Music Post: Reggae & Ragga

Okay, I said I’d do a post on this. Get your music downloader at the ready lol

Music tracks that define a stage in your life, don't ya just luv 'em :)

Problem is, a lot of the music I’m listening to now are by Rwandan and Ugandan artists who aren’t easily found online or internationally. Songs like Nze Akwagala by Morris Mohasa (one of D’s mates from Uganda) and Second Chance by Arlain (sp?) which are constantly playing in our house.

Some things that made me laugh were the blast from the pasts that D has in his music collection. Two which have been playing constantly the past two days are UB40's Bring Me Your Cup and Aswad’s Dance Hall Mood. Love both of these songs muchly. The first is special because it reminds me of D, the latter just makes me insanely happy and want to dance about the room :)

Another that I’ve developed a real penchant for is Richie Spice’s Earth a Run Red which I know you can listen to free online through Rhapsody if you’re in the US, or someone said it’s also on YouTube.

Obviously, you can’t mention reggae without Bob Marley. Everyone has their favourite track. Drew’s is Small Axe, mine was Stir It Up but I’m afraid, since D, it’s fast become Do It Twice (baby you so nice, I’d like to do the same thing twice - hell yes) Pass the sick bucket? I also love Riding High and African Herbsman.

I still play a lot of Macka B, which a friend at uni used to love. One in particular: Conscious Woman has a similar effect to Dance Hall Mood in that it makes me silly happy.

I sometimes throw a bit of West into the mix with things like Sting’s Love is the Seventh Wave, but it’s getting rarer. I’m receiving my edumercation ;) For instance, this song called Soda by GNL Zamba, the chorus of which apparently stems from a childhood song kids in Uganda sing? I like this for two reasons – I like the fact D can translate the meanings for me, and I love it when he sings along in Luganda, because it’s an incredibly sexy language lol I’m easily pleased.

Occasionally there’s a track that could almost be considered white bashing. ‘There’s blood on your land,’ kind of thing. He just smiles at me and says ‘political reggae’ lol That’s fine, I can dig it. I ain’t about to sit down and watch Mississippi Burning with him, though. 

We had this discussion once. He said "Why do you feel bad for slavery, it wasn’t your fault?" Which I found really refreshing. I was so naive. I thought, coming to Rwanda, I’d be scowled at because of the slave trade. Instead, people love me for my money and hate the French *shrug* I honestly think that we learn more about the slave trade in schools in England than people ever formally do here. I think, for most people here, awareness of it comes through the music. I may be wrong. Benin might be different, because the Slave Gate is such a big a part of the culture and tourism industry there.

Anyway, happy songs :) Blessing Darling by Half Pint. So much good music here, but so little of it on the international scene. I guess because of the language thing. D has a favourite song (forgotten the title) – he adores it but doesn’t understand a word as it’s in Kinya :op