
All
true artists strive to blend and transcend their artistic influences to
emerge with creative landscapes uniquely their own. Ghana’s Black
Prophet is no exception. With his distinct, fearless delivery,
evocative lyrics and electrifying stage-show, Black Prophet stands as
one of the most pure talents and powerful voices in Ghanaian reggae
music. Fusing conscious reggae, lovers’ rock, dancehall and hip-hop
with indigenous Ghanaian rhythms and beats, this gifted lyricist,
songwriter, producer and revolutionary uses the power and reach of
music to communicate messages of resistance, love and survival. Kenneth
Wilberforce Zonto Bossman began his journey into roots reggae as a
youth growing up on the streets of Accra. Influenced by the protest
songs of Peter Tosh and Ghanaian reggae pioneers Kinte Band and SOZ
Squad, Zonto chose music as his means of positively confronting the
poverty and oppression he witnessed daily. Re-christening himself Black
Prophet and linking with the band Vibration Boys (later the Vibration
Kings), Prophet began writing, producing, and performing music while
still a teenager. Since his first independent recording
in 1997, Black Prophet has released four compilation albums,
culminating in the 2006 release of his first full-length solo lp, Legal Stranger.
This classic, deeply introspective and unflinching roots album’s first
single “Tell Me Why” has become an underground anthem in Ghanaian and
European roots reggae circles. Each of the 12 tracks on Legal Stranger, exploring themes from love to religion to politics to
poverty, illuminates a passage in the history of Prophet’s life and
reflects his commitment to being a true artist of the people. " I’m
telling my story with Legal Stranger ", says Prophet, " and
my story is that of the ghetto youth and people suffering everywhere. I
wanted to create an album that shows that Jah’s blessings and light can
be found anywhere and in anyone". Prophets versality, authenticity and humility as an artist has earned him a fan-base extending from the ghetto youth
to the mainstream reggae head. Having performed and recorded with
artist ranging from reggae icons like Buju Banton and Rita Marley to
indigenous Ghanaian music superstar Atongo Zimba, Prophet has confirmed
his position as an influential and essential voice of consciousness in
roots reggae. Black Prophet and the Thunderstrike
will be hitting Europe with a 4th tour in the summer of 2008. "The sun in the day, the moon by night, means everything in life has its own time and season" Black Prophet
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