dWin\u00addrush Gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion\u201d immi\u00adgrants that brought the prac\u00adtice with them, sound sys\u00adtem cul\u00adture enjoyed a par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar evo\u00adlu\u00adtion in Britain and the pre\u00adamp has been a key part of the expe\u00adri\u00adence; this cru\u00adcial bit of kit allows fre\u00adquen\u00adcies to be boost\u00aded or cut at will and direct\u00aded spa\u00adtial\u00adly through dif\u00adfer\u00adent speak\u00aders, giv\u00ading dub sound sys\u00adtems like Jah Sha\u00adka an impor\u00adtance dif\u00adfer\u00adence to their Jamaican coun\u00adter\u00adparts. Above all, each sound sys\u00adtem must have a dis\u00adtinc\u00adtive iden\u00adti\u00adty that sets it apart from com\u00adpeti\u00adtors and Jah Shaka\u2019s sound sys\u00adtem had that dis\u00adtinc\u00adtive\u00adness in a sur\u00adpris\u00ading num\u00adber of ways.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Although I attend\u00aded my first Sha\u00adka dance over 35 years ago, I remem\u00adber it like it was yes\u00adter\u00adday: upon enter\u00ading the pitch-black space under a south Lon\u00addon rail\u00adway arch, the atmos\u00adphere hit me like a mal\u00adlet; heav\u00adi\u00adly per\u00adme\u00adat\u00aded with gan\u00adja smoke, a mass of sweaty bod\u00adies stood expec\u00adtant\u00adly before an impres\u00adsive array of hand-made wood\u00aden speak\u00ader box\u00ades, as the open\u00ading strains of Yami Bolo\u2019s \u201dJah Made Them All\u201d<\/a> raked the air, Shaka\u2019s manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion of the pre\u00adamp ini\u00adtial\u00adly aimed slices of tre\u00adble notes at our head\u00adspaces. The mas\u00adsive hangar was laden with expec\u00adta\u00adtion, though of what was not yet entire\u00adly clear, and although the song was instant\u00adly rec\u00adog\u00adniz\u00adable, it sound\u00aded noth\u00ading like the actu\u00adal record because of the way that every\u00adthing had been re-bal\u00adanced, skewed entire\u00adly in the tre\u00adble spec\u00adtrum; gui\u00adtar and key\u00adboards were jagged bursts that hit our brows, along with Yami\u2019s dis\u00adtinc\u00adtive vocals, but the rhyth\u00admic foun\u00adda\u00adtion was but a ghost\u00adly echo that bare\u00adly reg\u00adis\u00adtered. Then, with\u00adout warn\u00ading, the short man with the mas\u00adsive bul\u00adbous tam that stood by a sole record deck gave a mighty flick of his wrist to over\u00adwhelm our sens\u00ades by com\u00adplete\u00adly flip\u00adping the ori\u00aden\u00adta\u00adtion, so that the bass notes rat\u00adtled our ribcages and bat\u00adtered our waists. As the thun\u00adder\u00adous bass, elec\u00adtron\u00adic drums, and Shaka\u2019s syn\u00addrum accom\u00adpa\u00adni\u00adment worked their way down the length of our spines, spurring our legs into action, atten\u00addees cried out in ecsta\u00adsy as they danced with reck\u00adless aban\u00addon. With his eyes tight\u00adly shut and a micro\u00adphone in hand, his body sway\u00ading gen\u00adtly to the rhythm, Sha\u00adka began to chant prais\u00ades to Jah, seem\u00ading\u00adly in anoth\u00ader realm.<\/p>

<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As the night wore on, a series of incred\u00adi\u00adble tunes made their way onto the plat\u00adter and into our con\u00adscious\u00adness\u00ades: there were exclu\u00adsive, pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly unheard dub-plate mix\u00ades of old favorites such as the Wail\u00ading Souls\u2019 \u201dVery Well\u201d<\/a> and Cul\u00adtur\u00adal Roots\u2019 \u201dMr Boss Man\u201d<\/a>, as well as Creole\u2019s \u201dBeware\u201d<\/a> and its \u201dKun\u00adta Kinte\u201d<\/a> dub coun\u00adter\u00adpart, while at oth\u00ader moments, fresh\u00adly record\u00aded works by upcom\u00ading British artists were also aired. I recall that there were songs then rul\u00ading the reg\u00adgae charts, such as Junior Delgado\u2019s dance\u00adhall styled \u201dRagga\u00admuf\u00adfin Year\u201d<\/a>, the title track of a then-cur\u00adrent album pro\u00adduced by Augus\u00adtus Pablo, but those songs were pre\u00adsent\u00aded in a unique man\u00adner, thanks to Jah Shaka\u2019s mas\u00adter\u00adful con\u00adtrol of equal\u00adiza\u00adtion, the sound being stretched along the entire audio spec\u00adtrum, and fur\u00adther enhanced by the dra\u00admat\u00adic appli\u00adca\u00adtions of reverb and delay, the way that the speak\u00ader stacks were con\u00adstruct\u00aded affect\u00ading the spa\u00adtial place\u00adment as Sha\u00adka worked his won\u00adders with the pre\u00adamp. As the night wore on, son\u00adic rev\u00ade\u00adla\u00adtions abound\u00aded in quick suc\u00adces\u00adsion, and, for the sec\u00adond time in my life, I found myself com\u00adpelled to dance, my body rock\u00ading and pop\u00adping along with every\u00adone else until long after day\u00adlight broke. The over\u00adrid\u00ading feel\u00ading was wit\u00adness\u00ading some\u00adthing of great grav\u00adi\u00adtas, but with rap\u00adtur\u00adous, abun\u00addant joy more than any\u00adthing else. Such was my intro\u00adduc\u00adtion to the extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnary phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adnon of Jah Shaka\u2019s sound sys\u00adtem, of which I became a devot\u00aded fol\u00adlow\u00ader from then onwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the many dances he held in diverse under\u00adground spaces, play\u00ading in a trance-like state on one ancient and archa\u00adic Gar\u00adrard turntable that was report\u00aded\u00adly built in the late 1940s, Jah Sha\u00adka would chant mes\u00adsages of encour\u00adage\u00adment as well as exhor\u00adta\u00adtions of tran\u00adscen\u00addent devo\u00adtion to Rasta\u00adfari over the micro\u00adphone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

An intense\u00adly pri\u00advate per\u00adson who revealed lit\u00adtle per\u00adson\u00adal infor\u00adma\u00adtion dur\u00ading his life\u00adtime, Jah Sha\u00adka spent his for\u00adma\u00adtive years in rur\u00adal Claren\u00addon, south Jamaica, before his par\u00adents moved the fam\u00adi\u00adly to the UK in 1956 in search of bet\u00adter\u00adment; they set\u00adtled in south\u00adeast Lon\u00addon when he was five years old, and it was as a teenag\u00ader in 1968, while attend\u00ading Samuel Pepys Com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsive School at Sprules Road in Brock\u00adley, that Jah Sha\u00adka start\u00aded play\u00ading in a band and began an appren\u00adtice\u00adship on local soul sound sys\u00adtem Fred\u00addie Cloud\u00adburst, which most\u00adly played Amer\u00adi\u00adcan soul music; he got his start as a \u201dbox boy\u201d who would help to trans\u00adport and set up the speak\u00ader box\u00ades, lat\u00ader ensur\u00ading that the ampli\u00adfiers and speak\u00aders were func\u00adtion\u00ading prop\u00ader\u00adly, and final\u00adly becom\u00ading the res\u00adi\u00addent selec\u00adtor, but after being inspired by black activists such as the Jamaican hero of self-deter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adtion, Mar\u00adcus Gar\u00advey, and African Amer\u00adi\u00adcan free\u00addom fight\u00aders like Mal\u00adcolm X and Angela Davis, by 1970 he had formed his own sound sys\u00adtem, which he named Jah Sha\u00adka after the Zulu war\u00adrior who tried to keep the British out of his king\u00addom in south\u00adern Africa in the late 1800s. Armed with exclu\u00adsive dub\u00adplates from the most impor\u00adtant record pro\u00adduc\u00aders in Jamaican and the UK, includ\u00ading Lee \u201dScratch\u201d Per\u00adry<\/a>, Bun\u00adny Lee<\/a>, Joe Gibbs<\/a>, Yab\u00adby You, the Abyssini\u00adans, the Twin\u00adkle Broth\u00aders, Al Camp\u00adbell, and oth\u00aders, and with a pow\u00ader\u00adful\u00adly com\u00admand\u00ading pres\u00adence on the micro\u00adphone, Jah Sha\u00adka soon began mak\u00ading an impact on the sound sys\u00adtem under\u00adground, tri\u00adumph\u00ading at many a sound clash, includ\u00ading against more estab\u00adlished rivals, but along with the acco\u00adlades came ten\u00adsions with the police, who infa\u00admous\u00adly raid\u00aded a Jah Sha\u00adka dance held at Mal\u00adpas Road in Brock\u00adley in April 1975, beat\u00ading atten\u00addees, and caus\u00ading hun\u00addreds of pounds worth of dam\u00adage to his equip\u00adment. In fact, Jah Shaka\u2019s south\u00adeast Lon\u00addon base was then a flash\u00adpoint of hos\u00adtile race rela\u00adtions, with neo-Nazis and oth\u00ader white fas\u00adcists fire\u00adbomb\u00ading the Moon\u00adshot youth club in 1977 and the Albany Empire in 1978.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The over\u00adrid\u00ading feel\u00ading was wit\u00adness\u00ading some\u00adthing of great grav\u00adi\u00adtas, but with rap\u00adtur\u00adous, abun\u00addant joy more than any\u00adthing else. Such was my intro\u00adduc\u00adtion to the extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnary phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adnon of Jah Shaka\u2019s sound sys\u00adtem, of which I became a devot\u00aded fol\u00adlow\u00ader from then onwards.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Against this antag\u00ado\u00adnis\u00adtic back\u00addrop, Jah Sha\u00adka sim\u00adply redoubt\u00aded his efforts to embrace his work and to con\u00adtin\u00adue to engage with his com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty. He sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly estab\u00adlished a res\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy at Phebes Night\u00adclub in Hack\u00adney dur\u00ading the late 1970s, fol\u00adlowed by anoth\u00ader at Club Nor\u00adeik in Tot\u00adten\u00adham, and was then crowned the top sound sys\u00adtem in Britain at the Black Echoes Reg\u00adgae Awards in 1980 and 81. He cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00aded close friend\u00adships with key reg\u00adgae artists, includ\u00ading fel\u00adlow Claren\u00addo\u00adnians too, such as Fred\u00addie McGre\u00adgor, Bar\u00adring\u00adton Levy and Style Scott of the Roots Radics. Although his audi\u00adence was almost entire\u00adly black in these heady years, dur\u00ading the late 1970s, Jah Shaka\u2019s son\u00adic wiz\u00adardry made a dra\u00admat\u00adic impact on the post-punk music of Pub\u00adlic Image Lim\u00adit\u00aded and the Slits, whose mem\u00adbers had been intro\u00adduced to his dances by Don Letts, and a wider audi\u00adence was hipped to his impor\u00adtance when he was cap\u00adtured in action in Fran\u00adco Rosso\u2019s evoca\u00adtive 1980 urban dra\u00adma \u201dBaby\u00adlon\u201d, play\u00ading him\u00adself at a south Lon\u00addon sound clash as the film\u2019s action draws to its cli\u00admax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamaican reg\u00adgae sub\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly under\u00adwent dra\u00admat\u00adic changes dur\u00ading the mid-1980s as the dance\u00adhall style came to the fore, its out\u00adput large\u00adly pre\u00adoc\u00adcu\u00adpied with las\u00adciv\u00adi\u00adous\u00adness, vio\u00adlence, and friv\u00ado\u00adli\u00adty, and music with a Rasta\u00adfari focus became pass\u00e9; British sound sys\u00adtems inevitably embraced the new style, but unlike his com\u00adpeti\u00adtors, Jah Sha\u00adka opt\u00aded to become the lone voice in the wilder\u00adness that kept the roots reg\u00adgae flame burn\u00ading. When slack\u00adness and gun talk was the rage, Sha\u00adka was the voice of rea\u00adson, a com\u00admit\u00adted indi\u00advid\u00adual who only played music with an over\u00adrid\u00ading mes\u00adsage of spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal or social impor\u00adtance, advanc\u00ading an up-tem\u00adpo home\u00adgrown vari\u00adant of reg\u00adgae that became known as \u201dUK Step\u00adpers\u201d, his ear\u00adly pro\u00adduc\u00adtions in this style giv\u00aden kudos when cham\u00adpi\u00adoned by the not\u00aded BBC radio disc jock\u00adey, John Peel. With a back\u00ading band he dubbed the Fasim\u00adbas after a local activist group estab\u00adlished in response to the dis\u00adcrim\u00adi\u00adna\u00adto\u00adry treat\u00adment of black chil\u00addren in the British school sys\u00adtem, from 1980 Jah Sha\u00adka pro\u00adduced orig\u00adi\u00adnal music with upcom\u00ading unknowns such as African Princess, Sis\u00adter Audrey, and for\u00admer Cap\u00adi\u00adtal Let\u00adters front\u00adman, Junior Brown, as well as self-pro\u00adduced favorites such as \u201dRev\u00ade\u00adla\u00adtion 18\u201d<\/a> and \u201dLion Youth.\u201d<\/a> Lat\u00ader, he would pro\u00adduce like\u00adable releas\u00ades with icon\u00adic reg\u00adgae vocal\u00adists such as Bim Sher\u00adman, John\u00adny Clarke, the Twin\u00adkle Broth\u00aders, Max Romeo<\/a>, and Horace Andy, among oth\u00aders. He also released an impres\u00adsive series of dub albums, includ\u00ading col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtive works with Aswad and Mad Pro\u00adfes\u00adsor, shar\u00ading premis\u00ades with the lat\u00adter in the ear\u00adly 1980s in Peck\u00adham; in the same era, he also ran a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty hub known as the \u201dCul\u00adture Shop\u201d in New Cross, which had a record store, Caribbean food out\u00adlet and Rasta\u00adfari-ori\u00adent\u00aded hair salon, the space act\u00ading as a focal point for local black youth. Although his record pro\u00adduc\u00adtions did not achieve much in the way of main\u00adstream suc\u00adcess, they were con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly pop\u00adu\u00adlar with his core audi\u00adence of reg\u00adgae and dub devo\u00adtees; more impor\u00adtant\u00adly, the unique\u00adness of his sound sys\u00adtem would ulti\u00admate\u00adly inspire note\u00adwor\u00adthy acolytes such as Ira\u00adtion Step\u00adpas in Leeds, the Zion Train col\u00adlec\u00adtive which began in Lon\u00addon and lat\u00ader decamped to Cologne, as well as the Dis\u00adci\u00adples, a pair of white Eng\u00adlish broth\u00aders from south\u00adwest Lon\u00addon who were among the first non-black prac\u00adti\u00adtion\u00aders to try their hand at dub. Lat\u00ader, the Moa Anbessa sound sys\u00adtem of Italy, France\u2019s OBF and count\u00adless oth\u00ader sound sys\u00adtems through\u00adout the UK and Europe acknowl\u00adedged their great debt to Jah Sha\u00adka, as well as oth\u00ader prac\u00adti\u00adtion\u00aders in Japan, Mex\u00adi\u00adco, Brazil, and else\u00adwhere.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Dur\u00ading the 1990s, Jah Shaka\u2019s res\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy at the Rock\u00adet, adjoin\u00ading North Lon\u00addon Poly\u00adtech\u00adnic, sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant\u00adly broad\u00adened his audi\u00adence. I remem\u00adber very clear\u00adly that far more white peo\u00adple began to attend the ses\u00adsions then, which had an accom\u00adpa\u00adny\u00ading slideshow oper\u00adat\u00aded by Pax Nin\u00addi, for\u00admer front\u00adman of the group Harare Dread. The prox\u00adim\u00adi\u00adty to the Poly meant that stu\u00addents were in abun\u00addance, and there was a grow\u00ading audi\u00adence of young Euro\u00adpeans too. The Rock\u00adet res\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy began a long process of growth for the sound sys\u00adtem, and a shift in the nature of Lon\u00addon events, since pri\u00ador to that point, Sha\u00adka would tai\u00adlor his selec\u00adtion based on the venue he was play\u00ading at, and the sound would always be set up in such a way as to match the space, mean\u00ading that no two ses\u00adsions were ever exact\u00adly iden\u00adti\u00adcal, even though there was the con\u00adti\u00adnu\u00adity of the Rasta\u00adfari focus, and the man\u00adner in which he played the sound. In any case, the wider audi\u00adence grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly result\u00aded in an unprece\u00addent\u00aded tour\u00ading sched\u00adule that would see Jah Sha\u00adka bring his musi\u00adcal expe\u00adri\u00adence all over Europe and on to Africa, Japan, Mex\u00adi\u00adco, Peru, and oth\u00ader ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As the dance\u00adhall style came to the fore, its out\u00adput large\u00adly pre\u00adoc\u00adcu\u00adpied with las\u00adciv\u00adi\u00adous\u00adness, vio\u00adlence, and friv\u00ado\u00adli\u00adty, Jah Sha\u00adka opt\u00aded to become the lone voice in the wilder\u00adness that kept the roots reg\u00adgae flame burn\u00ading.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Jah Sha\u00adka con\u00adtin\u00adued to progress as an activist and enabler as his own per\u00adson\u00adal jour\u00adney con\u00adtin\u00adued to unfold: after trav\u00adel\u00adling to Africa in 1984 and 1990, he estab\u00adlished the Jah Sha\u00adka Foun\u00adda\u00adtion in Accra in 1992 to dis\u00adtrib\u00adute med\u00adical sup\u00adplies, library books and oth\u00ader mate\u00adri\u00adals to schools and med\u00adical clin\u00adics, and there were char\u00adi\u00adta\u00adble works in Jamaica, Ethiopia and Kenya too. It all point\u00aded to the lack of ego and the con\u00adtin\u00adued involve\u00adment with projects that mat\u00adtered, rather than chas\u00ading fame and emp\u00adty glo\u00adry. He remained res\u00adolute\u00adly stead\u00adfast in his prin\u00adci\u00adples, trav\u00adel\u00adling for extend\u00aded peri\u00adods in Africa, walk\u00ading the walk when so many oth\u00aders mere\u00adly talked the talk. Shaka\u2019s playlists always spoke of the need for human uni\u00adty and point\u00aded to the great\u00adness of African civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtions, form\u00ading the back\u00addrop for his fer\u00advent chants about the pow\u00aders of the Almighty and the need for pos\u00adi\u00adtive actions from Mankind, and here he was demon\u00adstrat\u00ading that he meant what he said, that his procla\u00adma\u00adtions were heart\u00adfelt, and not the result of mere slo\u00adga\u00adneer\u00ading or pos\u00adtur\u00ading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the now-defunct Trop\u00adi\u00adcal Isles club, Sha\u00adka played all the way until 10am or there\u00adabouts, with sun\u00adlight bathing the place for the last phase. The ses\u00adsions last\u00aded some 14+ hours at least, and Sha\u00adka him\u00adself nev\u00ader took a break. The man was clear\u00adly on a mis\u00adsion and the music was obvi\u00adous\u00adly a form of sus\u00adte\u00adnance.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As his fame grew and he increas\u00ading\u00adly became a fes\u00adti\u00adval head\u00adlin\u00ader, he con\u00adtin\u00adued to com\u00admand large audi\u00adences at the events he reg\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly held, both in the UK and abroad. And so many of these events remained excep\u00adtion\u00adal. I remem\u00adber with fond\u00adness his appear\u00adance at the 2007 edi\u00adtion of Roto\u00adtom Sun\u00adsplash in Osop\u00adpo, north\u00adeast Italy, when he played a set of entire\u00adly unknown music that stretched through the night and went until far after sun\u00adrise; shar\u00ading the expe\u00adri\u00adence with RIDDIM\u2019s Ellen K\u00f6h\u00adlings and Pete Lil\u00adly, we were all trans\u00adfixed for the entire time as Sha\u00adka threw new musi\u00adcal mys\u00adter\u00adies at us, ren\u00adder\u00ading a very spe\u00adcial feel\u00ading in the air. Sha\u00adka men\u00adtored the son who became known as Young War\u00adrior after launch\u00ading his own sound sys\u00adtem in 2011, and anoth\u00ader ses\u00adsion I will nev\u00ader for\u00adget was that deliv\u00adered by the pair of them at the WOMAD fes\u00adti\u00adval in 2016, anoth\u00ader joy\u00adous occa\u00adsion filled with spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly uplift\u00ading sounds, much of which was unknown to me and deliv\u00adered as only Sha\u00adka could, even if the set was short\u00ader than usu\u00adal. Oth\u00ader high\u00adlights that have stayed with me include the Dub School sound clash he played against Fat\u00adman on Fatman\u2019s north Lon\u00addon home turf in 1991; although Fat\u00adman had U Brown and var\u00adi\u00adous oth\u00ader toast\u00aders, and Sha\u00adka was all alone as usu\u00adal, what\u00adev\u00ader dub plate Fat\u00adman drew for, Sha\u00adka drew a bet\u00adter one and nev\u00ader let up the entire night, crown\u00ading Sha\u00adka the win\u00adner by far. There was also a night of excep\u00adtion\u00adal ener\u00adgy at the now-defunct Trop\u00adi\u00adcal Isles club, under the Bow fly\u00adover in east Lon\u00addon, where Sha\u00adka played all the way until 10am or there\u00adabouts, with sun\u00adlight bathing the place for the last phase, the ses\u00adsions last\u00ading some 14+ hours at least, and Sha\u00adka him\u00adself nev\u00ader tak\u00ading a break. How he man\u00adaged such efforts week after week for so many decades is beyond me, though the man was clear\u00adly on a mis\u00adsion and the music was obvi\u00adous\u00adly a form of sus\u00adte\u00adnance.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A Jah Sha\u00adka ses\u00adsion real\u00adly was akin to a reli\u00adgious expe\u00adri\u00adence; even those who claim not to be reli\u00adgious them\u00adselves will often report feel\u00ading some\u00adthing spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal after wit\u00adness\u00ading the pro\u00adceed\u00adings. And although his core audi\u00adence was black for the first decades of his career, Sha\u00adka nev\u00ader closed his ses\u00adsions to any\u00adone; indeed, the event fly\u00aders typ\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly stat\u00aded, \u201dHow good and pleas\u00adant it is to see all nations come and hear Jah music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jah Sha\u00adka was the patri\u00adarch of a large fam\u00adi\u00adly that now includes sev\u00ader\u00adal chil\u00addren, grand\u00adchil\u00addren, and great grand\u00adchil\u00addren. The Nine Night that was held in his hon\u00ador on 21 April 2023 at the Great Hall of Gold\u00adsmiths, Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Lon\u00addon, was a beau\u00adti\u00adful out\u00adpour\u00ading of love that was esti\u00admat\u00aded to have been attend\u00aded by over 1,000 peo\u00adple, with many turned away due to health and safe\u00adty con\u00adcerns. Although we are unlike\u00adly to encounter one such as him again, his last\u00ading lega\u00adcy of record\u00aded music and sound sys\u00adtem activ\u00adi\u00adty ensures that his work lives on. All hail Jah Sha\u00adka, the mighty Zulu War\u00adrior, one of the great\u00adest sound sys\u00adtem cham\u00adpi\u00adons of all time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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