Ras Sh… Read Full Bio ↴Born In Brooklyn New York, formerly known as big belly youth.
Ras Shiloh Coming Home
Article by Diane “Livonn” Adam
“Ras Shiloh’s voice remains piercing yet amazingly gentle. He displays a different range on Coming Home than previously heard. Clearly, this young Rasta’s voice is maturing in a direction that still places him as one of the highest order of Jah’s angels --- a Seraphim for the new millennium and beyond.” – Diane “Livonn” Adam
Ras Shiloh has been a truly missed live performance artist in Northern California. So it’s with much anticipation that this Brooklyn-born artist is back to the business of delivering the sweet sound of reggae in his own unique way with his superb new 2007 CD release, Coming Home (VP Records) produced by the legendary Bobby “Digital" Dixon.
Coming Home is truly a work of art and a labor of love by Ras Shiloh and producer Bobby Digital. A winning combination considering the Garnet Silk-like vocals of Ras Shiloh and Digital’s many accomplishments including his production work on Sizzla’s Da Real Thing and Black Woman & Child. From start to finish Coming Home is roots and culture at its highest and easily one of the best reggae releases this year. No doubt, this one will keep rotating in your music players day and night! Opening the album is the soul-stirring, “We Need Love” refraining that, We need more / Our nation is crying out / We need more love (love is what we’re searching for) in this world today / Promise us a better way / We need more joy (joy is what we need today) / a place for the children to play / Where is the sunny day...” Coming Home’s success can also be attributed to some brilliant musicianship from Squidley Cole on drums, Donald “Danny Bassie” Dennis on bass, Dalton Browne on guitars, Paul “Right Move” Crossdale, Sidney Mills, Mikey Spice and Benjy Myaz on keyboards and the great Dean Fraser on sax.
For many of us the introduction in 1998 of Ras Shiloh came by way of his 1998 CD release, Babylon You Doom which subsequently took him on tour to California to perform. His distinctive a cappella vocals literally took wings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as he performed from Maritime Hall to Reggae In The Park and seemed to take root as a young artist who was destined to make it to the top. Personal issues may have played a part in his departure from the music scene in the Bay Area but it has not stopped this young Rasta from continuing what he does best, releasing a comeback album in 2002 with From Rasta To You (VP Records).
Accolades for Coming Home are many since every track on this CD is pure gold. Songs I find particularly impressive are “Give A Little Love”, the spiritually felt, “What You Have Done” and “Come Down Jah Jah”, “The New Rising Day” featuring Bascone X and “It Will Be Over” featuring Natural Black. The album also features Morgan Heritage on the song “Let The People Voice Be Heard”.
Ras Shiloh’s voice remains piercing yet amazingly gentle. He displays a different range on Coming Home than previously heard. Clearly, this young Rasta’s voice is maturing in a direction that still places him as one of the highest order of Jah’s angels --- a Seraphim for the new millennium and beyond.
http://www.reggaereview.com
Mamã África
Ras Shiloh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So much
So tell me can you feel it
So much so much yeah
Ya know
Make that visit
So much so much love
So much
So much so much yeah
So much
So much love to share
Pure blackness, oneness so rare
So much love to give
Let them know they're missin' out
Mama Africa
Has so much love to share
Sweet blackness, oneness
Meet me there
So much love to give
Let them know they missin' out
Sing again
This is for all the love
And the life took away
Don't forget we were born in trade
Are ripped from the land and shipped away
Is the inspiration we used to survive
See
Have to see it with your own cries
Don't play
Add it up and alright
Still ya don't know
Land is so gold and green
The place is so fresh and clean
And everyday I water my garden
Tell me if you feel it deep in your heart
Visit once, guaranteed to visit twice
And if you just believe in the most high
I know you'll be alright
Mama Africa
Pure blackness, oneness so rare
So much love to give
And let them know they're missin' out
Mama Africa
Has so much love to share
Sweet blackness, oneness
Meet me there
So much love to give
Let them know they missin' out
Sing again
That's my favorite place when I need to get away
Must forget but we can't forget to pray
Are
Like Lance ridin' on the runway
In my homeland and I'm feelin' so alive
See
Hear me chant Africa unite
Anna accept mass alright
Still ya don't know
Skin is so dark and brown
She lifts me right off the ground
But no ya not gonna see it on ya tv
So just listen up and believe me
Her trees have the only cure
Her love is so and pure
Had to kiss them troubles goodbye bye
No I don't have to like mama Africa, unite
Pure blackness, oneness so rare
So much love to give
Let them know they're missin' out
Mama Africa
So much love to share
Sweet blackness, oneness
Be there
So much love to give
Let them know they missin' out
Sing again
So much so much love
So tell me can you feel it
So much so much
Make that visit
So much so much love
Synagogue can you feel it
So much so much
Ow!
So much love to share
I just can't see how we livin' without it
So much love to give
Don't miss don't miss one moment about it
So much love to share
Resist this miss
I really doubt it
So much love so much love to share
Oh yeah
Pure blackness, oneness so rare
So much love to give
Let them know they're missin' out
Feelin' it all the time
Sweet blackness, oneness
Meet me there
Better be there
Let them know they're missin' out
Sing again
The song Mama Africa by Ras Shiloh celebrates the beauty and love of Africa. The lyrics express how much love there is in Africa to share, with a pure blackness and oneness. The reference to the Synagogue is a nod to one of the oldest houses of worship in West Africa. The song calls on everyone to visit Africa and feel the love and purity there. The lyrics are a tribute to the resilience of Africans as they have overcome slavery and colonization. The line “This is for all of the love and the life took away” reminds the listeners of the struggles faced by Africans through history. Despite this, the song is uplifting, and the message is one of hope that the love of Africa can be shared with others.
Throughout the lyrics, the love of Africa is represented by the lush, green land, the dark and brown skin of its people, and the sweet blackness that is rare. The song invokes the beauty of Africa's natural resources, such as the trees, which have a healing quality. It calls for unity among Africans and encourages them to remain hopeful in the face of adversity. The lyrics urge everyone to believe in the most high and know that they will be alright.
Overall, the song Mama Africa is an ode to the beauty, love, and oneness found in Africa. It celebrates the struggles, triumphs, and hope of Africans while inviting everyone to come and feel the love of the continent for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
So much so much love
There's an abundance of love in Mama Africa
So tell me can you feel it
Can you feel the love in Mama Africa?
So much so much yeah
There's really a lot of love in Mama Africa
Ya know
You should know that Mama Africa has so much love
Make that visit
Visit Mama Africa and feel the love yourself
Synagogue can you feel it
Even the Synagogue can feel the love in Mama Africa
So much love to share
There's an abundance of love in Mama Africa that can be shared
Pure blackness, oneness so rare
The pure unity and oneness in Mama Africa is unique, rare and special
So much love to give
There's a lot of love to give in Mama Africa
Let them know they're missin' out
People who have not been to Mama Africa are missing out on experiencing the love there
Mama Africa
Referring to the entire continent of Africa as a mother who has a lot of love
Has so much love to share
Mama Africa is capable of sharing an abundance of love
Sweet blackness, oneness
The oneness and unity in Africa is sweet and special
Meet me there
Come with me to Mama Africa and experience the love and unity there
Sing again
Repeat the chorus and keep emphasizing Mama Africa's love and unity
This is for all the love
The song is dedicated to all the love present in Mama Africa
And the life took away
And for all the lives that were taken away from Mama Africa
Don't forget we were born in trade
Don't forget that Africans were born into the slave trade
Are ripped from the land and shipped away
They were forcefully taken away from their homeland as slaves
Is the inspiration we used to survive
Surviving the slave trade was an inspiration for Africans
See
Understand
Have to see it with your own cries
You have to see it with your own eyes and feel it emotionally to truly understand
Don't play
Don't joke around or take it for granted
Add it up and alright
When you add up all the love and unity in Mama Africa, everything is alright
Still ya don't know
You still don't understand the full extent of Mama Africa's love and unity
Land is so gold and green
The land in Mama Africa is rich and fertile
The place is so fresh and clean
Mama Africa is a clean and fresh environment
And everyday I water my garden
I take care of my personal environment in Mama Africa
Tell me if you feel it deep in your heart
Do you feel the love and unity of Mama Africa in your heart?
Visit once, guaranteed to visit twice
If you visit Mama Africa once, you'll be guaranteed to want to visit again
And if you just believe in the most high
If you believe in a higher power, you'll feel the love and unity of Mama Africa even stronger
I know you'll be alright
I'm sure you'll be okay as long as you feel the love and unity of Mama Africa
That's my favorite place when I need to get away
Mama Africa is where I go when I need to escape
Must forget but we can't forget to pray
We must forget our past but we can't forget to pray
Are
We
Like Lance ridin' on the runway
We feel like we're running towards something like Lance Armstrong
In my homeland and I'm feelin' so alive
Being in my homeland (Mama Africa) makes me feel alive
Hear me chant Africa unite
Listen to me as I chant for African unity
Anna accept mass alright
And I accept this message (of African unity)
Skin is so dark and brown
The skin of Africans is dark and brown
She lifts me right off the ground
Mama Africa (and her people) inspire and uplift me
But no ya not gonna see it on ya tv
You won't see Mama Africa's love and unity on television
So just listen up and believe me
Listen to me and believe in the love and unity of Mama Africa
Her trees have the only cure
Mama Africa's trees hold the cure for many ailments
Her love is so and pure
Mama Africa's love is true and genuine
Had to kiss them troubles goodbye bye
I had to leave my troubles behind when I came to Mama Africa
No I don't have to like mama Africa, unite
It's not a matter of whether I like Mama Africa or not, we just need to unite
Ow!
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm
I just can't see how we livin' without it
I can't imagine life without Mama Africa's love and unity
Don't miss don't miss one moment about it
Don't miss out on experiencing the love and unity in Mama Africa
Resist this miss
Don't resist to experience Mama Africa's love and unity
I really doubt it
I doubt that you can resist Mama Africa's love and unity
Feelin' it all the time
Always feeling the love and unity in Mama Africa
Better be there
You should be in Mama Africa to experience the love and unity
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL MORGAN LLOYD, MARTIN ANTHONY LITCHMAN, DANNY BROWNE, JAMES JR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
AUSPICIOUS KONDOR
BOOM =)