‘Ring de bell’: <PERSON>, who mainstreamed Trinidad & Tobago’s rapso music, has died · Global Voices
Screenshot of <PERSON> from the video “Never Ever Worry”, filmed by Earth TV (1997).
To Trinidad and Tobago, <PERSON> was much more than an artistic icon; he was a fount of cultural knowledge. With his passing at a private hospital on July 13 (he had been ailing for some time), the country has lost an elder of its musical artforms—calypso and soca, to be sure—but more specifically, its hybrid, rapso.
Part poetry, part scintillating backbeat, rapso is defined as “the power of the word in the rhythm of the word,” having grown out of the West African griot or storyteller tradition. In the Caribbean, these musical poets have been traditionally referred to as chantwells, champions of call and response.
Born <PERSON> in east Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1954, Brother <PERSON>, as he would most popularly come to be called, eventually changed his name to <PERSON> to better reflect his African heritage. He received his secondary education at the prestigious Queen's Royal College, famous for producing figures such as <PERSON>, the country's first prime minister who led the country to independence from Britain (also a notable historian), and writers <PERSON> and <PERSON>. The school inducted Brother <PERSON> into its Hall of Honour in 2017 in recognition of his contribution to culture and the arts.
Rapso music was pioneered by the late <PERSON>, evolving as a brand a protest music out of the Black Power movement of the late 1960s, during which the country experienced a period of social unrest that culminated in a failed revolution attempt in 1970. Brother Resistance, along with the Network Riddum Band, took up the rapso mantle and carried the form into the 1980s and beyond, spearheading its revival and bringing it into the mainstream of World Music.
The band's 1981 debut offering “Busting Out” contained two tracks, one written by <PERSON>, and became a hit. The following year the group released “Roots of de Rapso Riddum”, but their message, deeply rooted in social commentary, was deemed subversive. Police raided and destroyed their band room in June 1983, which only served to fuel their sense of purpose. They continued to release music, always putting the genre front and centre: “Rapso Explosion” (1984), “Rapso Takeover” (1986), and “Rapso Uprising” (1989).
Brother Resistance continued to be prolific as a solo artist well into the 1990s and 2000s, singing on themes of love, unity, spirituality, and respect for “Mother Earth”, a song that demonstrated just the depth of his perception and vision. 264
Long before the term climate change was coined, <PERSON> was asking, “Is it too late to save the earth?”
Perhaps his most beloved song, however, was “Ring De Bell”, in which he symbolically advocates for ringing the bell—part of Spiritual Baptist, Orisha and other religious traditions—for culture, justice, freedom and, of course, rapso: “It's a long, long time now we fighting for freedom, victory bound to come […] I come with my bell just to second the motion, rock the rapso riddum.”
Brother Resistance's work provided a strong foundation for other rapso artists, most notably the group 3 Canal, who posted the following on Facebook:
‘<PERSON> the father, I am the son and in the name of <PERSON>, Thy kingdom come…’ <PERSON> sang in one of our songs a long time ago and truer words were never spoken. If wasn’t for Brother Resistance, we would not be who we are today. We sang backgrounds on your songs before we even recorded our own. You were always inspiring and encouraging and accessible and humble and rooted and real and wise and committed and strong. Give Thanks for the example and walk Tall in the realm of the ancestors. Rest In Peace Big Brother. ‘Stand firm for yuh Roots and yuh Culture.’ […]
<PERSON> posted videos of <PERSON> performing, saying:
Not many have walked your road. Thank you for opening the many doors you did. RIP
Musician <PERSON> added:
Wow, at a loss for words right now. Brother Resistance was a titan and along with the Network Riddim Band had a major musical influence in my life…on par with <PERSON>, <PERSON> etc….Ring <PERSON> in Peace Brother ✊???? 357