King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet.

A wise man onc… Read Full Bio ↴King Shango, King David, The Fireman and The Prophet.

A wise man once said that a prophet is not without honour save in his own country and so it has been with Capleton. While the veteran DJ's words and works long ago earned him the title of "The Prophet", the respect and honor that should rightfully be his have been a long time coming. "Anytime you try to uplift righteousness and upliftment of the people them, then you ah go get a fight", says the hottest entertainer in the worldwide reggae fraternity. "Bob Marley come do it and them fight him. And when Bob Marley dead, that's when they start to endorse him. I already aware of this, I am not unaware. So I know the more them fight I is the more I get stronger" In the fast-moving world of dancehall reggae, fame and success are hard to obtain and easy to lose. Fans can be fickle, and trends change in the blink of an eye, leaving most entertainers with painfully short career spans. Only a rare few can remain relevant from year to year, holding their audience's attention and leaving them crying for more. His lyrics are deep, precise, and thoughtful. His stage shows are nothing less than dynamic, explosive performances. But his remarkable staying power and longevity may be Capleton's greatest gift.

Born Clifton George Bailey III on April 13, 1967, in the rural parish of St. Mary, Capleton earned his future stage name from friends who were so impressed with his sharp reasoning skills that they named him after the most famous lawyer in town. From a tender young age, he was a lover of the traveling sound systems, sneaking out at night to catch the vibes until dawn. But it wasn't until he turned 18 and moved to Kingston that he was able to realize his destiny.

It was Stewart Brown, owner of a Toronto-based sound called African Star, who gave the untested artist his first break, flying him to Canada for a stage show alongside giants like Ninjaman and Flourgon. The audience poured out their appreciation, and he never looked back. When Capleton first burst on the scene in the late 1980s, the dancehall was a very different place than it is today. Slackness and gun talk were the order of the day. This bright promising newcomer announced his arrival with a string of hit songs from "Bumbo Red" to "Number One on the Look Good Chart" and "Lotion Man." Everything he touched hit the sound-good charts, and the youthful artist with the nimble vocabulary and hardcore voice quickly established himself as one of dancehall's most reliable hitmakers. But even he could not have predicted that eleven years later, at the start of the new millennium, he would be dancehall's ruling voice.

"I think the people dem see say me really deserve that because of the amount of years me put in," Capleton says, "and we never really bow and we still hold the faith. We stand up for whatever we a say. Yeah and we really work for it. And them say by your works, a so you get your pay. The people them see the amount of fight me face and the whole heap of accusation. And me still never give up"

When he dropped the tune "Alms House" in 1992, Capleton established himself as more than an entertainer but as a guiding light of righteousness through music. "United we stand and divided we fall," he sang for the benefit of his fans and dancehall comrades. "Nuff of them nah go know themself till them back against the wall." A few years later he came back with yet another antidote to the clashing and rivlary that had taken hold of the dancehall business. "Music is a mission," he reminded his fellow artists, "not a competition. Some man use the music to cause confusion." The path of this dancehall Prophet was clearly established in 1994 with a string of songs that declared his newfound faith in Rastafari. "INI sight up the light and see say really, yunno, Rasta is real," he recalls. "founder of the world, because Rasta did come set the trend. Y'unnerstand. Rasta is life."

The first words of his mega-hit "Dis The Trinity" made it plain that the DJ had experienced some kind of revelation. "I was once lost but now I'm found," he stated, "Selassie I live every time." Capleton became a strong advocate of the teaching of the Jamaican National Hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and advocate of universal black repatriation. "Babylon rewarded us with hatred for our love," he declares. "They taught us to rape, steal and kill. For instance, they stole our literature and taught it back to us in a different manner so as to infiltrate our minds with foolishness and other misconceptions. Now we as black men do not see ourselves as prince and prophets, but as punks and guys. Our women do not see themselves as queens, princesses or empresses anymore, but as harlots and concubines." The only solution, as Bob Marley advocated, is to emancipate oneself from mental slavery.

"Over the years INI as a nation and a people, them no really teach INI nuttin' bout INI black self. You know I mean? Them teach INI them give we European philosophy. So INI and some other youths a try emerge now, we ask certain question and we ask fi certain things. Caw we know say an institute, or in a college, or in a certain organization we need we Ethiopian curriculum, we need the black man thing. We need to know about weself. Becaw the prophet Marcus Garvey did show we say, A nation without no knowledge of them own history is like a tree without a root. And if you don't know where you're coming from, you're not gonna know where you're going."

Even as he uplifts the black race, Capleton always makes a point of clarifying that he does not seek to alienate any race. "We are not being racial nor prejudiced star," he says. "Becaw we know Jah is for everyone. But where history and prophesy in concerned, that is our witness and we have to be ourself, and we cannot hide from the truth. Caw we woulda be a traitor and a sellout to ourself. And you cannot sell out yourself."

Soon thereafter came the song "Tour" a blazing state of the dancehall report written in the weeks following the slaying of Panhead and Dirtsman, two of Capleton's fellow artists. That song not only became an anthem of the roots revival within the dancehall, but a hip hop flavored remix of that song hit the Billboard charts, opening up a huge new audience to Capleton's messages of righteousness.

There followed a relationship with Def Jam records, who released two Capleton albums, Prophecy and I-Testament, which featured memorable collaborations with rap stars like Method Man and Q-Tip. Both records were warmly accepted by the international audience, but as the millennium drew to a close, Capleton sensed that it was time to return to his core audience. He had work to do. "I have to be myself, right? And I only can be me," he reasons. "So whichever way fi make me be me, I work with dat. Y'understand."

Capleton is now at the height of his powers. 1999 and 2000 have brought a ceaseless string of sound system favorite and dancehall chart toppers like the anti-violence anthem "Jah Jah City" and "Good In Her Clothes," a message of respect for the sisters who carry themselves like Empresses rather than. But even as he completes his mission of upliftment, Capleton has had many critics. One of his biggest hits, in fact, is addressed the naysayers in the press and the ivory towers of power. "Critics won't leave I alone," chats the Prophet. "They say they can't take the fire weh me put pon Rome"

Many of Capleton's songs "and most of his critics" make mention of this blazing fire. Capleton hopes to clear up the confusion once and for all. "Is not really a physical fire. Is really a spiritual fire, and a wordical fire, and a musical fire. You see the fire is all about a livity. But is people get it on the wrong term. People get confused.So when a man say "more fire" him think that mean say you fi go light the cane field or go light the church." Fire, Capleton explains, is a way of reminding one's brother that they are going astray. "That way a man know say him doing something wrong. That even give him the urge to know say Yo check up on yourself. What you're doing is not right, or else him would not say "Fire fi dat," or "Burn dat" or "More fire." "If we go check it back now," he continues, "fire is for the purification of earth, anyhow you check it. This earth itself have to even emerge from the literal fire also, which is the volcanic activity, we a talk bout lava. The hottest element to rise us in the morning is the sun. The water cleanse, but it's still the support from the fire that burn the water, burn out of the bacteria so the water coulda heal we fi cleanse. The herb heal, but it's still the fire fi burn the herb so the herb coulda heal we also."

{Bio is courtesy of Rob Kenner} www.vprecords.com

I Will Survive
Capleton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Me seh Selassie I bless and I devote him
Listen to the birds when them a sing them all him
Listen to the wind a with the whistling blend
Give thanks for the trees for ya produce oxygen
So me let out the lion name from all tongue again
And free all black people from mortality
Out of the mouth ????
Food is the stuff of life let they all be fed again
Righteousness the ghetto youth and seh keep it blazin

I will survive
From my bees are alive
Honey's coming from the hive yo
Food is coming from my soil
Mama pot a fi boil
Food for the child

So I'm trodding on my way
And I hail King Selassie whether night or day
Just by ya works and so ya cannot get to pay
So I have to chant a song today
And I have to pray along my way
And I have to pray to meet a brighter day
And hail King Selassie I no care what them a say
Blaze up the RED

The one ya name
I will survive
From my bees are alive
Honey's coming from the hive yo
Food is coming from my soil
Mama pot a fi boil
Food for the child

Well some a say them blessed but them cursed
Nuff a dem no really know what life is worth
Every ghetto youth want fat up mama purse
Hail King Selassie I the first- Yo
Fire a go take them if them dis mama earth
Them civilization them a she give birth
Them get take the fire then tell them fi sure
Diss Emmanuel- you a jerk - the one ya name

I will survive
From my bees are alive
Honey's coming from the hive yo
Food is coming from the sun

Mama pot a fi boil
Food for the child

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Capleton's song I Will Survive show his deep respect for nature and the importance of self-sustainability. He starts by singing about his bees and the honey they produce, highlighting the role of bees in pollination and food production. He then talks about the food that comes from his soil and the need to feed the child, emphasizing the importance of food security in his community.

Capleton then mentions the blessings of Selassie I and his devotion to him, while appreciating the beauty of nature in the birds' songs and the whistling wind. He gives thanks for the trees that provide oxygen and mentions freeing all black people from mortality but it is not clear what he means by the phrase "Out of the mouth ????". He advocates for righteousness amongst ghetto youth, urging them to keep it "blazing".

In the last verse, Capleton talks about how some people are blessed but still cursed, and how many do not understand the value of life. He praises Selassie I for his leadership, warning those who disrespect mama earth, fire will take them. He ends the song with the phrase "the one ya name," which could be interpreted as a reference to Selassie I or the Rastafari movement.

Line by Line Meaning

I will survive
Despite the hardships, I will persist and thrive.

From my bees are alive
I am fortunate to have bees that produce honey, which sustains me.

Honey's coming from the hive yo
The bees are producing honey and providing a valuable resource for me and my community.

Food is coming from my soil
I am lucky to have fertile land that produces food that feeds my family and community.

Mama pot a fi boil
We have food to cook for our children.

Well over the hills and through the valley on top of the mountain
I am traveling through different terrains and elevations in search of blessings.

Me seh Selassie I bless and I devote him
I praise Emperor Haile Selassie I for blessing me and others in my community with his presence.

Listen to the birds when them a sing them all him
I take joy in the sounds of nature and recognize it as affirmation of Haile Selassie's presence.

Listen to the wind a with the whistling blend
The sound of the wind is a reminder of the natural world's power and cycles.

Give thanks for the trees for ya produce oxygen
I am grateful for trees as they produce the air my community breathes.

So me let out the lion name from all tongue again
I speak the name of the lion, which represents power and strength, to manifest positivity in myself and my community.

And free all black people from mortality
I seek freedom for my people from the constraints of the human lifespan and the cycle of life and death.

Out of the mouth ????
Unknown/ambiguous line

Food is the stuff of life let they all be fed again
Food is essential for survival, and I hope everyone can have access to it.

Righteousness the ghetto youth and seh keep it blazin
I encourage the youth in my community to embrace righteousness and keep their spirits bright in spite of adversity.

So I'm trodding on my way
I am continuing on my journey through life and am determined to keep moving forward.

And I hail King Selassie whether night or day
I continually give thanks, respect, and honor to King Selassie and his contribution to my life.

Just by ya works and so ya cannot get to pay
I value working hard and earning what you receive instead of simply expecting handouts.

So I have to chant a song today
Music and spirituality go hand in hand, and I recognize the value of singing songs of thanks and praise.

And I have to pray along my way
Prayer is a cornerstone of my spirituality.

And I have to pray to meet a brighter day
I ask for guidance to help me find positivity, hope, and a better tomorrow during difficult times.

And hail King Selassie I no care what them a say
My loyalty and devotion to King Selassie remains unshaken despite the criticisms or opinions of others.

Blaze up the RED
Unknown/ambiguous line

The one ya name
Unknown/ambiguous line

Well some a say them blessed but them cursed
Some people exude confidence, but their blessings can have negative consequences.

Nuff a dem no really know what life is worth
Many people do not understand the true value of life.

Every ghetto youth want fat up mama purse
Many youths from impoverished and marginalized communities strive to support their mothers financially.

Hail King Selassie I the first- Yo
I form a strong connection with King Selassie and continue to honor his legacy by saying 'Yo.'

Fire a go take them if them dis mama earth
Those who disrespect the environment are destined to face the consequences.

Them civilization them a she give birth
Excessive government and societal structures can be oppressive to the masses.

Them get take the fire then tell them fi sure
Those who witness or experience negative consequences must accept responsibility.

Diss Emmanuel- you a jerk - the one ya name
Unknown/ambiguous line

Food for the child
We have enough food to feed our children, which is essential for their growth and development.

Contributed by Isaac V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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@realgar732

5y↑6

I will survive
From my bees are alive
Honey's coming from the hive yo
Food is coming from my soil
Mama pot a fi boil
Food for the child

Well over the hills and through the valley on top of the mountain
Me seh Selassie I bless and I devote him
Listen to the birds when them a sing them anthem
Listen to the wind a with the whistling blend
Give thanks for the trees for ya produce oxygen
So me let out the lion name from all tongue again
And free all black people from mortality
Out of the mouth ????
Food is the stuff of life let they all be fed again
Righteousness the ghetto youth and seh keep it blazin

I will survive
From my bees are alive
Honey's coming from the hive yo
Food is coming from my soil
Mama pot a fi boil
Food for the child

So I'm trodding on my way
And I hail King Selassie whether night or day
Just by ya works and so ya cannot get to pay
So I have to chant a song today
And I have to pray along my way
And I have to pray to meet a brighter day
And hail King Selassie I no care what them a say
Blaze up the RED

The one ya name
I will survive
From my bees are alive
Honey's coming from the hive yo
Food is coming from my soil
Mama pot a fi boil
Food for the child

Well some a say them blessed but them cursed
Nuff a dem no really know what life is worth
Every ghetto youth want fat up mama purse
Hail King Selassie I the first- Yo
Fire a go take them if them dis mama earth
Them civilization them a she give birth
Them get take the fire then tell them fi sure
Diss Emmanuel- you a jerk - the one ya name

I will survive
From my bees are alive
Honey's coming from the hive yo
Food is coming from the sun
Mama pot a fi boil
Food for the child