Mykal Rose: “When I came to the table, Black Uhuru became something.” (The Interview)

An oft-repeated extremely impressive accolade of legendary band Black Uhuru, other than being the first reggae band to ever win a Grammy, is the fact, as I myself noted in 2016, that other than Bob Marley, Black Uhuru sold more records-back in the days when people bought records-than any other individual reggae performer or group.
I was one of those record-buyers. And it was Mykal Rose’s edgy, conscious, creative, one-of-a-kind (though-often-imitated) singing that, after being first drawn into reggae by Bob Marley, drew me further into a love affair, a spiritual connection, and a deep-seated passion for reggae that, Jah willing, will not die until I do.
As Mykal Rose is unquestionably one of the greatest Jamaican singers ever, and I submit one of the greatest singers in any genre-one of my personal favorites-I was beyond honored to interview him on August 13; the interview took place in a hotel lobby, not far from where Mykal had just headlined the first ever “Word. Sound. Power. Music & Arts Festival,” in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
We spoke about many people, songs, and subjects of interest to reggae fans, including but not limited to: sound system culture, Duckie Simpson, Garth Dennis, Puma Jones, Sly Dunbar, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Sponji Reggae,” Mykal’s coffee farm, growing and smoking marijuana, “Jah Loves Me More Everyday,” and “Glory to Jah.”
Read the transcript at Reggae-vibes.com: bit.ly/mykal-rose
Photos/audio by Stephen Cooper
Sleeves by the respective record companies
Edited by Teacher@ReggaeVibes
Video by Teacher@ReggaeVibes
©2022 Stephen Cooper