Anthony B is the stage name of Keith Blair (born March 31, 1976), a Jamaica… Read Full Bio ↴Anthony B is the stage name of Keith Blair (born March 31, 1976), a Jamaican musician.

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)

Smoke Free
Anthony B Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Is it the strength of your feelings
Overthrowing your pain
Using you high to be reaching
And is it today that you will find your new release
And in your wake, ripple your sweet voice

(And more chune for your head tops
So watch how you speak on my name, you know?)

Yeah
I couldn't get a bill paid
You couldn't buy the real thing
I was staying up at your place
Trying to figure out the whole thing
I saw people doing things
Almost gave up on the music thing
But we all so spoiled now
More life, more everything
Must have never had your phone tapped
All that yapping on the phone shit
You must really love the road life
All that never coming home shit

Free smoke, free smoke aye!
Free smoke, free smoke aye!
Free smoke, free smoke aye!

Dom Rosé toast
Hidden Hills where I post
Iced up, my day slow
Silk pajamas when I wake though
Miraval to the face though
I drunk text J-Lo
Old number, so it bounce back

Boi 1da got the bounce back
Used to get paid for shows and
Front door money, five, ten, twenty
Hand sanitize after you count that
Me and Gibbo was about that
Eating Applebee's and Outback
Southwest, no first class
Hilton rooms, gotta double up
Writing our name on a double cup
We ain't even have a tour bus
Girls wouldn't even think of recording me
I fall asleep in sororities
I had some different priorities
Weezy had all the authority
Women I like was ignoring me
Now they like, aren't you adorable?
I know the question rhetorical
I took the team play from Oracle
Mama never used to cook much
Used to chef KD
Now me and Chef KD
Bet on shopping 20 G's
I brought the game to its knees
I make too much these days to ever say poor me
Where you at, I never see you

Free smoke, free smoke aye!
Free smoke, free smoke aye!
Free smoke, free smoke aye!

Niggas moves so waste
Please come outside the house and show yourself
So I can say it to your face
It's bound to happen man it's gotta happen now
So let's just get it out the way
Lotta niggas going bad on me
Please, one at a time
I wanna move to Dubai
So I ain't never have to kick it with none of you guys
I didn't listen to Hov on that old song
When he told me pay it no mind
I get more satisfaction outta going at your head and seeing all of you die
And I seen a lot of you die

Free smoke, free smoke aye!
Free smoke, free smoke aye!
Free smoke, free smoke aye!

Hidden hills where I post, yeah
Ye already know, yeah
I'm the troublemaker in the neighborhood
Far as troublemaking goes, yeah
House party up the road, yeah
I'm not Kid 'n Play
This kid doesn't play about the flow, yeah
Y'all keep playing with your nose, yeah
You get high and do the most, yeah
How you let the kid-fighting, ghost-writing rumors turn you to a ghost?
Oh you niggas got jokes
Free smoke, free smoke

Overall Meaning

In Anthony B's song "Smoke Free", the lyrics describe someone using their high to escape their pain and find a new release. The repetition of "free smoke" creates a sense of rebellion against something or someone that is holding the singer back. The song also contains a reference to the idea of speaking on someone's name, indicating that the singer may feel like they're being talked about behind their back. The lyrics suggest that the singer has faced some personal or professional difficulties, possibly related to the music industry, but they continue to push forward to success.

The lines "I saw people doing things, almost gave up on the music thing" suggest that the singer may have faced challenges related to the music industry or had doubts about their own ability to succeed. The line "you must really love the road life" implies that the singer may have a demanding touring schedule or may have trouble balancing their personal and professional life. The use of the phrase "free smoke" throughout the song suggests a sense of rebellion or defiance against those who may have doubted the singer in the past.

Line by Line Meaning

Is it the strength of your feelings Overthrowing your pain Using you high to be reaching And is it today that you will find your new release And in your wake, ripple your sweet voice
Are you using your strong emotions to cope with the pain in your life? Is getting high a way for you to reach new heights? Are you hoping to find release today? And will your voice leave a positive impact on others?

Yeah I couldn't get a bill paid You couldn't buy the real thing I was staying up at your place Trying to figure out the whole thing I saw people doing things Almost gave up on the music thing But we all so spoiled now More life, more everything Must have never had your phone tapped All that yapping on the phone shit You must really love the road life All that never coming home shit
I struggled to pay my bills and get by, and you couldn't afford the true essence of life. I was at your place, trying to understand the complexity of things. Seeing others succeed almost made me give up on music. But we are all privileged now and there's a lot more to life. You must have never experienced the fear of having your phone tapped, where all your conversations are being monitored. You love the road life, where you avoid coming home.

Dom Rosé toast Hidden Hills where I post Iced up, my day slow Silk pajamas when I wake though Miraval to the face though I drunk text J-Lo Old number, so it bounce back Boi 1da got the bounce back Used to get paid for shows and Front door money, five, ten, twenty Hand sanitize after you count that Me and Gibbo was about that Eating Applebee's and Outback Southwest, no first class Hilton rooms, gotta double up Writing our name on a double cup We ain't even have a tour bus Girls wouldn't even think of recording me I fall asleep in sororities I had some different priorities Weezy had all the authority Women I like was ignoring me Now they like, aren't you adorable? I know the question rhetorical I took the team play from Oracle Mama never used to cook much Used to chef KD Now me and Chef KD Bet on shopping 20 G's I brought the game to its knees I make too much these days to ever say poor me Where you at, I never see you
I'm toasting with Dom Rosé and posting up in Hidden Hills. I'm living life luxuriously in silk pajamas and drinking Miraval wine. I even drunkenly texted J-Lo with my old number, but it bounced back. Boi 1da has my back though. I used to perform for money and have to sanitize my hands after handling cash. Gibbo and I hustled hard, even eating at Applebee's and Outback. We couldn't afford first class but we made do with Hilton rooms. We didn't even have a tour bus, and girls never used to pay attention to me. But now, they think I'm adorable. I learned teamwork from Oracle and expensive tastes from Chef KD. I make so much money now that I can never complain. Where are you? I never see you now.

Niggas moves so waste Please come outside the house and show yourself So I can say it to your face It's bound to happen man it's gotta happen now So let's just get it out the way Lotta niggas going bad on me Please, one at a time I wanna move to Dubai So I ain't never have to kick it with none of you guys I didn't listen to Hov on that old song When he told me pay it no mind I get more satisfaction outta going at your head and seeing all of you die And I seen a lot of you die
People are wasting their time with their actions. Come outside so I can confront you face to face. It's inevitable that something will happen, so let's deal with it now. Many people are turning against me, but they should take turns with their criticisms. I want to move to Dubai and avoid seeing any of you. I didn't listen to Jay-Z's advice to ignore rumors about me. I get satisfaction from attacking my enemies and watching them fail. And I've seen many of my rivals disappear.

Hidden hills where I post, yeah Ye already know, yeah I'm the troublemaker in the neighborhood Far as troublemaking goes, yeah House party up the road, yeah I'm not Kid 'n Play This kid doesn't play about the flow, yeah Y'all keep playing with your nose, yeah You get high and do the most, yeah How you let the kid-fighting, ghost-writing rumors turn you to a ghost? Oh you niggas got jokes Free smoke, free smoke
I'm posting up in Hidden Hills and causing trouble. I'm the most notorious troublemaker around here. There's a party nearby but I'm not a playful person. I take my craft seriously and don't mess around with drugs. How did rumors turn you into a coward? You guys must be joking around. I'll take my free smoke now.

Writer(s): Blair Keith Anthony

Contributed by Peyton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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