Jah Shaka

Artist Playlists

About Jah Shaka

An enigmatic and highly individual performer on the U.K. sound system scene, Jah Shaka's forward-thinking style combined steadfast Rastafarian beliefs and roots reggae sounds with a dub experimentalism that incorporated electronic elements without losing any heaviness. Jah Shaka's output throughout the '80s and '90s was minimal and exciting, and he worked with reggae legends like Horace Andy and Max Romeo on various chapters of his Dub Salute series, as well as racking up installments of his Commandments of Dub sets. Shaka's style was highly influential on waves of U.K. dub that followed him, as well as corners of jungle, drum-n-bass, and other bass-forward forms of electronic music. In addition to running his own label (Jah Shaka Music), he remained highly active with sound system performances and other live appearances until slowing down somewhat after suffering injuries related to a house fire in 2000.

HOMETOWN
Chapelton, Jamaica
BORN
1948
GENRE
Reggae

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