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Yami Bolo
Yami Bolo
Since his beginnings, Yami Bolo has become an ambassador of conscious roots reggae music.
Sampler
Yami Bolo belongs to this category of singers who has a specific voice that can’t get mixed up with.
Since his beginnings, he has become an ambassador of conscious roots reggae music.
Rolando Ephraim McLean alias Yami Bolo was born in October 1970 in Jamaica and grew up in Kingston 13. As many other Jamaican artists, he discovered music and learned how to sing while going to church..
Just like Garnett Silk, Yami Bolo's tone is very original. The precision and the mystical character of his voice, added to the fact that he was used to take the mic. as a young boy, indicate his predisposition to make a career in reggae music.
At 13, he builds in the Youth Promotion Crew of Sugar Minott. Singers like Junior Reid, Cocoa Tea, Tenor Saw or Triston Palmer were also part of it.
In 1985, Yami Bolo released his first single, the famous When A Man’s In Love, on Stalag riddim, released on Techniques, followed one year later by Free Mandela, released on Skengdon. Throughout these two tunes, Yami Bolo's particular style and charming voice are already discernible, despite his young age. The Jamaican keeps singing in different sound systems and works with huge artists like Augustus Pablo, Tapper Zukie and Junior Delgado, the producer of his first album, Ransom.
Recorded in Channel One Studios and Creative Sound, Ransom has been released in 1989. Nineteen-years old, Yami Bolo presents a promising first album with great tunes like The Ransom Of A Man's Life or World Of Confusion.
Augustus Pablo's production Jah Made Them All (with Reggae Ambassador, Poverty & Brutality) confirms Yami Bolo’s style and delivers a conscious message throughout roots reggae. At the opposite of others, Yami Bolo doesn’t take advantage of slackness period and sticks to his convictions, spreading a positive message, values of peace, unity, share and love. From 1990 to 1995, the singer released 6 albums one of which is Cool & Easy.
Yami Bolo has suceeded to impose himself. In a " waterhouse style ", he always offers serious lyrics, with deep themes. Righteousness advocate, he deals many issues in his tunes : life condition in ghettos, the weapon’s proliferation or unity between nations. He never stop composing or singing, he's a very productive artist. We note Star of Love (Mr Big In Crime) released in 1995 on VP Records which also published the following year Jah Love, with Charlie Chaplin, Jack Radics, Dennis Brown, Merciless and Josey Wales featurings. Here’s also the great Put Down The Weapon with Capleton.
2001 is the year of the release of Healing of all Nations, a "roots & culture " opus, with conscious lyrics and great instrumentals recorded in 1980’s by The Roots Radics band. Produced by Linval Thompson, this album - released on Roots Foundation Records - presents 8 bad tunes (Haile Selassie, We Need Love, Jah Is Holy for example) followed by their versions. Same year, an other album is released - 4 Rebels - with the very good Conqueror, Cool It Down and Hotta Fire sang by Yami Bolo, in good shape as the the 3 others 'rebels' of this disc, Anthony B, Sizzla and Luciano.
He has also released many singles, some incontrovertible like Jah Made Them All (1986), Roots Up Pon De Corner (1986), Teach The Youth (1986), Mr Smith & Wesson (1998) or War & Revolution (2003).
In 2007, Yami Bolo has reminded the might of his voice and singing with Cut Them Off on Rastar Riddim, released on Rastar records in February.
Beside, according to his official website, he should be back this year, with a new album entitled Love The Unbreakable Resolve. To be continued…
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