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Question:
I was listening to Christafari’s "GRAVITY," album and noticed that you are not using the name "Jah" anymore, I was wondering if this was intentional?
Answer:
Yes the absence of the name "Jah" was deliberate on our Gravity
album. In fact, I intentionally changed some of the songs that were initially
written for this project and omited "Jah" from them before including them on
this lp. So unlike all of our past recordings, you won’t find the name Jah in
any of the songs on this CD. Instead, I decided to use other Biblical names for
God.
This was by no means an overnight inspiration. Part of the initial
appeal in making this decision was my desire to think outside the box and
challenge myself to not write songs the same old way. And anyone who has heard
our "Gravity" album will know that the sound and approach is very different from
our past recordings. In addition to reaching rastas, we have broadened our sites
on this album and focused on also reaching universalists. In doing this, our
rasta jargon was not as applicable. Furthermore, since the name Jah is only
found by itself in one verse and one version of the Bible, I wanted to focus my
ministry approach on the numerous other names for God that are found far more
frequently and would make our message even more clear to the listener.
However, the primary reason why I am not using the name Jah in our
recent recordings is because of the example that we are setting for other
artists. Ever since I started Christafari I have always had a pioneering spirit.
And two things are usually true about most pioneers; 1). They usually face a
tremendous amount of resistance and persecution from the conservative, and 2).
If the trail that they have blazed is a valid route, some (if not many) will
follow in their footsteps. Both of these have become true with Christafari. And
while it is flattering to learn about hundreds of bands following our path in
gospel reggae, one aspect of this emulation has given me great concern over the
last few years--the use of the name Jah.
You see, we have always used
Jah as a culturally sensitive way to reach rastas, (and still will
individually), yet so many young gospel reggae artists are using our same
ministry approach in trying to reach a completely different audience--the
Christian church.
I get really frustrated when I hear a gospel reggae
artist that sings a song that is full of the name Jah, yet never truly clarify
whom the true Jah is. Besides the spirit of the artist (which rarely translates
through my speakers), the only difference between one of these gospel songs and
a song by the likes of Luciano or Morgan Heritage (devout rastas) is the poor
quality. So if any Christian artists are there reading this, please step up the
quality and clarify who "Jah" is or do not use the name at all. For if someone
hears a roots reggae vibe by a presently unknown artist that sings out the name
"Jah" without further clarification, given the Rastafarian stigma attached to
reggae, they are liable to assume that it is a song for Ras Tafari. Even worse,
this song could be misinterpreted and redirected for the worship of a false god
by a listener unaware.
As for me, I have presently chosen not to use the
name in our future recordings, and will only use it when personally witnessing
to a rasta. For when I started Christafari and Lion of Zion ent., my primary
goal was to see the rasta church become Christian, yet one of the regrettable
fruits of my labor, (due to uneducated imitation by other artists) is the
Christian church becoming more rasta. This was never my intention. It was not my
desire to have a Christian congregation in Trinidad shouting out the name "JAH!"
in their church services.
So singers, please consider your audience, and
if you are going to use this name, I urge you to make it clear who you are
talking about. Enlighten the people and expound on the name. Spell it out. If
you make it clear in your lyrics then there will be no window for
misenterpretation. A great example of this is Tiko and Gitta's "Jah" in which
they sing: "Jesus me talk ‘bout when Jah name me mention."
Humbly Yours,
Mark Mohr
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