One of the true champions of modern roots-reggae, Prezident Brown has a solid fan base on the United States West Coast and Pacific Northwest. He has won fans over with a series of quality albums and songs.
The veteran chanter returns on June 28 with a new song, ‘The Sleeping Giant (Wake Up)’. One month later sees the release of ‘Roots Hop Reggae (In Your Box)’, his first album in 12 years.
With over 30 years of recording to his credit, Prezident Brown says his commitment to Rastafari and the movement’s message never wavers. That Afrocentric message can be heard on the upcoming album, which he describes as his most eclectic. “After all these years I am still 100 percent a rub-a-dub roots soldier with the same positive vibration,” he told this column.
‘The Sleeping Giant (Wake Up)’ is lead single from the album which Prezident Brown co-produced with guitarist Tuff Lion and multi-instrumentalist Mony Lujan. They also collaborate with the artist on Meditate/Elevate, another song from ‘Roots Hop Reggae (In Your Box)’.
Based in California, Prezident Brown is from rural Clarendon parish in Jamaica. Some of his initial albums, including ‘Big Bad and Talented’ and ‘Prezident Selection’, were distributed by Runn Records, a Dutch company that worked with many Jamaican roots’ acts during the 1990s.
‘Roots Hop Reggae (In Your Box)’, which also explores hip hop, dancehall and jazz, is his first album since I Sound is From Creation which came out in 2012. His ‘The Journeyman EP’, was released three years later.
Prezident Brown will kick off a mini tour of the US West Coast and Pacific Northwest to promote his new song and album on June 15 with a gig at Laurel Park in Santa Cruz, California.
