“I met Donovan Germain, which is Penthouse, Fresh Vegetable was my first number 1 and then I signed to Columbia Records and contributed to the Gold(album) with Queen Latifah,” Tony Rebel reflects on his illustrious three decade career in the music industry.
“Weekend Love” , track 13 on Queen Latifah’s gold selling third studio album Black Reign features the reggae legend Tony Rebel, real name Patrick George Anthony Barrett. The single didn’t reach gold, but the album did and it peaked at number 60 on the Billboard 200 and number fifteen on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
“Before the Columbia(Records) deal I had Fresh Vegetable, Sweet Jamaica, Chatty Chatty and Nazarine Vow,” he said assuredly.
He prides himself in making conscious music throughout is career and one of his most formidably songs is Nazarine Vow, a song declaring his loyalty to his peculiar Rastafarian Faith. In the Hebrew Bible, a Nazarite is one who voluntarily put themselves under a ‘Nazirite vow’, thereby separating themselves with “a degree of sanctity”.
“Nazarine Vow, was produced by Phillip ‘Fattis’ Burrel, he called me one day and said Coca Tea, “Grow your locks” and I did that song, but I did so much lyrics that I had an extra song.”
“When I was signed to Columbia Records, I bought Nazarene Vow because I liked what Sly and Robbie did with the music and I gave it to Columbia to put on the album.”
Since then, the music industry has departed from that kind of lyrical consciousness but more so Tony Rebel says the main difference in the music of Jamaica now is that much of it is not “danceable”.
“Well the difference to me is the lyrical content and the rhythm. The rhythmic accompaniment of these music, like they having the trap and a ll that, it’s not “danceable”. In my time the rhythm was the driving force of the music, then with good melody and good lyrics on top of that it used to work,” he said.
“Its not danceable and the lyrical content is all about chopping and woman and gun, we talk about gun but in a different context,” he continued.
In 2023, he celebrates 29 years of staging his own Festival, Rebel Salute which has become a staple in the international reggae community round about his birthday each year with thousands of people making the pilgrimage to St. Ann, Jamaica.
“Rebel Salute was started on the 14th of January 1994 and it started out of the commemoration of my Earth Day”.
Among the stars to have performed at Rebel Salute over the years include Garnet Silk who died the year after the first show. Damian Marley, Buju Banton, Sizzla, Captleton, were past headliners. Artist like Chronixx and Koffee got their first major breaks at the festival.
This year Beenie Man and Bounty Killer along with 60 other artist will perform over two nights between Friday, January 19 and the early Sunday morning of January 21. Rising sensation Jahshii is set to make his performance debut at Rebel Salute on Friday a the Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St. Ann, Jamaica.
The Grants Pen singer’s breakout single “Born Fighter” was the most streamed song on YouTube in Jamaica last year. Other performers include Queen Ifrica, I-Octane, I-Wayne, George Nooks, Grammy Nominated artist Kabaka Pyramid, Ghanian reggae singer Stone Boy.
Tony Rebel says the conservative figures to stage the concert run him over US$500,000. He says 49% percent of his patrons come from overseas and “for one night they don’t eat meat, the eat the indigenous products of Jamaica,” he says.
To help him bankroll the concert he is heavily dependent on local sponsors but because Nazarite’s do not consume alcohol, he has eliminated beer companies who are the ones who would have the bigger budgets for entertainment sponsorship.
“The Sponsors they help to cut certain budgets for us, but because of how we are situated in Jamaica, the alcoholic companies are the ones who spend the money, and we are into a healthier lifestyle and the healthier lifestyle has less money so its difficult to get through Rebel Salute but we do it every year,” said the Manchester native.
“We generate over a billion dollars, with the hotel industry over the two night period, the sight seeing, the attractions, the AirBnBs, restaurants, transportation companies, is over a billion dollars.”
As the effects of the pandemic cease and live events make a comeback multi-national companies like Live Nation is seeing record numbers with projecting event-related revenue of $2.3 billion.
Tony Rebel says he is aware of the wider market and his eyes are set on expanding the lifestyle brand overseas.
“We have thought about keeping more than one festival per year and we want to take it abroad, and do a tour with that. But we want partners who know the terrain.
