He received a hard blow this Wednesday 12 april the world of reggae, of dub and the sound system after meeting each other the death of the legend Jah Shaka, confirmed by his family through social networks.
“Unfortunately we have to confirm the death of Jah Shaka on 12 April 2023. Due to sensitivity and time, allow us the space to cry”, the family published on the musician's different networks.
The cause of his death has not yet been revealed., Nor is his precise age or real name known., only his stage name in which mixed up the name Rastas give to God (Jah) and that of the mythical king of the Zulu tribe, Shaka.
Also known as Zulu Warrior (Zulu Warrior), born and raised in Clarendon, Jamaica, But as a child he moved with his family to London, about 1956, as part of the call Windrush generation.
Windrush Generation
At that time, after World War II, The ruined United Kingdom called upon the citizens of the British colonies in the Caribbean to cross the ocean and work on rebuilding the country, offering them a new life.
Many Caribbean people accepted and traveled to the United Kingdom, nevertheless They encountered a hostile and racist environment towards blacks, many of whom had recently moved.
In an interview cited by In Sheep’s Clothing Hi-Fi, Jah Shaka maintained that “in the time of Windrush, in London, at the doors of the houses, there were signs that said 'no blacks', no Irish and no dogs'” (No blacks, no irish and no dogs).
For the same, for him and his contemporaries, music was an important tool to navigate the environment they found themselves in.
“When people left Africa for the Caribbean, all they could bring with them was their music, his songs and his memories of home. Then, over the years, This is all the people had to hold them together.”, said at a conference at the Red Bull Music Academy in 2014.
He further stated that, in response, families built their own sound systems, as a way to celebrate community and music in the face of hostility.
“In the decades of 1950 Y 1960 in London there were house parties with 50, 60 people with only record players. Helped families meet other families, which was important at the time because people were very forced to be segregated”, he added.
His artistic career
In this environment he managed to have his own sound system, Jah Shaka Sound System, which had been operating since the 1970s 70, built after learning and working as a sound system engineer with Freddie Cloudburst.
This is how he became at the forefront of sound system culture in London, throwing some of the most important albums on the scene and with their spiritual messages and deep and vibrant sounds, Shaka was revered by musicians and dancers from a variety of genres and cultures..
Multiple musicians have expressed their sadness at this death., as Mad Professor, who published on their social networks: “Today is a sad day, As we say goodbye to my friend Knocky, the zulu warrior, Aka Jah Shaka. Shaka played a great role in the establishment of AriwA (the Mad Professor seal)”.
“The international popularity of Dub music would not have happened without Jah Shaka. Great loss for the Reggae fraternity, with many Shaka imitators around the world, from Spain to New Zealand. The Warrior of the Roots, King of the Steppers can't die!”, added another of the legends of the sound system.
