Part of the Reggae Road Block tour, Prophet Benjamin has established himself on his reggae journey with his most popular tune, ‘Field of Weed. Defining his excalibur authority chanting tunes on the ever-touchy subject of marijuana smoking.

Hailing from rural south Trinidad, Prophet Benjamin belts out heart felt melodies on a wide array of subjects, from women attracted to ‘pretty boys’, love and the HIV virus…in the hit, Delilah.

Delilah, a quite controversial song; but a reality in today’s world that is rampant with the AIDS virus. Each lyrical sentence warns people about not getting carried away with the physical, when we must also consider the diseases that exist.

Dubbed as a ‘real congo bongo’, Prophet Benjamin has injected the reggae vibe into the Caribbean, sharing stages with Marlon Asher, Gyptian and the Reggae Road Block team. Capturing crowds with his sensational voice, he is living his musical dream by entertaining crowds and captivating stageshows.

His musical style is, however, not the typical laid-back reggae, but more of an upbeat vibe…that exudes hyped-up vibe. A part of the reggae all-stars, he continued to captivate audiences worldwide.

Written by Jamie Jaggernauth.

From early in the decade, Trinidad and Tobago has held a strong presence in the reggae industry with artists such as Jamelody, Isasha, Million Voice, Prophet Benjamin and Marlon Asher stepping heavy onto the scene.

Whether in be in the uptown club vibe, the downtown mellow party scene, or the quarterly reggae sound system gathering, Trinidad and Tobago has a heavy vibe for roots reggae.

With musical influences such as Steel Pulse, Toots and Bob Marley, Sizzla and Buju Banton these young men have emerged from various locations throughout the island, singing songs of love, liberation and without much neglect, the smoking of marijuana. Finding solice as well as spirituality through their song.

Jamelody has gotten a positive response from the Trinidadian audience and is seeking to establish himself on the international front. Well respected in Trinidad, his crowd response differs from the likes of Jamaican reggae lovers.

Isasha, the Trinidadian reggae song-writer and performer has always viewed conscious reggae music as nothing new, but always a means for the youth to express positivity.

Million Voice, writer and performer of the roots reggae song One Family shares similar opinions on the subject of young Trinidadians expressing their frustration and outlooks. As brothers, Isasha and Million Voice share the stage in unifying Trinidadian youths and covering topics such as poverty, crime, love and solution to retribution.

Prophet Benjamin seeks out more of a dubbed reggae style of music, and has shared the stage with all of the above mentioned. Like many other emerging artists, Prophet Benjamin has indeed begun to put Trinidad on the map for reggae music.

However, Marlon Asher has begun the trend of Trinidadian reggae musicians with his hit, “Ganja Planter”. This tune is guaranteed to flow heavy vibes into any crowd, as most youths in the audience just smile and dance to the music. Trinidad is known for marijuana cultivation, and this song not only appeals to marijuana smokers, but also to the struggling youths who seek cultivating as well as selling the herb.

Regardless of age and ethnicity, Trinidad and Tobago seeks to develop is reggae talent. However, most of the emerging musicians have agreed that the reggae and conscience style was always a way of life in Trinidad- it is one of the many things that unify different cultures on this island of multifarious ethnicity.

Written by Jamie Jaggernauth.

You could be forgive for thinking that Trinidad & Tobago is a strictly soca music, as it is famous for it’s carnival, soca, calypso, the limbo dance and steelpan. Having a lot of Trini friends, I have been very much influenced by all sorts of Trinidadian music and will cover that later for all those guys who I know read this blog. For now though, I wanted to take a moment to let you know that Trinidad has some wonderful Reggae Artists too. Here are a few Trinis that you really ought to know about!!

Reggae Artist - Positive

Taking influence from the likes of Sizzla, Jah Cure and Richie Spice - Joel Murray aka Positive openly states that Reggae is his first love. From a young age, Positive has always wanted to take his music beyond the shores of Trinidad and Tobago and with early success with the release of his second single ‘Never Let Go’, he has set up Lion Of Judah Records and releaseed a new album which will do just that! Positive is exactly as his name suggests and he looks to spread the word of peace, love and unity with his music. I have attached his hit single ‘never let go’ but if you want to hear more then just head on over to his myspace page here. I highly recommend you listen to the track ‘I Will Survive’.

Reggae Artist - Marlon Asher

The Ganja Farmer! Marlon Asher is a very conscious reggae artist who, much like his mentor Bob Marley, uses his blesses voice to send a message. His first song ‘Ganja Farmer’, though controversial, was a huge hit and is known the world over as a classic. Marlon has a great voice and his music is brilliant. I will not dwell too much here, just go listen. Again, if you like what you hear then go check out further Marlon Asher tracks here.  The track I have chosen to show those who don’t know Marlon already is the powerful track Scandals - dedicated to Kenya, ft Empress Rita and Henry Tigan.

Reggae Artist - Khari Kill

Khari Kill burst onto the reggae scene with a debut single ‘Picture Of  Selassie I’, which went straight to number one in the reggae charts. Another versatile Trinidadian whos humble beginnings in La Horquetta have stuck with him and are often portrayed in his lyrics about poverty and injustice. Combine that with his brilliant lyrical ability and you can see why Khari Kill is a star reggae artist. Listen to ‘Mary Grandson’, ‘Rainy Weather’ and below  ‘Picture of Selassie I’.

Reggae Artist - Prophet Benjamin

A reggae artist from the south of Trinidad and a determined one at that. It took Devon Samuel aka Prophet Benjamin more than ten years to get into the mainstream and he has arrived every bit as if he belongs. With his strong faith and tireless work ethic, Prophet Benjamin is taking the reggae scene by storm. His lyrics are close to the line sometimes, but all in good humour but this should not deter from the fact that Prophet Benjamin is a talented reggae artist in his own right. Recomended listening includes ‘Field Ah Weed’ and ‘Pretty Bwoy’ and below I have posted ‘Adore You’ for your intro to Prophet Benjamin.

Reggae Artist - King David

David Michael Nieves Jr, aka King David, grew up as the youngest of three children and attended a fairly prestigious school in Trinidad before going on to work in a large corporation before deciding to follow his dream. King David started touring the clubs in the US and became somewhat of a local hit when he returned to Trinidad. While King David is not strictly reggae as he is a versatile artist who delivers reggae, dancehall and soca, he is a great talent and you should listen to tracks like ‘Live Here’, ‘Answer to Jah’ and his first hit ‘Everything’.

Music from King David and all the above artists, along with a number of Trinidadian reggae artists, can be found out TriniJungleJuice.