Macka B is a British-born reggae artist, performer and activist with a care… Read Full Bio ↴Macka B is a British-born reggae artist, performer and activist with a career spanning almost 30 years in the United Kingdom and Jamaica. He is also a practicing Rastafarian.

On leaving school, Macka B became a technical apprentice for Ever Ready GB Ltd, made redundant three years later due to the factory closure. In 1980 completed an engineering inspection course. Macka B has always been interested in music. At school, he played the violin, and also joined the school choir. Whilst at school, he became more interested in Reggae music, especially DJ's, I-Roy, U-Roy, Prince Jazzbo. He started to practice at home, but never had the courage to perform to an audience. He and some friends started a sound system call "Exodus", they had good reaction wherever they played, and this encouraged him to write his own lyrics.

In 1982, a trip to Jamaica inspired him greatly, improving his talent. He entered a talent competition in 1983 at the Rising Star night club, Bilston, (including Pato Banton, Ranking Ann) Macka B won, and from this, was invited on radio several times, his name became more known. Also at this time, he was in a band called Pre-wax, they did many live shows, and appeared on Channel 4's Rockers Roadshow. A record entitled Maggie's Letter was recorded with a producer called Papa P, which became a local success. Derek Nelson, producer of Ebony BBC2 heard Macka B perform on radio, and as they had a show planned for Birmingham, asked him to perform on that show, He went down well, and so obtained a regular spot on the next series. Macka B never stopped working with sound systems, Wassifa, and Skippy & Lippy being the main ones. A tape of a show Wassifa v Saxon sound in Leicester, was heard by Chris Lane of Fashion Records, who invited Macka B to do some recording. "Bible Reader" on disco mix was released, and reached No 15 in the Reggae Charts. Also released, a track called "Gentleman with Manners" on an LP entitled Great British M,C's. Met the Mad Professor, joined the Ariwa label and recorded an LP called "Sign of The Times". This reached No 1 in the Reggae LP charts. Appeared on Channel 4 Club Mix, and on the 1986 Sunsplash at the Wembley Arena. Released "Don't Judge Me" in late 1986. Macka B has had a successful tour of Germany in January 1987, along with the Ariwa Possee. His 2nd album for Ariwa "We've Had Enough" was released in June 1987 to coincide with his 2nd European tour for 1987. Later that year, Macka B visited Bern in Switzerland. 1968 Macka B visited Jamaica and "Love It In Jamaica" was recorded. Later in '88 he recorded his 3rd Ariwa album "Looks Are Deceiving". This album proved to be quite successful, and included current single "Unemployment Blues" which was recently featured on BBC2 in the programme DEF II - Behind The Beat. On the flip side is the self explanatory "Don't Sell Your Body". Macka B has since recorded his fourth album "Buppie Culture" which was on general release in mid 1989, with encouragingly good response. The album contained tracks including "Dread a Who She Love" a duet with Kofi. It was also released as,a single in September of 1989, and went to No 1 in the.Reggae charts in the November of that year and stayed at that spot for 6 weeks. It was also featured on a video which was shown in places as far afield as Jamaica, Germany, Sweden and Zimbabwe. Macka B did the Buppie tour which took him to Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. 1990 saw the recording and release of "Proud of Mandela" which celebrated the release of Nelson Mandela, it went straight to No 1 and was also featured on his 5th album "Natural Suntan" - 'Black Man' the flip side was also very popular. Staying with the social comments, Macka B recorded "Pam Pam Cameroon" as his commentary of the Cameroon's performance in at the 1990 World Cup. This record was heard and appreciated in places far as Cameroon, later that year Macka B played Australia, thus becoming the first British Reggae artist to tour this continent.

(Information taken from www.ariwa.com.)

Change The World
Macka B Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

United we stand, divided we fall
But together we can change the world
Bating headlines, breaking news
People are realizin' and getting less confused, yo
Extra, extra, read all about it
People are waking up and hear the people a shout it

The future of the world is in our hands

We must first control our own actions
Together we can do it, we can make things right
Working as one family in the Father's eyes

Together we can change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Hear, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

Yeah, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Yeah, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

Oh yeah, you gather 'round a everybody
'Cause what I see don't make me merry? has been nothing but folly
And the people, yes start to get weary?? them a gather their armours
Gain power to enforce their glory
Unless we right this goddamn story
Oh yes, we can, oh yes we can

Together we can change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Hear, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

Yeah, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Yeah, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This is song for the world and its people, yeah
Oh-oh, yeah, yeah

People are realisin' that them a get a raw deal
People start expressin' how them feel, so, so real
Look fi di truth and the truth will reveal
Time to put your shoulders to the wheel

'Cause together we can change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Hear, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

Yeah, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Yeah, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

All of the powers Jah give we
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

Who's gonna help us, who's gonna help us make things better?
Who's gonna make a sacrifice and make it come together?
Helpin' one another like a sister and a bredda
Let's change this world ya for ever

Together we can change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Hear, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we

Yeah, we gonna change the world
Hear my news and all of the powers that send we
Yeah, we gonna change the world

Hear my news and all of the powers Jah give we
Come on now!

Overall Meaning

The song "Change the World" by Macka B is a rallying cry to bring together people from all walks of life to create positive change in the world. The lyrics emphasize that united we stand and divided we fall, and that we must work together to control our own actions, make things right, and right the "god-damn story" that has led to inequality and injustice. The chorus repeats the phrase "together we can change the world," reinforcing the idea that we have the power to make a difference if we work together.

The lyrics also make reference to current events and the media's role in shaping public opinion, with lines like "breaking news, people are realizing and getting less confused" and "extra, extra, read all about it, people are waking up and hear the people shout it." The song suggests that people are becoming more aware of the problems in the world and more willing to stand up and demand change.

Overall, the message of the song is one of hope and empowerment. It encourages people to take action, to help one another, and to believe that they can make a difference in the world. In a time when many people feel powerless in the face of global crises, "Change the World" offers a message of solidarity and a call to action.

Line by Line Meaning

United we stand, divided we fall
If we work together, we can succeed, but if we are divided, we will fail.

But together we can change the world
If we unite, we have the power to make a positive change for the world.

Bating headlines, breaking news
Sensational headlines and news stories can distract us from what is really important.

People are realizin' and getting less confused, yo
People are becoming more aware of what is happening around them and are less confused about what is going on.

Extra, extra, read all about it
New information is constantly being shared and we need to stay informed.

People are waking up and hear the people a shout it
People are becoming more aware and are hearing the voices of those who are speaking up for change.

The future of the world is in our hands
We have the power to shape the future of our world.

We must first control our own actions
In order to make positive change, we must start with ourselves and make sure we are making the right choices.

Together we can do it, we can make things right
If we unite and work together, we can make positive changes to make the world a better place.

Working as one family in the Father's eyes
We are all part of the same human family and in God's eyes, we are all equal.

People start expressin' how them feel, so, so real
People are beginning to speak up and share their real feelings about what is happening in the world.

Time to put your shoulders to the wheel
It's time for us to start working hard and making an effort to make the world a better place.

Who's gonna help us, who's gonna help us make things better?
We need the help and support of others to make positive change a reality.

Who's gonna make a sacrifice and make it come together?
Creating change often requires individuals to make personal sacrifices in order to work towards a common goal.

Helpin' one another like a sister and a bredda
We need to support each other like family members in order to make a difference.

Let's change this world ya for ever
We need to make a lasting change that will have a positive impact on the world for generations to come.

Contributed by Oliver R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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