Producer, singer and label owner Jah Shaka has died. It’s believed he was aged 71.
Only days earlier, the reggae and dub sound-system legend of London had announced a new tour date for August.
Friends and fans alike are paying tribute to Shaka, with Jamaican artist Dennis Alcapone writing: ”Just getting some sad news that the great Jah Shaka has passed away. The Zulu warrior left us. Very sad indeed. More to come on that. May his soul forever rest in perfect peace.”
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No cause of death has been given at this time for Shaka, who was also known as The Zulu Warrior.
Born in Clarendon in Jamaica on reportedly June 29, 1951, Shaka became active on South London’s roots reggae and Jamaican sound system scene in the mid-1970s.
He produced some of London’s sound system culture’s most influential records, and ran his own label called Jah Shaka Music, which released tracks from Max Romeo, Johnny Clark, and many other artists.
”When people left Africa for the Caribbean, all they could bring with them was their music, their songs and their memories from home. So, over the years, this is all that people had to keep them together,” he said of the music scene in a 2014 lecture.
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“In the 1950s and 1960s in London, there were house parties – 50, 60 people with only record players. It helped families know other families, which was important at that time because the people were so forced to be segregated,” he continued.
Dubstep producer The Bug also paid tribute to Shaka, writing: ”So sad to read Jah Shaka has departed this planet … Rest in peace. A heroic figure who kept Dub alive, when few cared … I spent many all nighters being transfixed by his passion and selections.”
“RIP Jah Shaka. Had a lot of wild club experiences in my time but nothing could beat stumbling into the Rocket hazy headed & bleary eyed becoming overwhelmed by the power of bass. Formative years, divine sounds, THE master,” Trevor Jackson wrote.
Jumpin’ Jack Frost wrote: “The king of Kings has left us. The greatest soundman that ever lived.”
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