Making History - Linton Kwesi Johnson (1984)

Ideated from: a Black History Month reminder that black artists largely built the modern world of music

I originally thought maybe I wouldn’t put more than one reggae record in this list, but this one is different in many ways from Lee “Scratch” Perry.

For one, this is less dub and more live music. Johnson, a published poet and political activist, was much more lyrics-forward with his music, and kept some jazz sensibilities in his band. His story is also an interesting one about the Jamaican diaspora, since he grew up in London and spoke in large part about British struggles and not Jamaican ones.

The vocals are whip-smart, about socialist revolution and police violence and the constant fear of war in the 80s.

Tracks I Liked

Di Great Insohreckshan - makes you want to either throw a molotov cocktail or take a solo.

Making History - the first LKJ track I heard (thanks, Hotline), and still a favorite.