Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith, 22 November 1947, St. D'Acre, St.… Read Full Bio ↴Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith, 22 November 1947, St. D'Acre, St. Ann, Jamaica), is a reggae and roots reggae recording artist who has achieved chart success in his home country, and in the UK. The singer who put the rude in rude boy, Max Romeo was responsible for launching an entirely new sub-genre of reggae, whose overtly suggestive lyrics caused an outcry but took a massive hold of the music scene regardless. Yet innuendo was the least of the singer's stylings, previous to the release of his infamous "Wet Dream," Romeo had garnered a string of sweet hits with the vocal trio the Emotions. And once the nocturnal naughtiness faded, the singer established himself as one of the most important figures in the roots scene.
He left home at the age of 14 and worked on a sugar plantation outside Clarendon, cleaning out irrigation ditches, before winning a local talent competition when he was 18; prompting a move to the capital, Kingston, in order to achieve a successful musical career.
In 1965 he joined up with Kenneth Knight and Lloyd Shakespeare in The Emotions, whilst also working as a record plugger for Ken Lack's Caltone label. The group were unsuccessful in auditions for other producers, but Lack offered them an audition after overhearing Smith singing to himself as he worked one day. In 1966, the group had their first hit, with the Lack-produced, "Buy You a Rainbow". The Emotions went on to have several hit singles and by 1968, the singer, by this point known as Max Romeo, felt confident enough to launch a solo career. Working with producer Bunny Lee, the young star recorded a number of pop songs, mainly love ballads, but they failed to be popular and so he returned to The Emotions, now recording for Phil Pratt. During this time he began work as a sales representative for Bunny Lee and did some recording with The Hippy Boys, which would later became The Upsetters.
Later on in 1968, Romeo wrote new lyrics for the rhythm track of Derrick Morgan's "Hold You Jack" and handed them over to Lee. Morgan, who was due to add his vocals to the track, ultimately gave it a miss, as did several other vocalists (including John Holt and Slim Smith), leading the producer to turn to Romeo to sing the lyrics he had written. The result, "Wet Dream", was an instant hit in Jamaica, although in the UK it was met with a BBC Radio ban, despite Romeo's somewhat-disingenuous claim that the song was actually about a roof that has a leak. Still, the ban only made it more popular and the single charted in the Top Ten, in the UK Singles Chart, spending almost six months therein, before featuring on his LP, A Dream, which included several follow-up singles in a similar vein, such as "Mini Skirt Version", "Fish in the Pot", "Belly Woman", and "Wine Her Goosie". A UK tour also met with Romeo being banned from performing at several venues, although many allowed him to play, the singer staying in the UK for eighteen months.
In 1970, Romeo returned to Jamaica and set-up Romax, an unsuccessful record label and sound system. Following which, he recorded several singles, mainly with old producer Bunny Lee, before going on to work a host of other producers including Niney Holness. This was followed by a period of which saw the release of a series of politically charged singles, most advocating the democratic socialist People's National Party (PNP), which chose his song, "Let The Power Fall On I", as their campaign theme for the 1972 Jamaican general election. Romeo joined the PNP Musical Bandwagon, travelling around Jamaica, playing on the back of a truck. After this, Romeo recorded a number of religious songs, until he worked with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, producing the classic singles "Three Blind Mice" (an adaptation of the nursery rhyme with lyrics about a police raid on a party), "Sipple Out Deh", and "Chase the Devil". A remixed version of "Sipple Out Deh", entitled "War Ina Babylon", was another popular track in the UK, the first fruits of his deal with Island Records, and was followed by an album of the same name, and a follow-up single "One Step Forward". Shortly after this the pair fell out, leaving Romeo to self-produce his follow-up album, Reconstruction, which could not match the success of its predecessor. Perry's animosity towards Romeo was demonstrated by his single "White Belly Rat", with Perry also writing the word 'Judas' over a photograph of Romeo on the wall of his Black Ark studio.
He moved to New York City in 1978, where he co-wrote (with Hair producer Michael Butler) the musical, Reggae, which he also starred in. In 1980 he appeared as a backing vocalist on "Dance" on The Rolling Stones album Emotional Rescue. In 1981, the favour was returned when Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) co-produced and played on Romeo's album, Holding Out My Love to You. The rest of his output during the decade went practically unnoticed, with Romeo finding work at a New York electronics store. He returned to Jamaica in 1990, and began touring and recording more regularly.
He visited the UK again in 1992, recording the albums Far I Captain of My Ship and Our Rights with Jah Shaka. In 1995 he recorded Cross of the Gun with Tappa Zukie, and he joined up with UK rhythm section/production team Mafia & Fluxy in 1999 for the album Selassie I Forever.
His music has been sampled by other artists; The Prodigy sampled his track "Chase the Devil" for their 1992 UK Top Ten hit "Out of Space". Kanye West has also used samples from it to produce Jay-Z's hit song "Lucifer", which appeared on Jay-Z's 2003 release - The Black Album.
"Chase the Devil" is featured on the reggae radio station K-JAH Radio West in a popular videogame Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, released in October 2004. Romeo's single "Sipple Out Deh" appeared in John Peel's Record Box.
- Albums:
A Dream (1970) Trojan
Let The Power Fall (1972) Dynamic
Revelation Time (1975) Black World
War Ina Babylon (1976) Island
Reconstruction (1979) Island
I Love My Music (1979) Wackies
Rondos (1980) King Kong
Holding Out My Love to You (1981) Shanachie
Transition (1989) Rohit
Fari - Captain of My Ship (1992) Jah Shaka
Our Rights (1992) Jah Shaka
Cross or the Gun (1995) Tappa Zukie
Selassie I Forever (1999) Mafia & Fluxy
Love Message (1999) Warriors
Something is Wrong (1999) Warriors
In This Time (2001) 3D (Max Romeo & Tribu Acustica)
Pocomania Songs (2007) Ariwa Sounds
- Compilations:
Max Romeo Meets Owen Gray At King Tubby's Studio (1984) Culture Press (with Owen Gray)
Max Romeo and the Upsetters (1989)
Wet Dream (1993) Crocodisc
McCabee Version (1995) Sonic Sounds
Open The Iron Gate (1999) Blood & Fire
The Many Moods of Max Romeo (1999) Jamaican Gold
Pray For Me: The Best of Max Romeo 1967-73 (2000) Trojan Records
Perilous Times (2000) Charmax
On The Beach (2001) Culture Press
The Coming of Jah (2002) Trojan
Ultimate Collection (2003) (compiled by David Katz)
Holy Zion (2003) Burning Bush
Wet Dream: The Best of Max Romeo (2004) Trojan
Crazy World of Dub (2005) Jamaican Recordings
One of Jamaica's most provocative lyricists, a singer who gave us such enduring songs as 'Chase The Devil' (which was sampled in the song 'Out of Space' by The Prodigy and the song 'Lucifer' by Jay-Z), 'Public Enemy Number One', 'One Step Forward' and 'Three Blind Mice'. It was Romeo who first introduced Britain to the concept of rude reggae with 'Wet Dream', which, despite a total radio ban, reached number 10 in the UK charts in May 1969.
In 1972 Romeo began working with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. 'Babylon Burning', 'Three Blind Mice' and 'The Coming Of Jah' all maintained his star status in Jamaica between 1972 and 1975. Revelation Time was one of the best albums of 1975, and 1976's War Ina Babylon was hailed by the rock press as an all-time classic reggae album. Two outstanding contributions that will remain classic recordings from the so-called ‘golden age’ of Jamaican reggae music.
He left home at the age of 14 and worked on a sugar plantation outside Clarendon, cleaning out irrigation ditches, before winning a local talent competition when he was 18; prompting a move to the capital, Kingston, in order to achieve a successful musical career.
In 1965 he joined up with Kenneth Knight and Lloyd Shakespeare in The Emotions, whilst also working as a record plugger for Ken Lack's Caltone label. The group were unsuccessful in auditions for other producers, but Lack offered them an audition after overhearing Smith singing to himself as he worked one day. In 1966, the group had their first hit, with the Lack-produced, "Buy You a Rainbow". The Emotions went on to have several hit singles and by 1968, the singer, by this point known as Max Romeo, felt confident enough to launch a solo career. Working with producer Bunny Lee, the young star recorded a number of pop songs, mainly love ballads, but they failed to be popular and so he returned to The Emotions, now recording for Phil Pratt. During this time he began work as a sales representative for Bunny Lee and did some recording with The Hippy Boys, which would later became The Upsetters.
Later on in 1968, Romeo wrote new lyrics for the rhythm track of Derrick Morgan's "Hold You Jack" and handed them over to Lee. Morgan, who was due to add his vocals to the track, ultimately gave it a miss, as did several other vocalists (including John Holt and Slim Smith), leading the producer to turn to Romeo to sing the lyrics he had written. The result, "Wet Dream", was an instant hit in Jamaica, although in the UK it was met with a BBC Radio ban, despite Romeo's somewhat-disingenuous claim that the song was actually about a roof that has a leak. Still, the ban only made it more popular and the single charted in the Top Ten, in the UK Singles Chart, spending almost six months therein, before featuring on his LP, A Dream, which included several follow-up singles in a similar vein, such as "Mini Skirt Version", "Fish in the Pot", "Belly Woman", and "Wine Her Goosie". A UK tour also met with Romeo being banned from performing at several venues, although many allowed him to play, the singer staying in the UK for eighteen months.
In 1970, Romeo returned to Jamaica and set-up Romax, an unsuccessful record label and sound system. Following which, he recorded several singles, mainly with old producer Bunny Lee, before going on to work a host of other producers including Niney Holness. This was followed by a period of which saw the release of a series of politically charged singles, most advocating the democratic socialist People's National Party (PNP), which chose his song, "Let The Power Fall On I", as their campaign theme for the 1972 Jamaican general election. Romeo joined the PNP Musical Bandwagon, travelling around Jamaica, playing on the back of a truck. After this, Romeo recorded a number of religious songs, until he worked with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, producing the classic singles "Three Blind Mice" (an adaptation of the nursery rhyme with lyrics about a police raid on a party), "Sipple Out Deh", and "Chase the Devil". A remixed version of "Sipple Out Deh", entitled "War Ina Babylon", was another popular track in the UK, the first fruits of his deal with Island Records, and was followed by an album of the same name, and a follow-up single "One Step Forward". Shortly after this the pair fell out, leaving Romeo to self-produce his follow-up album, Reconstruction, which could not match the success of its predecessor. Perry's animosity towards Romeo was demonstrated by his single "White Belly Rat", with Perry also writing the word 'Judas' over a photograph of Romeo on the wall of his Black Ark studio.
He moved to New York City in 1978, where he co-wrote (with Hair producer Michael Butler) the musical, Reggae, which he also starred in. In 1980 he appeared as a backing vocalist on "Dance" on The Rolling Stones album Emotional Rescue. In 1981, the favour was returned when Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) co-produced and played on Romeo's album, Holding Out My Love to You. The rest of his output during the decade went practically unnoticed, with Romeo finding work at a New York electronics store. He returned to Jamaica in 1990, and began touring and recording more regularly.
He visited the UK again in 1992, recording the albums Far I Captain of My Ship and Our Rights with Jah Shaka. In 1995 he recorded Cross of the Gun with Tappa Zukie, and he joined up with UK rhythm section/production team Mafia & Fluxy in 1999 for the album Selassie I Forever.
His music has been sampled by other artists; The Prodigy sampled his track "Chase the Devil" for their 1992 UK Top Ten hit "Out of Space". Kanye West has also used samples from it to produce Jay-Z's hit song "Lucifer", which appeared on Jay-Z's 2003 release - The Black Album.
"Chase the Devil" is featured on the reggae radio station K-JAH Radio West in a popular videogame Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, released in October 2004. Romeo's single "Sipple Out Deh" appeared in John Peel's Record Box.
- Albums:
A Dream (1970) Trojan
Let The Power Fall (1972) Dynamic
Revelation Time (1975) Black World
War Ina Babylon (1976) Island
Reconstruction (1979) Island
I Love My Music (1979) Wackies
Rondos (1980) King Kong
Holding Out My Love to You (1981) Shanachie
Transition (1989) Rohit
Fari - Captain of My Ship (1992) Jah Shaka
Our Rights (1992) Jah Shaka
Cross or the Gun (1995) Tappa Zukie
Selassie I Forever (1999) Mafia & Fluxy
Love Message (1999) Warriors
Something is Wrong (1999) Warriors
In This Time (2001) 3D (Max Romeo & Tribu Acustica)
Pocomania Songs (2007) Ariwa Sounds
- Compilations:
Max Romeo Meets Owen Gray At King Tubby's Studio (1984) Culture Press (with Owen Gray)
Max Romeo and the Upsetters (1989)
Wet Dream (1993) Crocodisc
McCabee Version (1995) Sonic Sounds
Open The Iron Gate (1999) Blood & Fire
The Many Moods of Max Romeo (1999) Jamaican Gold
Pray For Me: The Best of Max Romeo 1967-73 (2000) Trojan Records
Perilous Times (2000) Charmax
On The Beach (2001) Culture Press
The Coming of Jah (2002) Trojan
Ultimate Collection (2003) (compiled by David Katz)
Holy Zion (2003) Burning Bush
Wet Dream: The Best of Max Romeo (2004) Trojan
Crazy World of Dub (2005) Jamaican Recordings
One of Jamaica's most provocative lyricists, a singer who gave us such enduring songs as 'Chase The Devil' (which was sampled in the song 'Out of Space' by The Prodigy and the song 'Lucifer' by Jay-Z), 'Public Enemy Number One', 'One Step Forward' and 'Three Blind Mice'. It was Romeo who first introduced Britain to the concept of rude reggae with 'Wet Dream', which, despite a total radio ban, reached number 10 in the UK charts in May 1969.
In 1972 Romeo began working with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. 'Babylon Burning', 'Three Blind Mice' and 'The Coming Of Jah' all maintained his star status in Jamaica between 1972 and 1975. Revelation Time was one of the best albums of 1975, and 1976's War Ina Babylon was hailed by the rock press as an all-time classic reggae album. Two outstanding contributions that will remain classic recordings from the so-called ‘golden age’ of Jamaican reggae music.
War Ina Babylon
Max Romeo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It sipple out deh
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
It sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
De baba men nuh like de dreadlocks man, oh
De dreadlocks man nuh like de baba man, no
De police men nuh like de dreadlocks man, oh
De dreadlocks man nuh like de police man, no
So war inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
When come pride then cometh shame, ah
A man pride shall bring him low, yeah, oh yeah
Honor shall uphold the humble in spirit
And you know it's true, yeah, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Wha' you say, it sipple out deh
So wha' fe do ? We slide out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Wha' you say, it sipple out deh
So wha' fe do ? Make we slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, so wha' fe do?
Make we slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, let me tell, we slide out deh, oh yeah
Marcus garvey prophecise, say
"One mus' live ten miles away, yeah, in this time"
I-man satta at the mountain top
Watching Babylon burning red hot, red hot
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh
So wha' fe do ? We slide out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, let me tell, tribal war inna Babylon
So wha' fe do? It sipple out deh
So wha' fe do? Make we slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, so wha' fe do? Slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, make we slide out deh, look at that
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, so wha' fe do? Let me slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, look at that, slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, oh yeah, slide out deh
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
It sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
De dreadlocks man nuh like de baba man, no
De police men nuh like de dreadlocks man, oh
De dreadlocks man nuh like de police man, no
So war inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh, wha' you say
It sipple out deh, oh yeah
When come pride then cometh shame, ah
A man pride shall bring him low, yeah, oh yeah
Honor shall uphold the humble in spirit
And you know it's true, yeah, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Wha' you say, it sipple out deh
So wha' fe do ? We slide out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Wha' you say, it sipple out deh
So wha' fe do ? Make we slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, so wha' fe do?
Make we slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, let me tell, we slide out deh, oh yeah
Marcus garvey prophecise, say
"One mus' live ten miles away, yeah, in this time"
I-man satta at the mountain top
Watching Babylon burning red hot, red hot
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
Let me tell, it sipple out deh
So wha' fe do ? We slide out deh, oh yeah
War inna Babylon, let me tell, tribal war inna Babylon
So wha' fe do? It sipple out deh
So wha' fe do? Make we slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, so wha' fe do? Slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, make we slide out deh, look at that
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, so wha' fe do? Let me slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, look at that, slide out deh, oh yeah
True, true, true, true, true, true
It sipple out deh, oh yeah, slide out deh
The song "War Ina Babylon" by Max Romeo speaks of the conflicts and tensions in the society of Kingston, Jamaica during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The lyrics describe the ongoing clash between the Rastafarian and the Babylonian culture. The song starts with the repeated chorus line "It sipple out deh" which means "it trickles out there" in Jamaican Patois. It implies that the struggle and the conflicts that started in the inner city neighborhoods are beginning to spread throughout the whole city. The song refers to "War" as a tribal war, which means a battle between two distinct cultures or groups with different belief systems.
The second verse mentions that the "baba man," which refers to the middle-class or upper-class people, don't like the "dreadlocks man," or Rastafarians, and vice versa, creating a never-ending conflict between the two groups. The third verse mentions the police's tension with the Rastafarians, which was a real issue in Kingston at the time. The song's fourth verse then speaks about the consequences of pride and humility, with a warning to those who are overconfident in their position or status.
The song's final verse speaks of Marcus Garvey's prophecy of living ten miles away from a city, away from corrupt systems, and mentions the singer's position on the mountain, watching Babylon burn. The repeated chorus line "True, true" emphasizes the inevitability of the conflict expanding and the need to escape it.
Line by Line Meaning
It sipple out deh
The conflict is spreading all around
War inna Babylon, tribal war inna Babylon
There is civil unrest and conflict in Babylon
wha' you say
What are you saying?
De baba men nuh like de dreadlocks man
The religious establishment dislikes the Rastafarians
De dreadlocks man nuh like de baba man
The Rastafarians do not like the religious establishment
De police men nuh like de dreadlocks man
The police force dislikes the Rastafarians
De dreadlocks man nuh like de police man
The Rastafarians do not like the police force
When come pride then cometh shame
Pride leads to downfall
A man pride shall bring him low
A person's pride results in their downfall
Honor shall uphold the humble in spirit
Humility and honor go hand in hand
So wha' fe do ? We slide out deh
What should we do? We should leave this place
Marcus garvey prophecise, say
Marcus Garvey prophesied that
"One mus' live ten miles away, yeah, in this time"
People should live far away from Babylon in these times
I-man satta at the mountain top
I, the Rastafarian, sit at the top of the mountain
Watching Babylon burning red hot, red hot
I witness the destruction of Babylon
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LEE PERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@asearchie
The unmistakable sound of a Lee Perry production! R.I.P. Scratch
@j.s.h6980
Agreed rip scratch
@user-yc4gj9nm7c
Dont know why he did not make it big like bob had all the tools. Guss is the connections
@Ch1mereucheya
wow i grew up on this music in Kano City, Nigeria. brings tears to my eyes. memories of childhood. this was my sister cousin's favourite. Even after she had transited, i remember her thru these songs. been searching for years for max romeo's songs...didnt know his name particularly. was too young to know...but i remember the words and fortunately i kept typing up on the internet and combining words and here i am. used to listen to this on my father's turntable with polygram records....God bless you Max Romeo.
@clemmtec9506
+Dr Paul , kano all the way
@SDwhipeout
The power of music!
@ravingking
brought a tear to my eye reading that . music brings so many people together and creates so many memories
@ollirasp4597
Jah bless you
@subbahzwei9693
cool story bro,JAH BLESS&GUIDANCE
@marvamendez6459
As a little girl growing up my dad had a sound system when playing this 45 record he would pull up about 10 times so glad i know classic songs like these, rip my dad jahroy forever in our hearts