So mi come across a song di other day call Tower of Babel by Apple Gabriel from the legendary reggae group Israel Vibration. Mi check it and it sound nice, the usual IV sound, hard riddims, trumpets, background harmonies. It been a long time mi hear anythin from any member of di original group, so mi go get di full album. And from mi get the album somethin jus didint sit right wid i. The first ting mi notice was the cd cover picture...an mi seh, wait, is it jus mi, or does Apple´s face look clean ? Thats not how mi remember im. Mi had to go back and check a video from back inna di day, and mi seh,ye this man had full beard before, now him look so clean shaved, wha a gwaan ?
So mi start check out di album, and still didnt feel right to i.
On a few songs i hear the man say "God" and "Jah" , and only dat, which is a clever way of saying God without saying who you are talking about, becah mi know Rastafari, InI say it without any apology, Rastafari is Jah Almighty, InI First and Last utterance is Selassie I Jah Rastafari.
And den, mi come across a tune on di album called, Give them Love.
And mi hear what him say, and he say
"dont you fight the gays and the lesbians, dont you fight the church and the christians, give love alone to go to zion"
and then he continues this line which is obviously directed at InI Rastafari
"Mr Man, what you worshipping, Is it your food or closed doctrine, or is it your locks or what you smoking, Condemning the people is Sin"
an mi seh Selassie know, wha dis man a seh, a ini condemn the people ?
Its not dem own dirty livity that condemn dem, no, it is InI, a dat this man a tell i ?? Mi seh Fire Burn
Then toward di end of di album, mi try listen a tune call, Praise Jahovia
so him start chant , halleluja, praise Jahovia...repeat, repeat...and mi jus a wait fi see wha him a go say
then he start, halleluja, praise Jahovia, sweet jesus, holy jesus, precious jesus, sweet jesus
mi laugh
Now i will say, even though musically one of di greatest groups, something about Israel Vibration never felt comfortable to I
The i dem know years ago dem did a dvd of dem performing in Israel. Mi neva even like the title of that dvd, Israel Vibration in the Holy Land...holy land ? are you a Rastaman or what ?
Mi know Rastaman, and mi did see a Rastaman, a great one called Peter Tosh, he went around the world wearing a palestinian headwrap...that is the Rastaman mi know..man who stand fi di downtrodden of the earth......and to see IV go to israel and ignore everything going on there and a talk bout holy land, disappointment
Now here is something i have always known of IV...from the beginning they have been a part of the Twelve Tribes of Israel...matter of fact, it is the TTOI that financed their first ever recordings.
so Mi really haffe ask is the TTOI really putting the people inna confusion so ?
Afta mi see these things from Apple Gabriels album, mi check pon youtube fi see how di other two idren from the group are doing, and the latest videos mi could find, dem seem to be still strong inna di Faith and holding to Rastafari
so then mi did start to wonder if these things are at the heart of why the group broke apart
I did find this line on Wiki, "In 1997, as Dr. Dread tells it, Apple Gabriel left the group to pursue a solo career."
so mi thinking ye, thats probably why dem brush him offa di group
But all three are TTOI, so what right do i have fi burn fyah pon TTOI jus because one member is a back slider , sliding back inna di pit that Jah Rastafari pulled him out from ??
Hear wha, jus before mi come write this, i had checked the video that Eleazar had posted, Give thanks Iyah...so i was still on youtube..and on the side, mi sight a video that was titled, Great Rasta converts to Jesus.....so mi click it....and mi see this man, cant rememeber his name, used to work with the Bob and the Wailers, now him a sit there and chat jesus this and that....and his reasoning why he back slide to xtianity is ....he say, first as he studied Rastafari he saw that Selassie always spoke of Christ, so this confuse him...and then at di end him say, "...then i got attached to the TTOI, who was preaching and dem say, we greet you in the name of our lord and saviour jesus christ"
Fire burn
why mi write all dat about Apple Gabriel ?
what do i care if a man choose to back slide ?
I dont.
But why are you wearing a shirt with a portrait of His Majesty on your album cover...a so yuh try deceive the people dem
young Lion, yuh might like that album, if yuh want let mi know and i will get it out of my trash bin for yuh...then yuh can both wear portraits of His Majesty and sing about jesus
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