Ayotunde Amtac Babtungi- Down Wid Apartheid (198?)

Reva-revolution for African Liba-liberation!

Hello there everyone. Sometimes you wake up in the morning and simply feel radical. Today was one of those days and in that spirit I decided to share something radical with my friends in cyberspace. This is something that I can pretty much guarantee you will never find elsewhere. Go ahead, put his name into Google, and unless this single blog post changes things, you should come back with only one (that's right, 1) nonsensical entry. Unfortunately I don't know anything more about him either. I first picked this up because, hey, really, how often do you see dub poetry records in the bins?

My interest was piqued further by the backing band....some of those names looked familiar. And on side B was a name I definitely recognized, Bongo Herman, a great roots percussionist appearing with everyone from the Abyssinians to Yabby You. Check out the list. Some further research reveals that several other members of the group show up on the 80s Burning Spear albums.

Needless to say, the sound is tight, and reminds me somewhat of the mid 80s Roots Radics lineup. The poetry is forceful. Each side versions into the version. Whether you like the digi riddims, the political poetry, or hate apartheid, you should download this one, dig?

Radical!


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[Original Liner Notes]

Rochester, N.Y.
August, 1986

My Dear Brother, Ayotunde Amtac Babatungi:

What can I say! I am deeply moved by the ancestral power of your pen. It is important that your work be read before our people. Your poetry, like the music of your kinsman, Marley, is of power and prophetic.

Ah! My brother, how the pathos of Paul Lawrence Dunbar rings through your dialectical verses. Continue to illuminate our perpetual struggle in that our great and pitiable people will see their God; their aim and their destiny.

Your words of struggle teared my eyes and rekindled my spirit. There in the clouds, I see a whole host of witnesses: Lumumba, Coltrane, Kenyatta, Malcolm, Dubois, King and many thousands gone, including the smiling face of Marcus Garvey, beaming at your work.

PAMOJA TUTASHINDA!

Together we will win!

Talik Abdul Basheer, Ph. D.

Side A
DOWN WID APARTHEID
Poet- AYOTUNDE AMTAC BABATUNGI
Rhythm Guitar- ANTHONY BRADSHAW
Bass- DEVON BRADSHAW
Drums- NELSON MILLER
Keyboards- LENFORD RICHARDS
Lead Guitar- LENFORD RICHARDS
Synthesizer- ASHER
Percussions- ALVIN HAUGHTON
Congos- ANTHONY BRADSHAW and EVON "LANCE" COLEMAN
Backing Vocals- AYOTUNDE AMTAC BABATUNGI
Engineers- CHRISTOPHER DALEY and MERVYN WILLIAMS

Side B
DEM AH SUFFAH TUH HELL
Poet- AYOTUNDE AMTAC BABATUNGI
Rhythm Guitar- ANTHONY BRADSHAW
Bass- DEVON BRADSHAW
Drums- CECIL HARDY
Keyboards- LENFORD RICHARDS
Lead Guitar- LENFORD RICHARDS
Synthesizer- ASHER
Percussions- ALVIN HAUGHTON
Congos- ANTHONY BRADSHAW, EVON "LANCE" COLEMAN and BONGO HERMAN
Backing Vocals- AYOTUNDE AMTAC BABATUNGI
Engineers- CHRISTOPHER DALEY and MERVYN WILLIAMS
Arrangements- ANTHONY BRADSHAW
Recorded and mixed at AQUARIUS STUDIO
PRODUCED BY AYOTUNDE AMTAC BABATUNGI
Photographer- LOUIS OUZER