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International Reggae Day Special: Catching Up with Don Dada on Reggae Hour Celebrating Reggae, Africa, and a Global Journey of Conscious Music Every year on International Reggae Day , music lovers across the globe celebrate a genre that has transcended borders, languages, and cultures. Born in Jamaica, reggae has become a universal language of resistance, unity, spirituality, and hope. This year, Reggae Hour is proud to celebrate the occasion by welcoming back one of Africa's most influential reggae voices— Menelik Nesta Gibbons , better known worldwide as Don Dada . This isn't a first introduction. It's a reunion. Over the years, Don Dada has become more than a guest on Reggae Hour. He has become a friend of the program, sharing his musical journey, his vision for African reggae, and his unwavering commitment to conscious music. Our upcoming conversation continues that story as we reflect on another remarkable chapter in his career. A Landmark Year for Don Dada The past y...

  Reggae Without Borders Reggae was born in the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, but it was never destined to remain on one island. By the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, reggae had become one of the world's most recognizable musical languages. What began as the soundtrack of Jamaica's struggles, celebrations, spirituality, and resilience evolved into a global movement embraced by listeners from every continent. Unlike many musical genres that lose their identity as they spread, reggae carried its unmistakable heartbeat wherever it traveled. The steady skank guitar, deep basslines, conscious lyricism, and message of unity became instantly recognizable regardless of the language spoken by the audience. Today, reggae is performed, celebrated, and studied in nearly every corner of the globe. Britain's Love Affair with Jamaican Music No country outside Jamaica embraced reggae quite like the United Kingdom. Following the Windrush generation, Jamaican communities helped transfo...

  Reggae's Greatest Export Was More Than Music By the early 1970s, reggae music was already becoming the heartbeat of Jamaica. Sound systems dominated neighborhoods, artists were crafting songs that reflected everyday struggles, and producers were shaping a sound unlike anything the world had ever heard. Yet outside of the Caribbean, much of the world still knew very little about Jamaica. That changed in 1972. When The Harder They Come premiered, the film did something revolutionary. It introduced international audiences to Jamaican culture through the eyes of ordinary Jamaicans. The film captured the streets, the language, the style, the struggles, and most importantly, the music. For many people around the world, The Harder They Come was their first encounter with reggae. The movie transformed reggae from a regional phenomenon into a global cultural force. Jimmy Cliff: The Voice That Carried Jamaica Abroad At the center of the film stood Jimmy Cliff. Already a respe...

 Juneteenth: Freedom Was Won. What Happens Next? By Reggae Hour Every year, Juneteenth arrives with celebrations, music, family gatherings, and reflections on one of the most significant moments in American history. It is a day that reminds us of freedom delayed, freedom demanded, and freedom finally recognized. But every year, another question quietly waits beneath the celebrations: What happens after freedom is won? That question became the foundation of this year's Reggae Hour Juneteenth conversation. Not simply what happened in the past. But what responsibility comes with remembering it. More Than A Holiday For many people, Juneteenth has become a day of celebration. For others, it is a day of remembrance. For all of us, it is an opportunity to reflect on the long journey that brought us here. History is often taught through dates. But culture remembers through stories. The story of Juneteenth is not only about a single day in Texas. It is also about resilience. It is about com...

His message was challenged.   THE QUESTION MOST PEOPLE AVOID Bob Marley is everywhere. His music plays in cafés, documentaries, playlists, and playlists within playlists. He is celebrated as the global face of reggae—peaceful, unifying, timeless. But Peter Tosh ? He is remembered differently. Respected—but not always embraced. Celebrated—but often misunderstood. Powerful—but still… controversial. Same origins. Same struggle. Same foundation. So why did one become universal… while the other remained uncomfortable? To answer that, you have to understand one thing: Peter Tosh was not trying to be accepted. He was trying to be understood. And those are not the same thing. ⚔️ THE STEPPING RAZOR — A MAN WHO REFUSED TO BLUNT HIS EDGE The term Stepping Razor wasn’t just a song title. It was a declaration. A stepping razor is not something you hold casually. It is sharp. Dangerous. Direct. That is who Peter Tosh was. Where others translated reggae into something globally digestible, Tosh ...

Some bands are formed in garages. Some are built in studios. Spliff Vision was forged in survival. From the working-class streets of San Pedro’s “The Lows,” the brothers and cousins who make up Spliff Vision didn’t just grow up around music—they grew up around the realities that reggae was always meant to speak about: struggle, loss, injustice, and resilience. Their sound—what they call Reality Roots—isn’t branding. It’s biography. --- A Childhood Where Music Was the Escape Before the stages, before the festivals, before the crowds knew their name, the members of Spliff Vision were simply family in a house full of instruments. Konker Spliff grew up alongside his brothers—Buddy on drums and their older brother on bass—learning music by ear, experimenting, and copying everything they heard. No formal training. No classes. Just passion. They were self-taught players, united by the same instinct: if there was an instrument nearby, they wanted to play it. But the music wasn’t just entertain...

  A Drumbeat Felt Before It Was Heard There are moments when music feels less like sound and more like breath. When the rhythm does not announce itself, but holds everything together . On January 26, the world learned that Sly Dunbar had stepped away from the kit, leaving behind a silence heavy with memory. It was not the absence of noise that hurt—it was the sudden awareness of how much of our musical lives had always been moving to his time. Sly Dunbar was never simply keeping the beat. He was shaping the ground beneath it . The Man Who Organized Sound Born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston, Jamaica, Sly emerged in a time when reggae was finding its global voice. From the studios of Channel One to stages across the world, his drumming carried discipline, restraint, and intention. Each kick drum landed with authority. Each snare spoke with clarity. He understood something few musicians ever fully grasp: rhythm is responsibility . Sly did not rush. He did not overcrowd...

  On January 18, the reggae world paused to remember Stephen "Cat" Coore—a founding member of Third World, a master guitarist, and a quiet giant whose influence reached far beyond the stage. Cat Coore was not a musician who chased attention. He was a musician who earned respect—by how he played, how he lived, and how he treated people. To understand his legacy, you don’t need a full discography. You need to understand three moments—one professional, one personal, and one rooted in giving back. Together, they tell the story of a man who believed reggae was not just sound, but responsibility. 1. The Professional Moment: When Reggae Went Global Without Losing Its Soul In the early 1970s, reggae stood at a crossroads. The music was powerful, but often boxed in—seen as regional, niche, or limited in scope. When Third World emerged, Stephen “Cat” Coore helped change that perception forever. As a founding member and musical architect, Cat Coore brought discipline, musicality, and re...