Macka B
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
artist, performer and activist with a career spanning thirty years in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. According to AllMusic.com “Macka B was one of Britain's most influential dancehall toasters.”
As a practising Rastafarian, Macka B's music is based around the political and spiritual message of the religion, with an often light and humorous touch. Working with the Mad Professor
Mad Professor
Mad Professor is a dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music’s second generation and was instrumental in transitioning dub into the digital age. He is a prolific producer, contributing to or...
, he combined dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
and dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
styles of reggae, although has avoided a more commercial crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
approach. He takes his name from the Judean rebels against the Romans, the Maccabees
Maccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
.
Life
He was born Christopher MacFarlane, in WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. As a child Macka B was first impressed by the reggae of the Lord Barley sound-system playing at a blues party next to his parents’ house, but also played violin and sang in the choir at school. He went on to take a technical apprenticeship at the Ever Ready
Energizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings is an American manufacturer of batteries and personal care products, headquartered in Town and Country, Missouri. Its most well known brands are Energizer and Eveready batteries, Schick, Wilkinson Sword and Edge shaving products, Playtex feminine hygiene and baby products, and...
factory. When the factory closed and he was laid off, he began to devote more time to practising his toasting skills, influenced by earlier Jamaican toasters U-Roy
U-Roy
U-Roy , OD, is a Jamaican musician, also known as The Originator. He is best known as a pioneer of toasting.-Biography:...
, I-Roy
I-Roy
Roy Samuel Reid better known as I-Roy was a Jamaican DJ who had a very prolific career during the 1970s.-Biography:...
, Big Youth
Big Youth
Manley Augustus Buchanan , better known as Big Youth , is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s....
, and especially Prince Far I
Prince Far I
Prince Far I was a Jamaican reggae deejay, producer and a Rastafarian. He was known for his gruff voice and critical assessment of the Jamaican government. His track "Heavy Manners" used lyrics against measures initiated towards violent crime.-Biography:He was born Michael James Williams in...
.
Soon Macka B formed the Exodus sound system
Sound system
-Technology:* Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience* A high fidelity, sound system intended for accurate reproduction of sound in the home...
with friends and became a Rastafarian. His 1982 trip to Jamaica galvanised his commitment to toasting and the following year he won a DJ-ing competition. After this Macka B began to feature on the radio as well as perform with local band Pre-Wax, who had a hit with "Maggie’s Letter". But it was while performing for the Wassifa sound-system that a tape of a sound-system battle between Wassifa and Saxon Studio International
Saxon Studio International
Saxon Studio International is one of the best known London reggae soundsystems. It is notable for being the first UK soundsystem to win an international competition and also being where three artists who went on to achieve UK Top Forty hits first came to prominence.Saxon Studio International began...
which ended up with Fashion Records
Fashion Records
Fashion Records is a UK-based record label publishing reggae music.Founded in summer 1980, Fashion Records is one of the more successful UK-based reggae labels , and one of only a very few British reggae labels to release records that were produced in their own recording studio.The label was the...
in London. The record label gave Macka B the opportunity to record his first solo single, "Bible Reader", which was released in 1985.
Macka B’s first album, Sign of the Times, was released in 1986 on the Mad Professor’s Ariwa label. The album was well received and reached the top of the UK reggae album charts. His next few albums were similarly acclaimed: We’ve Had Enough (1987), Looks Are Deceiving (1988). In 1988 Macka B visited Jamaica, where he worked with producer Black Scorpio on the tracks "Love It in Jamaica" and "Slow Down Driver".
Buppie Culture in 1989 produced the hit "Dread a Who She Love", a duet with female singer Kofi
Kofi (musician)
Carol Simms, better known as Kofi, is a British lovers rock singer who was a member of the group Brown Sugar prior to embarking on a solo career.-Biography:...
. Likewise, "Proud of Mandela" from Natural Suntan (1990) produced another reggae singles chart topper.
Macka B won British Best Male DJ awards in 1991 and 1992. His 1993 record, Roots Ragga was a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
. Here Comes Trouble (1994) produced the international hit "Squeeze Me". "Road Rage" from the Suspicious album was popular on Australian youth radio station Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
in 1998/9. Roots & Culture (1999) mixed Macka B's hits with previously unreleased material. In 2004 he signed to the Jet Star label (Charm) label.
He also become the first Reggae artist to tour the former Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia).
He has toured and performed around the world since the 1980s alone and with other reggae stars such as Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
, U-Roy
U-Roy
U-Roy , OD, is a Jamaican musician, also known as The Originator. He is best known as a pioneer of toasting.-Biography:...
, The Wailers
Wailers Band
The Wailers Band are a reggae band formed by the remaining members of Bob Marley & The Wailers, following the death of Bob Marley in 1981.-Previous Wailers' incarnations:The Wailers started as Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh...
, Lee Perry and many others.
Macka B follows the Rastafarian Ital
Ital
Ital or I-tal is food often celebrated by those in the Rastafari movement. The word derives from the English word "vital", with the initial syllable replaced by i. This is done to many words in the Rastafari vocabulary to signify the unity of the speaker with all of nature...
diet, and is also a vegan.
Discography
- Sign of the Times - Ariwa, 1986
- We've Had Enough - Ariwa, 1987
- Looks Are Deceiving - RAS, 1988
- Natural Suntan - Ariwa, 1990
- Peace Cup - Ariwa, 1991
- Roots Ragga (live) - Fotofon/Ar, 1992
- Jamaica, No Problem - RAS, 1992
- Roots Ragga (live) - Ariwa, 1993
- Here Comes Trouble - Ariwa, 1994
- Discrimination - Ariwa, 1995
- Hold on to Your Culture - Ariwa, 1995
- Suspicious - Ariwa, 1998
- Roots & Culture - Ariwa, 1999
- Global Messenger - Ariwa, 2000
- Roots Ragga, Vol. 2 - Ariwa, 2002
- By Royal Command - Jet Star, 2003
- Word, Sound & Power - Charm, 2004
- Who Likes Macka B Music? - Pony Canyon, 2005
- Live Tour 2007
- More Knowledge - Humal Records, 2008