Sugar Minott (born Lincoln Barrington Minott, May 25, 1956 in Kingston, die… Read Full Bio ↴Sugar Minott (born Lincoln Barrington Minott, May 25, 1956 in Kingston, died Saturday July 10, 2010 in Kingston) was a Jamaican reggae singer, producer and sound-system operator known for his sweet roots dancehall style.

Sugar Minott spent his youth hanging around the legendary "Studio 1" listening to the artists that recorded there, such as Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, The Heptones, Dennis Brown and others.

Sugar began his career with the formation of the African Brothers, along with Tony Tuff and Derek Howard (and later Triston Palmer) in the early 1970s. The African Brothers were a harmonious roots act, of which Sugar became the most popular member. By 1979, Sugar had been invited by Studio 1 to record a solo album.

When recording at Studio 1, he chose not to use a backing band as in conventional recording, but elected to sing over instrumental versions of old Studio 1 classics. This is considered to be the birth of "dancehall," which lead to countless artists making new hits out of old classics, a tradition that continues in Jamaica today.

Sugar was also well-regarded for hard work on his Youthman Promotion sound system and Black Roots & Youthman Promotion labels into the 1980s, which brought forth such artists as Tenor Saw, Nitty Gritty, Yami Bolo, Junior Reid, Tony Rebel, Garnett Silk, and many more to the industry. Up until his death, he was still working with young artists both in Jamaica and the US, including his daughter Pashon Minott.

The People Got to Know
Sugar Minott Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ooh. yes
Oh yeah

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That in the beginning (Jah Jah)
Jah He created the earth (the earth)
And all the things there in

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That He gave it to men (to men)
To subdue and have dominion over everything
On this earth, whoah, yes

Yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Oh yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That men made a mess (a mess)
Of this whole world
So it will serve theirs soul

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That Jah was displeased (displeased)
And in His wroth he send a flood
To destroy, wickedness

Oh yes, the people ought to know
Oh yes, the people ought to know

(.)
Oh. got to tell them
I just got to tell them

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That God gave men a chance (a chance)
To redeem his soul, once again
But it seems as if (as if)
He wanna do the same (the same)
Sinfulness on this earth
Oh yeah, wickedness

Oh yes, the people ought to know
Oh yes, the people ought to know
Oh yes, the people ought to know
Brimstone and fire!
Brimstone and fire!
The people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Oh yes, the people have to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Whoah, got to know.
(Yes, the people ought to know)
They got to know, know, know, know

Overall Meaning

Sugar Minott's song "The People Got to Know" talks about the importance of knowledge and understanding of mankind's relationship with God and the earth. The song states that God created the earth and everything in it, giving humanity the responsibility to take care of it. However, humans have failed in this task, leading to the corruption of the world and bringing about God's wrath in the form of a flood. The song emphasizes the need for individuals to recognize the consequences of their actions and strive for redemption.

The lyrics of "The People Got to Know" suggest that Sugar Minott was a deeply spiritual person who was concerned with issues of morality and humanity's relationship with the divine. In his view, knowledge was crucial in this regard, and he believed that people needed to be reminded of God's judgment and the importance of living morally upright lives.

Interestingly, the song's title and chorus are reminiscent of a line from a speech by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican pan-Africanist and black nationalist leader of the early 20th century. Garvey often spoke about the need for black people to be self-reliant and to acquire knowledge that would help them become independent and successful.

Line by Line Meaning

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
It is imperative that individuals possess the knowledge and understanding of the following information

That in the beginning (Jah Jah)
At the start of existence as we know it, the Almighty deity created everything

Jah He created the earth (the earth)
The Almighty creator made the planet we call Earth

And all the things there in
The Earth, upon being created, contained every living and non-living thing

That He gave it to men (to men)
The Creator bestowed the planet on the humankind

To subdue and have dominion over everything
Human beings were granted permission to have control over and care for everything on the earth

On this earth, whoah, yes
This power was given to humans specifically on this planet

That men made a mess (a mess)
Human beings have carelessly and recklessly contributed to the destruction of the Earth

Of this whole world
The actions of men have had a negative impact on every facet of planet Earth

So it will serve theirs soul
Humanity's activities have led to a state where the planet is unable to properly provide for its inhabitants' needs

That Jah was displeased (displeased)
The Almighty deity was upset with humanity's actions

And in His wroth he send a flood
As a result of humanity's corruption, the Supreme Being sent a great flood upon the earth

To destroy, wickedness
The main purpose of the flood was to eradicate evil from the earth

That God gave men a chance (a chance)
The Creator presented humankind with an opportunity

To redeem his soul, once again
Humans were provided with the chance to cleanse themselves of all their wrongdoings

But it seems as if (as if)
However, it appears as though humans are

He wanna do the same (the same)
Making the same mistakes once again

Sinfulness on this earth
People are continually committing sins on the planet Earth

Brimstone and fire!
This line refers to the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where these two cities were destroyed through divine retribution with wildfires and other forms of disasters

They got to know, know, know, know
It is essential for the common people to be informed and aware of the consequences of their actions

Writer(s): MINOTT

Contributed by Jackson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@ismaelgoros532

4y↑15

Ooh.. yes
Whoa oh, yeah

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That in the beginning (Jah Jah)
Jah He created the earth (the earth)
And all the things there in

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That He gave it to men (to men)
To subdue and have dominion over everything
On this here earth, whoa oh, yes

Yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Oh yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That men made a mess (a mess)
Of this whole world
So it will serve their soul

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That Jah was displeased (displeased)
And in His wrath, He send a flood
To destroy, wickedness

Oh yes, the people ought to know
(Only eight righteous where saved)
Oh yes, the people ought to know
(Only eight righteous where saved)

(..)
Oh.. gotta tell them
I just gotta tell them

Yes, the people ought to know (to know)
That God gave men a chance (a chance)
To redeem his soul, once again
But it seems as if (as if)
He wanna do the same (the same)
Sinfulness on this earth
Whoa yeah, wickedness

Oh yes, the people ought to know
(This time it shall be fire)
Oh yes, the people ought to know
(Hotter, hotter, hotter fire)
Oh yes, the people ought to know
(This time it shall be fire)
Brimstone and fire!
(Hotter, hotter, hotter fire)
Brimstone and fire!
(The people ought to know)
The people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Oh yes, the people have to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Yes, the people ought to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
Whoa oh, oh, oh
(Yes, the people ought to know) Got to know
(Yes, the people ought to know) Got to know
(Yes, the people ought to know)
They got to know, know, know..🇯🇲🇯🇲🦁💯😎🔥👌☀️💫🙏