Greetings,

Did a search on Discogs.com

• Rasta – 8000 titles
• Jah – over 35,000! titles
• Selassie – 2500 titles

Who is the man Ras Tafari Makonnen?

To millions of devotees Mr. Makonnen became Emperor of Ethiopia and revealed as the embodiment of Christ – Haile Selassie I

The Negusa Negast, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Elect of God ever living God. Earth’s Rightful Ruler. The Head Creator and Power of the Trinity.

Smile Jamaica celebrates his life and legacy in song every week. But especially noted on his birthday: July 23, 1892.

For 34 years, more than half of every song featured on Smile Jamaica are Rastafari* gospel tributes.

*Not Rastafarians – that is an ism and schism

<Happy Birthday Haile Selassie I; 1 min. 43 sec.>

In a far flung province of Harar in Ethiopia a child was born. Ethiopia. Ancient Axum and Abyssinia of antiquity. In the Horn of Africa where Arabia meets Africa.

Selassie’s royal lineage goes all the way back to the Old Testament by virtue of his father’s mother.

<Royal Birth; 32 sec.>

The Hebrew King of the Jews Solomon linked up with an Arabian princess in the ancient province of Sheba. (Most likely in Yemen). Often called the Queen of Sheba, her name was Makeda.

<Haile Selassie – From the line of King Solomon and Queen Makeda of Sheba; 55 sec.>

After some palace intrigues, the young Makonnen commanded an army from the provinces and marched on the capitol of Addis Ababa. The Empress, Zewditu, either “died of diabetes” or was poisoned, making way for the 38 year old prince to become Emperor – Haile Selassie I – Power of the Trinity. First of his name.

Not bad for a governor warrior of a minor province, commanding armies at only 5 foot 2. From victory to rule in two short years (1928-30)

<From Ras Tafari Makonnen to Haile Selassie I; Nov. 2, 1930; 39 sec.>

Known as the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, he led his people into modernity. Fought off a cruel invasion and occupation by Fascist Italy from 1935-1941 and eventually became an inspiration to those in Jamaica yearning for a return to the glories of Africa after 400 Years in Babylon.

<Honorifics of His Imperial Majesty; 26 sec.>

And true to his nickname, Selassie had pet lions. Some of which rode in automobiles with HIM (His Imperial Majesty).

<Selassie owned 26 pet lions!; 43 sec.>

***

Wheel it back to Jamaica. The black nationalist, Marcus Garvey, was trying to initiate a movement of impoverished Caribbeans  to leave the West and return to Africa. Make reverse passage out of the diaspora to build lives and industry in the Mother Continent.

The prophet Garvey said, “look to Africa where a King will be crowned as the symbol to begin repatriation.” Within years that prophecy was fulfilled.

Jamaicans, especially in the slums around Kingston, took to this notion and merged bedrock Christianity, mixed with Hindu ideals of reincarnation, into a syncretic religion that became known as Rastafarianism or Rastafari worship if we aren’t abiding “isms and schisms”

Why Hindus and reincarnation? After slavery was abolished in 1830 in Jamaica, freed blacks didn’t want to work the plantations. They were content to be small farmers.

So the British plantation owners hired workers from India to do the brutal work of cutting sugar cane. Living by blacks, Hindus brought some important ingredients to Rastafari workship

1. Collie = cannabis from India venerated the Hindu Goddess Kali. Jamaica’s great soil allowed for a bountiful harvest of the seven leaf. Great after a day of hard labor in the fields.
2. Reincarnation – Haile Selassie I became the embodiment of Jesus Christ. Instead of a white god, downtrodden Jamaicans had a Black Jesus to worship.
3. Dreadlocks. The Hindu sadhus wore dreads. Rastas invoked the Nazarite Vow as an Old Testament sign of observed faith.

• Drink no wine
• Grow the locks upon your head, never cut nor crease the flesh (no piercings, no tattoos)
• Avoid anything dead. Vegetarianism and even avoiding funerals.

<Dreadlocks and the Nazarite Vow; 53 sec.>

If you want to read the best book on the Rastas, it is Leonard Barrett’s The Rastafarians.

Alas, Haile Selassie I met an unfortunate end. During the 70’s a terrible famine took hold in East Africa. The 80 year old Emperor was out of touch in the capitol, while thousands were starving to death in the provinces. Even though his governors and courtiers told him everything was fine. Plenty of food. “Two negative growth cycles in a row are not a recession”

That sort of gaslighting doesn’t work now and didn’t work then. In an era of world wide revolutionary movements, Ethiopian Communists – armed to the teeth by the Soviet Union – overthrew HIM in 1974.

Imprisoned in the basement of the palace, never to be seen again. And Ethiopia has been at constant war ever since. Right now a war in Ethiopia, every bit as vicious as Russia v. Ukraine, is killings thousands.

<The Communists – The Dergue overthrow HIM; 62 sec.>

Of course, to Rastas in the early years of Reggae, were devastated and refused to believe the news. “You can’t kill God!”.

Through that I ‘n’ I celebrate that legacy through Bob Marley’s “Jah Live” to Burning Spear’s “Jah No Dead”

bless, Bobbylon

Jah Live – 7″ commentary on Selassie’s demise.

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 23, 2022 – Haile Selassie Birthday

Set 1:

• Black Uhuru – I Love King Selassie; 10″ (Jammy$) ’77
• Culture – Calling Rastafari; Calling Rastafari (Nighthawk) ’82 comp.
• Rita Marley – Thank You Jah; Who Feels It Knows It (Shanachie) ’80
• Gideon Jah Rubbaal – Love Rasta; Free Us Now (ACL) ’77
• Chalawa – Jah Collie Weed; Capture Land (Green Weenie) ’78 Oshawa, Ont. Canada 4:20 vinyl
• Jacob Miller – Who Say Jah No Dread; Who Say Jah No Dread (Greensleeves)
• Jah Shaka – In the Beginning Dub; Jah Dub Creator: Commandments of Dub Part 5 (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK vinyl dub album of  the hour

Set 2:

• Aisha Morrison – Ethiopia; Stay Red (Esoldun) ’77? Lee “Scratch” Perry Black Ark prod’n
• Linval Thompson –  Jah Jah the Conqueror; Cool Down (Culture Press) ’75
• Diego & the Sons of Jah – Jah Jah Ital; Babylon a Fall Down (Trojan) ’77 comp.
• Keith Hudson – Rasta Country; Rasta Communication (Greensleeves) ’78
• Mikey Dread – The Voice of Jah; Dread at the Controls (Dread at the Controls) ’79
• Leroy Smart – Jahovah; Channel One Hitbound (Heartbeat) ’77 comp.

Set 3:

• Althea & Donna – If You Don’t Love Jah; Uptown Top Ranking (Virgin Front Line) ’78
• Barrington Levy – Jah Life; Bounty Hunter (Cactus) ’79
• Hugh Mundell – Jah Fire; Jah Fire (Black Arrow) ’80
• Johnny Osbourne – Jah Promise; Truths & Rights (Studio One) ’80
• Bim Sherman – Lamb of Judah; Bim Sherman Meets Horace Andy & U Black in a Rub-a-Dub Style (Original) ’79
• Aggrovators – None Shall Escape the Dub; Rasta ’76 (Attack) Dub Album of the Hour

Set 4:

• Judy Mowatt –  King of Kings; Only a Woman (Shanachie) ’82
• The Morwells – Jah Lion; Best of (Nighthawk) ’81
• Freddie McGregor – Rastaman Camp; Bobby Bobylon (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’75 comp.

Set 5: Vinyl is Vital Set

• Jah Mel – Jah Is My King; Watchful Eyes (Iroko) ’83 Fr. vinyl: 
• Reggae Regular – Praise Jah Love; Ghetto Rock (Greensleeves) ’84 UK
• Vivian Jones – Who Is On Jah Side; Jah Works (Jah Shaka) ’87 UK
• African Princess – Jah Children Cry; Hits From the House of Shaka (Jah Shaka) ’80 UK

Set 6:

• Zion Family – Jesus is a Nazarite;
• Cedric Myton & the Congos – Where He Leads Me; Face the Music (VP) ’81
• Wailing Souls – They Don’t Know Jah; Very Best of (Greensleeves) ’82 comp.
• Bad Brains – Rally Round Jah Throne; Rock for  Light (Caroline) ’83
• Don Carlos – Jah Jah Hear My Plea; Prophecy (Blue Moon)

Set 7:

• Jimmy Cliff – The Lion Awakes; Club Paradise Soundtrack (Sony) ’86
• The Love Joys – Wherever Jah Send Me; Reggae Vibes (Wackies) ’81
• Haile Selassie I – War; War Album (Culture Press) UN speech = Bob Marley War

Set 8:

• Bob Marley & the Wailers – Jah Live; Songs of Freedom (Tuff Gong) ’75
• Twinkle Brothers – Since I Threw the Comb Away; Countrymen (Virgin Frontline) ’80
• Aisha – The Creator; High Priestess (Ariwa) ‘88
• Cocoa Tea – Jah Made Them All; Rocking Dolly (RAS) ’83 to Michael Jackson’s Human Nature
• Sister Carol – Jah Is Mine; Black Cinderella (Jah Life/Heartbeat) ’84 to Jackson & McCarney The Girl is  Mine
• Burning Spear – Jah No Dead (Discomix); Spear Burning (Pressure Sounds) ’79 comp.