Blair grew up in rural Clarks Town in the northwestern parish of Trelawny. His deeply religious family life (his mother was a Seventh-day Adventist and his grandmother a Revivalist) imbued him with a profound spirituality. During his youth, his favorite singers were reggae legends Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer, musicians who strongly influenced his own style. Peter Tosh's influence can definitely be heard in Anthony B's vocal delivery and revolutionary stance.
Anthony B adopted Rastafarian beliefs as a teenager, a decision which was not well-received by his family. The stubborn and determined Anthony B refused to give up his new religion and his dreadlocks and moved to the home of his aunt and uncle in the Kingston suburb, Portmore.
While attending high school, Anthony B debuted as a deejay for the local sound system, Shaggy Hi-Power. In 1988, he befriended reggae artists such as Determine, Mega Banton, Ricky General and Terror Fabulous.
At this point in the reggae industry, singing "slack" songs about women was the popular thing to do. Anthony B did not believe in degrading women and chose to pen politically-slanted songs rather than so-called "gyal chunes." He hooked up with Little Devon the Half Pint sound-a-like singer he made his debut single "The Living is Hard" on the Wizard label in 1993. Anthony B tried many different producers but found that none of them fit his style of music. Finally, Anthony B teamed up with Richard "Bello" Bell, creating hits such as Fire Pon Rome, Raid Di Barn, Rumour, and Repentance Time. Anthony B's 1996 debut album Real Revolutionary was highly acclaimed in the reggae community. In late 1997, Anthony B released Universal Struggle which showed that Anthony B had a consistent, high-calibre talent. Anthony B has released a large number of albums since that time including 1999's Seven Seals and 2004's Untouchable which featured collaborations with artists including Wyclef Jean.
Anthony B tours extensively in Europe and North America and is known for his fiery, high-energy performances.
Anthony B is a member of the Bobo Ashanti branch of the Rastafarian movement. "Bobo Dreads", as they are known, are recognizable by their long robes and turbans. The strong Afrocentric pride and the other Rastafarian beliefs (or "overstandings" as Rastafarians prefer to call them) which Anthony B holds are reflected in his songs.
Discography
* Predator & Prey (1996, Alpha Enterprises)
* Real Revolutionary / So Many Things (1996, Greensleeves)
* Universal Struggle (1997, VP Records)
* Seven Seals (1999, VP Records)
* That's Life (2001, VP Records)
* More Love (2001, AO ! Records)
* Live On The Battlefield (2002, Jahmin' Records)
* Reggae Max (2002, Jet Star)
* Street Knowledge (2003, Nocturne)
* Judgment Time (2003, 2B1 Records)
* Smoke Free (2003, Bogalusa Records)
* Voice Of Jamaica vol. 2 (2003, Nocturne)
* Wise Man Chant (2004, Black Scorpio)
* Justice Fight (2004, Nocturne)
* Untouchable (2004, Togetherness Records)
* Power Of Creation (2004, Nocturne)
* Black Star (2005, Greensleeves)
* My Hope (2005, AL.TA.FA.AN. / Minor 7 Flat 5)
Me Dem 'fraid Of
Anthony B Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hotter fire, red, Judgement come yo yo
Chorus:
Cause a me dem fraid of
Cause dem say me get braver
And a me dem caan get rid of
No care how dem fight we wid di media
Cause a me dem fraid of
Cause dem say me get braver
And a me dem caan get rid of
No care how dem fight we wid di media
Dem caan cut the speed ya
Commissioner Forbes me a talk to you fuss
too much innocent ghetto youth skull a bust
Hold off you cow boys dem a kick up rumpus
Seems like dem a play another one bite the dust
From we bun politics the ghetto youth dem stop fuss
Come back fi you guns whey a gather rust
Out a you heart we a go take out the puss
Haile King Selassie I you know is a must
Me bun Hostel and haile Marcus
Chorus
Tell the Government Jamaica house me come for
Cause we want some truth and rights defender
Back part a di ghetto give that to Sizzla
All country mi give to Louie Culture
Dem a go clean out the heathen wid di ole canalina
Out a Tivoli we a go move Seaga
In a him seat we a go put in Muta
Jamaica want a winner, don't want no quitter
We a go move PJ put in Babatunde Whiter
Think me done talk me gone little
Chorus
Ghetto youth open you eyes and rise up with the living
Cause the leaders go out in a ism and schism
Americanize fi kill of we tourism yo
Dem don't like we true we bun counsel and bun M.P.
Dem a bring segregation no unity
Pure promise bout yah and no loyalty
When yu fight dem war you gone in a G.P.
Chorus
Every politician go under Rastaman banner
Watch dem a fight over Rastaman colour
One hold pon di green, one pon di red, one pon di yellow
We a go bruk dem knuckle
Police gi me back di ganja leaf out a you belt buckle
Now dem a bruk like bottle
Over the years rastaman dem a hackle and tackle
Watch out and mi bend dem nozzle
In Anthony B's song "Me Dem 'fraid Of," the artist speaks about fighting for justice and equality, for which he is seen as a threat by those in power. He is not afraid of their attempts to silence him through the media or any other means. In the Chorus, Anthony B repeats the phrase "Cause a me dem fraid of" repeatedly, symbolizing his belief that he and others like him are a threat to those in power because they are fighting for a just and fair society.
Anthony B's lyrics criticize the government of Jamaica and their failure to provide justice and equality to the people. He speaks directly to Commissioner Forbes, telling him that innocent young people in the ghetto are dying and that the government needs to address their concerns. He also mentions political figures and speaks about how they are not serving the interests of the people. The artist suggests that Jamaicans need new leaders with a commitment to justice and equality.
Throughout the song, Anthony B uses highly figurative language and metaphors to convey his message. He speaks of a "hotter fire" and "red judgement" as a way of suggesting that the day of reckoning is coming for those in power. He also suggests that they cannot stop his movement or take away his bravery, no matter how hard they try.
Line by Line Meaning
Equal rights and justice we speak for
We advocate for equality and fairness
Hotter fire, red, Judgement come yo yo
The world is on the brink of a fiery apocalypse, and judgment is coming
Cause a me dem fraid of
They are afraid of me
Cause dem say me get braver
They are afraid of me because they think I have become more courageous
And a me dem caan get rid of
They cannot get rid of me
No care how dem fight we wid di media
They cannot defeat us, no matter how hard they try to use the media against us
Dem caan cut the speed ya
They cannot stop our momentum
Commissioner Forbes me a talk to you fuss
Commissioner Forbes, I need to talk to you
too much innocent ghetto youth skull a bust
Too many innocent young people from the ghetto are being killed
Hold off you cow boys dem a kick up rumpus
Tell your police officers to calm down and stop causing trouble
Seems like dem a play another one bite the dust
It appears that they are enjoying killing people from the ghetto
From we bun politics the ghetto youth dem stop fuss
If we eliminate politics, the youth from the ghetto will stop protesting
Come back fi you guns whey a gather rust
Retrieve your guns that have been stored for a long time
Out a you heart we a go take out the puss
We will remove the corruption from your heart
Haile King Selassie I you know is a must
We follow Haile Selassie I, it is a necessity
Me bun Hostel and haile Marcus
I oppose the Hostel and praise Marcus Garvey
Tell the Government Jamaica house me come for
I came to the Jamaican government house to demand action
Cause we want some truth and rights defender
We seek someone who will fight for truth and justice
Back part a di ghetto give that to Sizzla
Sizzla deserves to have a home in the back of the ghetto
All country mi give to Louie Culture
Louie Culture deserves to have all the land in the country
Dem a go clean out the heathen wid di ole canalina
They will use violence to remove the non-believers
Out a Tivoli we a go move Seaga
We will remove Seaga from Tivoli
In a him seat we a go put in Muta
We will replace him with Muta
Jamaica want a winner, don't want no quitter
Jamaica wants a winner, not a quitter
We a go move PJ put in Babatunde Whiter
We will replace PJ with Babatunde Whiter
Ghetto youth open you eyes and rise up with the living
Young people from the ghetto need to awaken, unite, and fight for their lives
Cause the leaders go out in a ism and schism
The current leaders are divided and not working together
Americanize fi kill of we tourism yo
The Jamaican tourism industry is being destroyed by Americanization
Dem don't like we true we bun counsel and bun M.P.
They do not respect us, they mock the Rastafarian philosophy
Dem a bring segregation no unity
They are dividing us instead of unifying us
Pure promise bout yah and no loyalty
All they do is make promises, but they have no loyalty
When yu fight dem war you gone in a G.P.
If you fight their war, you will end up in a government prison
Every politician go under Rastaman banner
Every politician wants to associate themselves with the Rastafarian movement
Watch dem a fight over Rastaman colour
They are fighting over the colors used by the Rastafarian movement
One hold pon di green, one pon di red, one pon di yellow
Each politician is associated with a different Rastafarian color
We a go bruk dem knuckle
We will fight against them
Police gi me back di ganja leaf out a you belt buckle
The police took my marijuana, give it back to me
Now dem a bruk like bottle
They cannot control us anymore
Over the years rastaman dem a hackle and tackle
Over the years, the Rastafarians have been persecuted and attacked
Watch out and mi bend dem nozzle
Be careful, we are about to attack them
Lyrics © SUELION MUSIC
Written by: KEITH BLAIR, RICHARD BELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin
on Waan Back
Wrong lyrics...c'mon,post genuine lyrics