Ras Iyah V Blasts ‘Fake’ Reggae Rastas: “Whole Heap A Dem A Drunkard”

‘Peter Tosh Legalize It’ Awardee Ras Iyah V has lamented what he says is the fact that many Reggae artists, who sport dreadlocks are not true adherents to Rastafari, but really sport the hairstyle to attract attention from the international Reggae audience, and are bringing the faith into disrepute.

“What I find is that most of these Reggae artists – they don’t live in accordance with Rastafari principles. You have a whole heap a dem a drunkard, drink a lot of liquor, and nyam anyting. But they will use the locks to market themselves. Because internationally, this is what the international music community is looking for – people with locks who claim to be singing Reggae music,” Ras Iyah V told DancehallMag.

“It’s reality… And I will go further by saying that even though reggae music has helped to transport the message of Rastafari internationally, to a large extent it has helped to water down the movement in the sense that most of these Reggae musicians, don’t live in accordance with Rastafari principles,” he added.

Ras Iyah V said the issue was partially due to the fact that Reggae has, internationally, become inextricably linked with Rastafari due to the fact that musicians such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, The Melodians, Third World and The Ethiopians sported dreadlocks.

“But it’s not everyone who carry the locks in the music field are really genuine in the Rasta. But they know that wearing the locks makes them become more marketable, in the sense that people are looking for dreadlocks,” he emphasized.

The Rastafarian elder, who is a prominent figure within the ganja-legalization circles, highlighted that a trend where Reggae artists who, despite wearing the outward symbols of Rastafari, are generally absent from many Rastafari traditional celebrations.

“Occasionally you have Reggae artists who come to the Nyahbinghi.    There was a time when you would have found every year that Bunny Wailer, Chronixx (in attendance).  Most of these Reggae artists, they don’t come to Nyahbinghi, because, for one, some of them way of life is not in accordance with Rastafari principle – some of them genuine but some of them not genuine…,” he said.

He noted instances where musicians indulge in activities such as consuming alcohol, contrary to the teachings of Rastafari.  Additionally, he pointed to the fact that over the years, several Reggae veterans who have contributed significantly to spreading the Rastafari message globally, succumbed to drug addiction, particularly cocaine. This behaviour, he asserted, not only contradicts Rastafarian principles but also tarnishes the reputation of the religion.

“You know, there are some of these artists who are ‘cokeists’.   They take drugs, not only cocaine, but other drugs, sometimes hard drugs.   And if you look at some of our outstanding musicians who have died, a lot of them were on drugs,” he explained, going on to name several of Reggae’s late giants. “Yeah, this is known”.

Ras Iyah V said that while the commercialization of Rastafari within the Reggae industry has led to a dilution of its core values and brought the religion into disrepute, he was still grateful for the contributions of some of these wayward Reggae artists, in spreading the message of Rastafari and bringing attention to the trials and tribulations and injustices meted to adherents of the faith, people of African descent and oppressed peoples worldwide. 

“Being a drunkard, being involved in drugs is not a part of Rastafari cultural tradition, but at the same time we still give thanks to the conscious Reggae music out there that has helped to create this awakening where Rastafari, our rights pertaining to the liberation of our people, the redemption of our people and the injustice are concerned… the overall injustice that black people and other oppressed people have suffered at the hands of slavery and colonialism,” he said.

“So we still give thanks for the role, but we still acknowledge that it has helped to water down because, like I say, when you see these Reggae artists on tour, and the things they do, the things that they drink, the things that they eat, totally out of line with Rastafari principles,” he added.

In 2021, Reggae/Dancehall icon Sizzla Kalonji had rebuked Reggae artists, who declared themselves Rastafarians, but had never visited any Rastafarian tabernacle in their lives, were clueless about Rastafarian religious rites, and had been even failing to observe Haile Selassie’s birthday in the prescribed manner.

Sizzla had said that among the litany of the Rastafari artists’ transgressions was the fact that none of them had been praying; they were failing to keep the Sabbath; they were not contributing to the upkeep of or fixing the roads to the holy temples and other spiritual places; and they were not attending the Selassie birthday services for their names to be “registered in the Rastafarian Holy Book of Life”.

The Mash Dem Down artist had said no artist, including himself, was innocent of the transgressions and that the likes of Capleton, Buju Banton and Bugle were among the wayward Rastas who were guilty of not paying reverence to His Imperial Majesty, as they were absent from the tabernacles on Haile Selassie’s birthday and were not carrying out the works of Rastafari or helping the Rasta community.

The August Town native said the Rasta artists were also failing to visit the Rastafarian sacred grounds such as Bobo Hill to pray to Jah, which was in stark contrast to adherents of Jamaica’s other religions who show devotion to their respective faiths.