Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcase South African Reggae artist Lucky Dube's song "The Way It Is".
Information about Lucky Dube is included in this song along with a video of and lyrics for the song "The Way It Is".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Lucky Dube for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, including the transcribers of this song.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT LUCKY DUBE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Dube
Lucky Philip Dube (pronounced duu-beh;[1] 3 August 1964 – 18 October 2007) was a South African reggae musician and Rastafarian. He recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans in a 25-year period and was South Africa's biggest-selling reggae artist.[2][3] Dube was murdered in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville on the evening of 18 October 2007.[3][4][5]
Early life
Lucky Dube was born in Ermelo, formerly of the Eastern Transvaal, now of Mpumalanga, on 3 August 1964. His parents separated before his birth and he was raised by his mother who named him Lucky because she considered his birth fortunate after a number of failed pregnancies.[6] Along with his two siblings, Thandi and Patrick, Dube spent much of his childhood with his grandmother, Sarah, while his mother relocated to work. In a 1999 interview, he described his grandmother as "his greatest love" who "multiplied many things to bring up this responsible individual that I am today."[7][8]
Beginning of his musical career
As a child Dube worked as a gardener but, as he matured, realizing that he wasn't earning enough to feed his family, he began to attend school. There he joined a choir and with some friends, formed his first musical ensemble, called The Skyway Band.[8] While at school he discovered the Rastafari movement. At the age of 18 Dube joined his cousin's band, The Love Brothers, playing Zulu pop music known as mbaqanga whilst funding his lifestyle by working for Hole and Cooke as a security guard at the car auctions in Midrand. The band signed with Teal Record Company, under Richard Siluma (Teal was later incorporated into Gallo Record Company). Though Dube was still at school, the band recorded material in Johannesburg during his school holidays. The resultant album was released under the name Lucky Dube and the Supersoul. The second album was released soon afterwards, and this time Dube wrote some of the lyrics in addition to singing. It was around this same time when he began to learn English.[8]
Moving into reggae
On the release of his fifth album, Dave Segal (who became Dube's sound engineer) encouraged him to drop the "Supersoul" element of the name. All subsequent albums were recorded as Lucky Dube. At this time Dube began to note fans were responding positively to some reggae songs he played during live concerts. Drawing inspiration from Jimmy Cliff[9] and Peter Tosh,[7] he felt the socio-political messages associated with Jamaican reggae were relevant to a South African audience in an institutionally racist society.[9]
He decided to try the new musical genre and in 1984, released the mini album Rastas Never Die. The record sold poorly – around 4000 units – in comparison to the 30,000 units his mbaqanga records would sell. Keen to suppress anti-apartheid activism, the apartheid regime banned the album in 1985, because of its critical lyrics, for instance in the song "War and Crime".[10] However, he was not discouraged and continued to perform the reggae tracks live and wrote and produced a second reggae album. Think About The Children (1985). It achieved platinum sales status and established Dube as a popular reggae artist in South Africa, in addition to attracting attention outside his homeland.[8]
[...]
Death
On 18 October 2007, Lucky Dube was killed in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville shortly after dropping two of his seven children off at their uncle's house.[14] Dube was driving his Chrysler 300C, which the assailants were after. Police reports suggest he was shot dead by carjackers who did not recognize him and believed that he was Nigerian.[15] Five men were arrested in connection with the murder;[16] three were tried and found guilty on 31 March 2009. Two of the men attempted to escape and were caught.[17] The men were sentenced to life in prison.[18]
Legacy
On 21 October 2008, Rykodisc released a compilation album entitled Retrospective, which featured many of Dube's most influential songs as well as previously unreleased tracks in the United States. The album celebrated Dube's music and honored the contributions he made to South Africa.[19] The Roots Reggae Library has taken steps to store digital versions of the Mbaqange albums made in the 80's. Five of the six albums have been retrieved. Ngikwethembe Na has yet to be found.[20]
As one of the first artists to bring African reggae to the mainstream, Dube bridged cultural gaps within the African diaspora. What Lucky Dubé's music did was "[present] a praxis of cross-culturality and visionary possibility"[21] that the diaspora at large tends to erase. Dube gave Africa a voice and put its culture on the global stage by joining the global reggae community. Through taking Jamaican roots music back to its roots, he recontextualized the oppression and political struggles that reggae seeps itself in, bringing the basis of the diaspora back in conversation with the diaspora at large to allow for a more pan-African form of cultural expression. Dubé's roots reggae brought African people to the table in terms of conversation about the black diaspora by mimicking Caribbean artists’ assertions of African authenticity or racial utopia.[21] Lucky Dubé ultimately shows how Africans have to find their way into the conversations of the Black Diaspora by mimicking their assertions of African authenticity or racial utopia. Dubé catalyzed roots reggae’s appearance as a popular form of protest song.[21] This helped “legitimize and strengthen the oppositional gesture in popular African music and culture, particularly for those generations born after decolonization.[21]
On 18 October 2017, Gallo Records South Africa released a 25 track limited edition commemorative album titled The Times We've Shared. The album features his biggest hits exclusive performances and 3 previously unreleased tracks."...
****
LYRICS- THE WAY IT IS
(Lucky Dube)
Didn't I raise my voice
High enough for you
I was running like a fugitive all the time
Risking rejection from my own people yeah
Now that you got what you wanted
You don't even know my name
It's so funny, we don't talk anymore
Be good to the people on your
Way up the ladder
Cause you'll need them on your way down
[Chorus:]
That's the way it is
Didn't I raise my fists high enough for you
I guess I can't pat myself on the shoulder
For a job well done
Dodging bullets in the streets
I was there
Risking rejection from my own people
Now that you got what you wanted
You don't even know my name
Remember
Be good to the people on your way
Up the ladder 'cause you'll need
Them on your way down
[Chorus:]
That's the way it is
Source: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/luckydube/thewayitis.html
Thanks to Mwila Masabo for correcting these lyrics.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Lucky Dube - 'The way it is' (music video)
WarnerJazzVideos, Published on Mar 16, 2011
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment