Capleton announces Rastafari with 'Trinity'

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

"I say I was once lost but now I found the light of the world is Selassie I

Selassie-I liveth every time

Emmanuel liveth every time

Marcus Garvey him liveth every time

I sing bwoy if you dis Marcus

Then you must bite the dust

And equal rights and justice is what he taught us

And if you dis Selassie-I, bwoy you gwine die

Emperor Selassie I a guide I an I

Dis Emmanuel, gone dung a hell

Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall tell"

- Capleton Trinity

After a few years deejaying on African Star sound system, Capleton struck recording paydirt with his second 45 release, B ... Red (when speaking he refers to it as BB Red) in 1989. Then, as the 1990s rolled around and the early digital dancehall guard of Shabba Ranks, Supercat, and Admiral Bailey gave way to the triple Bs - Beenie, Bounty, and Buju - Capleton found a string of popular recordings.

He reeled off song lines and titles for The Sunday Gleaner - "number one pon de look good chart", "woman me lotion me no lotion man", "dem no like mi, mi no like dem", Prophet, Almshouse.

But there was one song which announced his growth into Rastafari, Trinity.

"That's when I really see myself and go Bobo Hill and get fi know Emanuel and the whole energy about Rastafari energy," Capleton said. That was between 1993 and 1994. He deejays the chorus with the delight of someone doing a favourite song.

However, it is more than a matter of entertainment. Capleton says: "We take it from there and the fire start burn and transition of Rastafari start, open nuff youth eyes, and it create a different trend within the dancehall. Within the Rastafari community nuff youth start rise."

Capleton himself had been on a search which Rastafari satisfied. "We was searching as youth. We grow up in the Church, and then we check the tradition of Rastafari, the natural way of life, the whole concept towards humanity in terms of equal rights and justice, in terms of repatriation, reparation, self-esteem, self-awareness, self-reliance, self-control, self-discipline, the whole fighting against injustice, manipulation, death without dignity. And the Rastafari tradition is all about the natural aspect of life."

Energy

Capleton said: "From you see life from a natural aspect, then you cyaa wrong because there is no illusion. Everything, it have to be real. So is the whole positiveness of Rastafari, and Rastafari shine a different light, even in terms of tourism, Rastafari is the energy. Rastafari put Jamaica on the map - Bob Marley, the whole Wailers, Burning Spear, Culture. When you travel the world and go out there you realise this is what the people need."

He deejays about his experience in the third verse of Trinity:

"Tell them seh me take a little look an' look back pon de moon

Me see corruption inna night an corruption inna noon

Me jus' clean up me act an straighten me ways soon

Ten miles outta town whe de prophet gone tune

Shout Niyabinghi morning night and noon

Ask me whe me deh Jerusalem schoolroom

Tell dem nuh dis de Bobo dreadlock wid de broom"

The Sunday Gleaner asks why that particular mansion of Rastafari, and Capleton says: "When I went to Bobo Hill, the love I saw I never saw that nowhere ... . It is both churchical, it is both statical, it is both governmental. We love the energy and we love the purity and we love the vibe. Is love most of all, is that really capture me."

And he also proved a particular rumour a lie as well. "People tell me Emanuel die how much year and I went there and I get a chance to see the man. If I am to tell you how old him is, mi cyaa determine him age to the way him look ancient. It was a joy," he said.

There is the matter, though, of Capleton aligning himself with the Twelve Tribes of Israel, Boboshanti or Orthodox. He says that he sees no separation in Rastafari, stating: "This is not like a religion thing where you have Anglican don't like Baptist, Baptist don't like Methodist, Methodist don't like Church of God and still everybody a praise the one God. In Rastafari there is just a oneness. We might have different mansions, but there is no division or separation. Every man a say His Imperial Majesty, every man a say reparation, liberation, salvation, Ethiopia, Africa."