It’s been in the works for a while, and now it’s finally here. This Thursday, Feb 14th, will see the launch of Afropop’s 10th season of Hip Deep- and mark the very FIRST time that we’ve visited London, England.
Earlier this year, producer Saxon Baird explored the history of reggae in New York in JA in NYC . That program examined the untold story of the producers, musicians, DJ’s and label-owners who made New York City a secret reggae mecca in the 1980’s. Dipping into organized crime, the drug-trade, gangsterism, and collie-weed, it presented the music in its often-misunderstood context, throwing new light on some much loved tunes.
As a followup, Saxon traveled to another of the world’s great reggae cities. “Dread Inna Inglan” will explore how, during the 1970’s and 80’s, a generation of UK-based reggae and dancehall artists transformed their music, recreating it for a world vastly different than its original Jamaican home. Drawing on original interviews with a host of musicians, producers, critics and scholars from both the UK and Jamaica, including legends like Papa Levi, Dennis Bovell, David Hinds of Steel Pulse, Dr. William ‘Lez’ Henry (Lezlee Lyrix), John MacGillivray (Dub Vendor/Fashion Records), historian David Katz, Bobby Digital, King Jammy, Half Pint, and author Les Back. “Dread Inna Inglan” will bring their story to life, powerfully connecting music, culture, and scholarship.
It’s amazing music, intensely influential, told in Afropop’s immersive Hip Deep style. So stay tuned- it’s gonna be killer.
#DreadInnaInglan : Coming to you next week.
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