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By Irie Nation
I told you before that musicians in Europe were good. When I met No More Babylon, it was my first experience of playing with a foreign band. When I came to France and when I heard these people playing reggae music that comforted me in the idea that music has no color. Reggae music don't belong to Jamaica alone. No music belong to anyone alone. The Blues don't belong to America alone. Music is Music. Music is for all of us. We have a right to choose any sound, any music we want to play. God gave that to us, it didn't give it to any individual nation. For instance, white bands can play better than black bands and a lot of black guys. And that's because they show interest. You have to show interest in what you are doing. And that is No More Babylon. Tonight, Robbie Williams looked at me and said "It's a GOOD band!". And then Cat Coore from Steel Pulse looked at me and said "No More Babylon band is BAD!". And in Jamaica when we say something is bad, it means it's good. That's why I say music has no color. I played with bands from Italy, from Spain, from Belgium… And all of them can play good.
Oh no! Because we are speaking the same language. Music is a language. Maybe I can't speak French, or the next one can't speak Italian. Music is the only language that all of us can speak. What a lovely language. Some people in the crowd won't probably understand the words in English, but when they feel the music, that's the key to it. Music also brings experience. Also at my age. Music can do this for you, to make you meet a lot of different people, nice people. That's why I have a song where I say (singing):
Love, love, love,
Love is the ultimate
Love, love, love
Love it can recreate
(hum… hum;;; Sorry, I'm a little bit hoarse)
Love, love, love
Love it can set us free
From this world of pain and misery
(But now hear this verse)
People black, yellow and white,
Jah truly make us to ease the light
To blend together ina harmony
And feel this love
In you and me.
I hope you see what I mean and understand what I want to say.
Well, there's a word that they say: "A man is never recognized in his own country!". You see in Jamaica they recognize us but they don't know what they have. And the people outside will see what you have and will appreciate it. A lot of Jamaican people don't know what they have. They take it for granted. If a Jamaican was here tonight, and was witnessing me perform and the way people here are appreciating it, he would probably say: "Oh My God, what are we doing?" Music is a legacy. Like if your Dad dies and leaves a lot of money for you and if you don't know what to do with this money, you can mess up everything that your father worked for. It's the same for the legacy of reggae music. If Jamaicans don't know how to take care of this legacy of music, we will loose it one day! So we have to give thanks for the white folks, like you for example. I'm not making a difference of color, that's not the topic. What I want to say is that in reggae music, the love that white folks show us, our own people don't even show us that love. I thank God for all of those people. That's why I am not a racist. When you see the people embracing your music, you should give thanks. When I come here and see the young people dancing to my songs, some of those songs being older than them, I really appreciate it. .. Just listen out there how they're giving it out to Jimmy Cliff (as the crowd cheers to Jimmy Cliff on stage outside); this proves that we are all the same. That's why I am not a racist. I believe than every man is a man. That's' why I try to preach this point of view, to show people that color is not the answer. We all breathe the same air, we all are one. And that's how God the Creator wants it to be. I don't want to wake up one morning and see nothing but black. It would blind my eyes. But if I wake up in the morning and see black and white, and red, and pink… Look at the rainbow, it proves to us that color is not the answer. Because the rainbow consists of so many different colors and when we look at it, it is so beautiful!
Yeah man. I believe in Rastafari. Rastafari is another thing that has no color. When we say His Imperial Majesty, it's because of his teachings. And teaching goes for all of us. If you are teaching something good, no matter what color you are, we can sit down and listen to you. And we can learn from that. And it can guide you.
See you here with the natty. You also have Chinese rastaman, Indian rastaman… Rastaman don't just come from Jamaica alone. Jamaica is probably the place that enhance that. But people outside want to know about Rastafari too. So we have to go, outside, to tell about it and preach people.
Tomorrow, I have to go to Holland, and then Sweden the day after and then we go back to JA. I don't do many dates. I don't believe in that, doing a long tour. I love to please people. I don't want to sing when I'm hoarse up. When I do too much shows, it takes too much out of me so I get tired. So I ask Tricia, my manager, to space out the bookings. Because I'm only human.
Well, a legend, it's just a name. Just like a king, or a prince… We all are kings. You guys are young so you are princes, when you grow old you become kings. And then you have all the princesses and queens. No one is better than no one. I am not better than no one and no one is better than me. I only sing for a living, and entertain people, and uplift minds. I'm only human. But I have to give thanks for you people to come and sit here and listen to me too… Because I'm only human and you are listening to me…. But well, now Sly and Robbie are going up on stage, you should go and watch them. You're gonna hear some wicked riddims! Bless!