I started to do some farming thing. Plant, start till the soil and dem ting they. Regenerate a new vibes.
Since you grew up in the city, farming for you must not have been easy.
Not easy at all.
You still farm. How do you have time for that with touring?
When I'm in Jamaica, me deal with it. When I'm abroad, me wife take care of it anyhow still p; like pay bills and this and that.
Some things then. In that time, some things came out on the Grammy Rose label, and you did some Taxi things too. There's a crucial track you did that came out a few years ago called "Monkey Business."
"Monkey Business" was with Sly.
That and "Don't Touch It" are anti-cocaine songs. Cocaine has mashed down a lot of people in Jamaica. Have you had any personal experience with it or a problem or just seen it mash down people . . . why do you sing about it?
Yea man, I see it do a lot of things to people. It hurt a lotta people. I've seen it.
Is the problem in Kingston with cocaine getting worse still or is there more consciousness?
Well, it worse everywhere. Not just Jamaica alone it worse everywhere. So we just haffe guide the youth right now what come up fe steer them away from it. Yea mon.
This Voice Of The Ghetto album that came out last year in the United States. Anthony Deheny and Bunny Gemini (the producers). Who are these bredren?
(Deheny) was a school teacher, he used to teach at Grantham College.
How did he end up being a Michael Rose producer.?
Well, over the years, he build a studio in Jamaica. He used to do a lot of producing before he used to live in Canada. Then he came to Jamaica and start doing some recording.
These tracks on this album p; were these produced before the Heartbeat album?
That was before the Heartbeat [album]. The thing is, when you do these things, people always rush. Because something is happening now they want to get out at the same time. It looks like everything was done one time but it's not like that.
VP put it out, because Heartbeat had an album.
The producer p; not really VP. VP just get it from the producer.
I see. They did the same thing with Luciano. He had a bunch of albums come out at the same time.
That's what I mean.
Then you went back to Niney. Why did you go back to him for your sound?
Me never go back to him. He came to Jamaica and asked me to record an album. We settle a thing, and we do an album.
Be Yourself. You produced that yourself.
It continues.
Have you done your own production before?
Yea, I produced a song called "Bogus Badge," "We Shall Overcome," "Running Running Round," "Demonstration."
So those came out in Jamaica. Were they on that Grammy Rose label? If it's a Michael Rose production, it's going to be on Grammy Rose. Is that how it goes?
Me have more than one label.
What are your other labels?
Me have Ruff Roze. Me have another label where me and me brother have business together called Imaj where we doing some producing.
When you're producing your own sound or someone is producing you, how do you decide on a rhythm, cause I've heard some Studio One rhythms that you've remade, like "Warning" sounds like "Mr. Basie" [Horace Andy], "Ouncey Boy," "Rising Star" those sound like Studio One sounds. Tell me about choosing rhythms and what sounds you like . . .
Is like the other day, everyone was recording over the Studio One's and them thing. Is like everyone was doing it. So most of the time if I producer I check if him a sing a song. Most of the time he have a rhythm already. Most of the time is not original rhythm. They're just bumping another rhythm out there already from times ago. Me just listen to it and just paint a picture.
Right, you just voice from what you hear. It's not like you say okay you've got the lyrics to "Warning," and you say that has to be on such and such "Mr. Basie" rhythm. You heard the rhythm and then you voiced from that . . .
We do it both ways you know. Sometimes it written out, and sometimes it just come straight off of the top.
You seem to have taken the road . . . When you were in Black Uhuru, Black Uhuru was like a band, but now you're like a dancehall singer . . .
Who me? You have to be current. Nobody knew Michael Rose p; like the media knew Michael Rose, but a lotta people don't know Michael Rose to be out there by himself. So I have to start all over again which is one of them tough things. Me did haffe build a career p; build Michael Rose. Black Uhuru is there. Black Uhuru is asset. The world know Black Uhuru. But then people getting to realize now that Michael Rose was Black Uhuru.
Say compare you to Burning Spear who had the name, and he kept the name. Burning Spear is different from twenty years ago. If the name Black Uhuru was your name instead of Duckie's, would it have been easier for you to still use the name Black Uhuru and go on with it, or would you have left it cause it also somehow included Sly and Robbie or whatever. Do you understand my question?
Me no leave it cause it included Sly and Robbie. Me leave it cause Duckie wants it. He wanted it, so I just kinda couldn't bother with it. Me leave and go plant. Me leave and let them take everything.
In a recording session now, the style is to program rhythms and Sly programs rhythms. Do you have any feeling . . . when you put together Be Yourself, it sounds like you have more of a live feel or human touch . . .
Yea most of the stuff them recorded live in Miami. Some of them record in Jamaica.
You prefer that to the way Voice of the Ghetto sounds?
Who me?
Yea, Voice Of The Ghetto is a very program sounding album.
Well nothing beats acoustic you know. You can't get away from acoustic. The synthetic sound will go, but acoustic will remain forever.
When producing your own sound, you put together this dub album, Big Sound Frontline. I don't know of another Michael Rose dub, but like I say I haven't heard some of these other albums in other countries. Is this your first Michael Rose in dub?
Yea, Michael Rose, first dub album.
That's three albums with Heartbeat, does that end your terms with them?
No, them have another album to get from me now.
And you're working on that now?
It's together. It's just me fe send off the DAT to them now.
Same thing like your own production again.
Yea.
So the sound will be similar to Be Yourself?
Right, but what me want do is keep it that way. The acoustic sound we need to keep it that way.
The musicians on there are they some of the musicians you tour with? Who is the Michael Rose band live? Is it anyone you record with?
Well, me used to tour with Squidley them over the years, but they're off with Ziggy now. So, me a regenerate. Me a have a band me put together right now for the road.
A couple more questions then, and I'll let you go. Some songs on Be Yourself that struck my ear. Particularly "From Babylon To Timbuktu."
That's where it started. In Africa. Most people think Howard University is the first [African University]. But Timbuktu is a university, you know what I mean.
From way back.
Yea, from way back. These are the things we want people fe know. Cause sometimes history wrong you know. The way it has been taught.
Most often its just one version. Somebody's version.
Yea, for real.
The bass production on that tune. I love the way the bass comes in and out on that track.
(Sings). Yea, very wicked.
You chose to rerecord "I Love King Selassie" and "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner." Why did you choose to rerecord those tracks from the old days?
People keep saying to me . . . when I perform they want to hear those songs. People keep telling me do over the whole Island stuff. I say 'No!' So me just do two tune as a teaser fe make them come off my case lickle bit. Cause me don't really believe in fe do over what I've done before, cause that's not what I'm all about. Creativity is what me really really into.
Right.
Sly supposed to mix some rhythm for me.
For the new album? Or no, you said it's done . . .
1998 album. If you check it, when I record my songs they come before their time. This is why the songs have so much life in them. Do you understand?
Yea I think I understand. You mean in style and in substance before their time. Another track I heard recently, "Money."
Bwai, yea.
That's one of the most crucial tracks I've ever heard from you. I heard it on a Greensleeves compilation out of England. Who produced it?
Jah Screw.
What's the story on that?
That album (Nuh Carbon) is an album recorded a good while ago. Is an album me did record before the Heartbeat thing when nobody knew Michael Rose. When Michael Rose was just trying to break Michael Rose. When the world never know who Michael Rose is, everyone think I needed Black Uhuru and Black Uhuru didn't needed me.
[Nuh Carbon was released in the US on RAS about two weeks after this conversation].
Well, before this call costs me too much, I'll have to go.
Maybe you know how to get by the money.
[Laughing] I don't think so, but anyway, it's been a pleasure talking to you.
Yes man, anytime man. Respect man, to the max. Read Psalms 91 for the public, hear?
Got it. Thanks for the time. We'll check you soon.
Irie. Yes I.
CD Now's Black Uhuru Discography